Maximilian Karl Lamoral Graf O'Donnell von Tyrconnell (29 October 1812 — 14 July 1895) was an Austrian officer and civil servant who became famous when he helped save the life of

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Franz Josef I of Austria. O'Donnell was a descendant of the Irish noble dynasty of

O'Donnell of Tyrconnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell in Ulster in the north of History of Ireland (1169–1536), medieval an ...

.O'Domhnaill Abu (Spring 1987) ''O'Donnell Clan Newsletter'' no.7, (ISSN 0790-7389)

Family background

He was born in Goldegg, son of Count Maurice O'Donnell (Moritz Graf O'Donnell) (1780–1843), the 7th generation descendant of Conn Oge O'Donnell, and Christine (4 January 1788 – 19 May 1867), the legitimate daughter of Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne. He married Franziska Wagner, who was not of noble birth, and the marriage was frowned upon. He died in his home in Salzburg and is buried in the Salzburg Cemetery.

Military career

He was educated in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, then joined the military and served in several engagements in Europe, including in Italy in 1848, and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

in 1849, resulting in many awards and promotions. He became aide-de-camp to the

Franz Josef I of Austria. He later served as Governor of Lombardy briefly from 18–22 March 1848.

Fame as life-saver

On 18 February 1853, Maximilian helped save the life of the young Emperor, foiling an assassination attempt by a tailor and former

Hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

, János Libényi, a Hungarian nationalist. The Emperor was taking a stroll with Count Maximilian O'Donnell on a

bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

inside Vienna. About 1 pm, as he looked over a parapet to review an exercise of troops, Libényi approached and struck the Emperor in the neck from behind with a knife. Even though the Emperor was wounded and bleeding, his collar may have helped save his life. Maximilian ''

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

'' O'Donnell struck Libényi down with his sabre. Another witness who happened to be nearby, the butcher Joseph Ettenreich, quickly overwhelmed Libényi. For this deed, he was later elevated to nobility by the Emperor and became Joseph von Ettenreich. Libényi was subsequently put on trial and condemned to death for attempted

regicide Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...

. He was executed near the Spinnerin am Kreuz in the Favoriten district. After the unsuccessful attack the Emperor's brother Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, the later Emperor of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, called upon the royal families of Europe for donations to construct a new church on the site of the attack. The church was to be a

votive offering A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

for the rescue of the Emperor. It is located on

Ringstraße The Ringstrasse or Ringstraße (pronounced Help:IPA/Standard German, �ɪŋˌʃtʁaːsə:File:De-Ringstraße.ogg, ⓘ, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic city centre, ...

in the district of

Alsergrund Alsergrund (; ) is the ninth district of Vienna, Austria (). It is located just north of the first, central district, Innere Stadt. Alsergrund was incorporated in 1862, with seven suburbs. As a central district, the area is densely populated. Accor ...

close to the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, and is known as the Votivkirche.

Titles, honours and awards

Titles

Maximilian O'Donnell already held a German

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

title of Count, granted to his great-grandfather. However, after successfully rescuing the Emperor, he was additionally honoured and made a

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

(''

Reichsgraf Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly (Imperial immediacy, immediately) from the emperor, rather th ...

''), but an error occurred in the Letters Patent, omitting one "n" from the family name, and the Austrian O'Donnells have since then usually used "O'Donell" as the standard version.

Orders and decorations

* : ** Commander of the Imperial Order of Leopold, ''1853'' ** Military Merit Cross ** Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem * Ascanian duchies: Commander of the House Order of Albert the Bear, 2nd Class, ''30 October 1852'' * : Commander of the Order of the Zähringer Lion, 1st Class, ''1852'' * : ** Commander of the Merit Order of Saint Michael, ''1850'' ** Commander of the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, ''1853'' * : Commander of the Order of Leopold * : Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross, with Star *

Ernestine duchies The Ernestine duchies (), also known as the Saxon duchies (, although the Albertine appanage duchies of Weissenfels, Merseburg and Zeitz were also "Saxon duchies" and adjacent to several Ernestine ones), were a group of small states whose numb ...

: Commander of the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

, 1st Class, ''February 1853'' * French Empire: Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...

: Commander of the

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer (), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the modern Greek state. Establishment The establishment of the Orde ...

* : Commander of the

Royal Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Kingdom of Hanover, Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name from the House ...

, 2nd Class, ''1853'' *

Electorate of Hesse The Electorate of Hesse (), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was the title used for the former Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel after an 1803 reform where the Holy Roman Emperor elevated its ruler to the rank of Elector, thus giving him ...

: Commander of the Wilhelmsorden, 2nd Class, ''26 November 1851'' * : Commander of the Ludwig Order, 1st Class, ''18 August 1853'' *

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

: Knight of the Supreme Order of Christ * : Commander of the

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (; ), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Order of the Constantinian Angelic Knights of Saint George, is a dynastic order of knighthood ...

, ''1852'' * : ** Commander of the Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz ** Commander of the Royal Military Order of the Tower and Sword *

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

: ** Knight of the Order of the Red Eagle, 2nd Class, ''12 December 1852'' ** Commander's Cross of the Royal

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses an ...

, ''8 March 1853'' * : ** Knight of the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 1st Class with Star ** Knight of the

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine the Great, Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev, Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of ...

, 3rd Class ** Knight of the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

, 2nd Class in Diamonds * : ** Knight of the Saxon Order of Merit, ''1849'' ** Commander of the

Albert Order The Albert Order () was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, s ...

, 1st Class, ''1853'' * : Commander of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

, with Star *

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

: ** Commander of the

Order of Saint Joseph The Order of Saint Joseph was instituted on 9 March 1807 by Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany during his reign as Grand Duke of Würzburg. It was transformed into a Tuscan Roman Catholic Dynastic Order in 1817. The constitution of the Orde ...

** Knight of the Military Order of Saint Stephen * : Commander of the Order of Saint George of the Reunion

Honours

* Freeman of the cities of

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Pest, Laibach (

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

), and others.

Arms

His customary O'Donnell arms were augmented by the initials of Emperor Franz Joseph within the shield of the archducal House of Austria in the inescutcheon of the double-headed eagle of the Empire. These arms can still be seen emblazoned on the portico of no. 2 Mirabellplatz in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, where O'Donnell built his residence thereafter in the former gardens of Schloss Mirabell.

Descent from
Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall Noígíallach (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

Source: John O'Hart, "Irish Pedigrees or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation", Volume 1, 1892, p.649, https://archive.org/details/irishpedigreesor_01ohar/page/648 * Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell * Maurice Count O'Donnell * Joseph Count O'Donnell * Major-General Henry Count O'Donnell * Calbhach Dubh O'Donnell, of Oldcastle * Colonel Calbhach Ruadh O'Donnell * Colonel Manus O'Donnell * Conn Oge O'Donnell * Conn O'Donnell * Calvagh O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill *

Manus O'Donnell Manus O'Donnell ( Irish: ''Maghnas Ó Domhnaill'' or ''Manus Ó Domhnaill''; 1490 – 9 February 1563) was a Gaelic Irish lord and King of Tyrconnell. After his father Hugh Dubh's death in 1537, Manus succeeded as Tyrconnell's ruler.The Edi ...

, King of Tír Chonaill * Hugh Dubh O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill * Hugh Ruadh O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill * Niall Garbh O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill * Turlough an Fiona O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill * Niall Garbh O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill * Hugh O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill * Domhnall Óg Ó Domhnaill, King of Tír Chonaill * Donal Mór O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill * Eignechan O'Donnell, King of Tír Chonaill * Donnchadh O'Donnell * Donal O'Donnell * Hugh O'Donnell * Tadg O'Donnell * Conn O'Donnell * Cathbharr O'Donnell * Giollachriosd O'Donnell * Cathbharr * Domhnaill * Eignechan * Dálach * Muirchertach * Ceannfola * Arnall * Maolduin * Ceannfola * Garbh * Ronan * Lughach * Fergus * Seadnach * Fergus Ceanfada * Conall Gulban *

Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall Noígíallach (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

In the 43rd generation of ancestors, there are 8.7 billion places on the family tree for direct ancestors, so Count O'Donnell could be sure that at least 1/8.7B of his genetic makeup went back to his distinguished ancestor.

Notes

References

External links

*Vienna City Website with portraits of Emperor's Rescue () {{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Maximilian Karl Lamoral Counts of Austria Austrian people of Irish descent Wild Geese (soldiers) 1812 births 1895 deaths Maximilian People from St. Johann im Pongau District Commanders of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Order of Aviz Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Knights Commander of the Order of Saint Joseph People from the Duchy of Salzburg