Colonel Autumn
Banned
Preface: Hello! Before I start this, i'd like to open up with an introduction. I've always been drawn to the Habsburgs and their Empire, and figuring out a way to save it. I've done some research and I think i've got a plausible timeline involving reforms and a rebirth of the Austrian Empire. The POD is that the assassination attempt on Franz Joseph by a Hungarian nationalist was successful, and his much more liberal brother, Ferdinand Maximilian, succeeds him as Emperor of Austria.
Prologue: Call it Fate, Call it Karma
Early one February morning, Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, was walking along one of the city bastions in Vienna. Accompanying him was one of his officers, an Irishman by the name of Maximilian O'Donnell. This particular morning, Franz had awoken with a slight fever, and although the cold of February winter still hung about in the air, he felt rather warm. The fever was not bad enough to where he could not do the day's business, however, and Franz thought it would pass before noon hit. The two were having a casual conversation when out of the shadows, János Libényi, a Hungarian nationalist, snuck up on the two of them. Before either of the men knew what was happening, the Hungarian struck at the Emperor from behind with a knife, stabbing him neck. On a normal day, the Emperor would have his collar buttoned up, and it would've helped protect him from the blow, but due to the heat of his fever, he had, for once, worn it unbuttoned. The knife managed to hit the Emperor's spinal cord, and he fell to the ground paralyzed. It all happened in a moment, but for the three men in the encounter, it seemed as if time itself was slowed down.
O'Donnell, in his panic, attempted to pull his saber out of it's sheath, but it would not budge, due to the tip of the blade being stuck on a hem. This allowed the assaulter to quickly stab O'Donnell as well - he struck him in the heart, almost instantly killing the Irishman. His work done, the Hungarian fled the scene, and his identity would not be found out until years after his death, when his wife published his memoirs. With O'Donnell dead, no one knew about the Emperor, who was slowly bleeding out from the fatal wound. By the time a patrol found him - after thirty minutes of the Emperor laying on the ground - it would be too late. Archduchess Sophia, mother of the Emperor is accompanied by two of her other sons Maximilian Ferdinand and Karl Ludwig, as well as a troupe of guards and a surgeon, who diagnoses the body. To the grief of all, Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, was dead. With a choked sob, Archduchess Sophia ordered all officers in the vicinity to hunt down the murderer, however he is not found, and would not be found. Despite the moment being one of grief, the Archduchess put on a strong face, and declared that that the late Emperor's brother Maximilian would succeed him as Emperor of Austria.
O'Donnell, in his panic, attempted to pull his saber out of it's sheath, but it would not budge, due to the tip of the blade being stuck on a hem. This allowed the assaulter to quickly stab O'Donnell as well - he struck him in the heart, almost instantly killing the Irishman. His work done, the Hungarian fled the scene, and his identity would not be found out until years after his death, when his wife published his memoirs. With O'Donnell dead, no one knew about the Emperor, who was slowly bleeding out from the fatal wound. By the time a patrol found him - after thirty minutes of the Emperor laying on the ground - it would be too late. Archduchess Sophia, mother of the Emperor is accompanied by two of her other sons Maximilian Ferdinand and Karl Ludwig, as well as a troupe of guards and a surgeon, who diagnoses the body. To the grief of all, Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, was dead. With a choked sob, Archduchess Sophia ordered all officers in the vicinity to hunt down the murderer, however he is not found, and would not be found. Despite the moment being one of grief, the Archduchess put on a strong face, and declared that that the late Emperor's brother Maximilian would succeed him as Emperor of Austria.
Last edited: