An Emperor saved by a Gael - the heroic life of Maximilian O'Donnell

The man behind the salvation of Emperor and King Franz Joseph I in 1853, Maximilian Karl Lamoral Graf O'Donnell Von Tyrconnell, traces his paternal lineage back to County Mayo and further still to Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Franz Joseph I became Emperor of Austria in 1848 and King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in 1867 and remained in power until his death in 1916. 

On Feb 18, 1853, an assassination attempt was made against him by a Hungarian nationalist, in broad daylight, as he stood alongside one of his trusted officers, Maximilian O'Donnell.

This officer, O'Donnell, was born Maximilian Karl Lamoral Graf O'Donnell Von Tyrconnell on Oct 29, 1812, in Goldegg, a kingdom of Bavaria, to parents Count Maurice and Christine O'Donnell. His maternal grandfather was Charles Joseph, Prince of Ligne. His paternal lineage was of Irish nobility, a descendant of Niall of the Nine Hostages.

O'Donnell's great-grandfather was Major General Count Henry O'Donnell (1726-1789), who left Oughty, County Mayo, for Austria in 1742. Henry flew up the ranks of the Austrian military on account of his military skill and fearless swashbuckling exploits on the battlefield. 

Maximilian O'Donnell joined the military after finishing his education in Dresden. He participated in several engagements across Europe, including Italy in 1848 and Hungary in 1849, resulting in several promotions and awards. He went on to marry Franziska Wagner, who was not of noble lineage, and therefore their marriage was frowned upon. 

On Feb 18, 1853, O'Donnell was accompanying the 22-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph I, who had acceded to the Austrian throne five years earlier following his uncle's abdication after the Austrian Revolution of 1848. 

The Emperor and his officer were strolling along a heavily fortified area inside Vienna, chatting. At roughly 1 pm, the Emperor goes to look over a parapet to observe troops on exercise when he feels a powerful blow to the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. 

As he raises himself from the ground, dumbfounded, clasping his neck bloodied and wounded. His shock shifts to terror as he realizes his officer, O'Donnell, is battling an assailant armed with a knife, fighting for both their lives.

O'Donnell lands a strike with his saber, putting the assailant down, and is quickly helped by a passerby to subdue the attacker. 

For saving the Emperor's life, O'Donnell is made Count of the Habsburg Austrian Empire in addition to the German title he inherited from his great-grandfather. O'Donnell was also honored with Orders of Chivalry by several European monarchs and made Freeman of Vienna, Pest, Prague, and Ljubljana.

A church was built on the site of the attack, on Ringstrasse, as a votive offering by royalty; it is now known as the Votivkirche.

The passerby (Joseph Ettenreich) who helped subdue the assailant was elevated from a butcher into nobility for his role.

The assailant János Libényi, a Hungarian nationalist and tailor, was subsequently charged with regicide and sentenced to death. 

In 1898, the Emperor's wife Elisabeth of Austria was assassinated while walking along a promenade in Geneva by 25-year-old Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni, armed with a sharpened needle. 

In 1914, Emperor Frans Joseph issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which led to the outbreak of the First World War. He died in the Shönbrunn Palace on Nov 21, 1916, of pneumonia at 86 years of age. 

Maximilian Karl Lamoral Graf O'Donnell passed away at his home in Salzburg on Oct 29, 1895 at 82 years of age. He received a burial at Salzburg cemetery.

* This article was originally published in 2021, updated in July 2026.

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