Comte ''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word 'count' (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word 'county' (Latin: ''comitatus''). Comte or Comté may refer to: * A count in French, from Latin ''comes'' * A ...

Maurice O'Donnell de Tyrconnell (german: Moritz Graf O'Donnell von Tyrconnell; 1780–1843) was an Austro-Irish count, born in Vienna.

Family

He was a descendant of the Irish noble dynasty of

O'Donnell of Tyrconnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( ga, Ó Dónaill or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell, Ulster, in medieval Ireland. Naming conventions Or ...

, some of whom fled to the Continent and became nobles of Spain, France, and in this case Austria, the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

empire. He was a son of Minister Joseph Count O'Donnell von Tyrconnell (1755–1810) and Theresa O'Donnell, and a grandson of Major-General Henry Count O'Donnell von Tyrconnell (1726–1789) and his wife, Princess Leopoldine Kantacuzene (

Cantacuzino The House of Cantacuzino (french: Cantacuzène) is a Romanian aristocratic family of Greek origin. The family gave a number of princes to Wallachia and Moldavia, and it claimed descent from a branch of the Byzantine Kantakouzenos family, specifica ...

, of Moldavia and Wallachia). Maurice's wife, Christine "Titine" (1788–1867), was an illegitimate daughter of Charles de Ligne (1759–1792), first son of the

Prince de Ligne Prince of Ligne is a title of Belgian nobility that belongs to the House of Ligne, which goes back to the eleventh century. It owes its name to the village in which it originated, between Ath and Tournai. The lords of Ligne belonged to the en ...

to whom Goethe wrote more than once in 1813. They lived in

Pressburg Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

(now

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

, Slovakia) and had two sons: Maximilian Karl Lamoral Graf O'Donnell von Tyrconnell, who saved the life of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria in 1853; and Maurice Jr, Moritz O'Donnell.

Career

He was raised in the Austro-Hungarian Academy of Engineers, and appointed as a sub-lieutenant at the age of sixteen. In 1799 he was promoted to the rank of captain in the 54th Infantry Regiment, guarding the Wallachian-

Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

n frontier of the Empire. In 1802 he took leave and made a voyage to Italy, where he met the renowned

Madame de Staël Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ...

during five days in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. It was the beginning of a long relationship with Europe's leading socialite that lasted many years, with an intense correspondence with Madame de Staël, who at one time beseeched him to marry her. On 11 April 1813, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and took part in campaigns in France, where he distinguished himself at the siege of Besançon. He was made a full colonel on 1 June 1814, and returned to Vienna at the end of that year, but by the end of April 1815 he was away again in military service in the campaign against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, and by September he was in Paris with the Allies. On 1 October 1816, he was granted the command of the 45th Infantry Regiment, and in 1822, was placed in charge of a mission to Italy. On 9 March 1828, he was appointed brigadier-general in Vienna, and sent again to Italy that year. On 9 May 1832, he was transferred to Gratz, where he was demobilized on 8 May 1834 with a pension on 500 florins. However, he was again promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general of a division ''ad honorem''. He died in Dresden on 30 November 1843, and his wife the Countess Titine survived him until 1867.

References

*''Seventy Year Young, Memories of Elizabeth, Countess of Fingal'', by Elizabeth Burke-Plunkett, first published by Collins of London, 1937, and later by the *Lilliput Press, Dublin, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2005 . *''Revue de Paris, 1925'', which contains a collection of unedited letters of Mme. de Stael to Comte O'Donnell. *''Madame de Staël et Maurice O'Donnell'' (1805–1817), d'apres des letters inedites, by Jean Mistler, published by Calmann-Levy, Editeurs, 3 rue Auber, Paris, 1926. {{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Maurice Maurice 1780 births 1843 deaths 18th-century Irish people 19th-century Irish people Austrian people of Irish descent Irish expatriates in Austria-Hungary Irish soldiers in the Austrian Army