February 18th, 1853: The Date that Changed the World

Zoidberg12

Hey guys, this is my first original timeline since joining these boards. Not much else I can say but enjoy. Comments, Questions, and Constructive Criticism is more than appreciated.

February 18th, 1853​
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The Date that Changed the World

A Timeline by Zoidberg12

Introduction​


The brief and troubled reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, (August 30, 1830-Febuary 18, 1853), nicknamed “The Young Emperor” (“Der junge Kaiser” in German) began on December 2nd 1848, when the new Emperor was only eighteen years old. His ascension to the throne was a result of the abdication of his Uncle Ferdinand I of Austria and V of Hungary and Bohemia. Ferdinand I’s abdication was a result of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution in the Austrian Empire, which was only one of the many Liberal revolutions which spread across Europe that fateful year.

Thus, Franz Joseph’s reign began. Though his reign only lasted for less than three years, it is generally agreed upon by most historians that the few main events of his reign, covered below, would be an indirect result of his eventual downfall. Yet his downfall was obviously through no fault of his own, as not even he, as young as he was, could have envisioned the violent act of one single individual.

At the start of Franz Joseph’s reign, the issue that dominated, As a result of the Hungarian Revolution, was none other than Hungarian nationalism. The young Emperor had to put a stop to this once and for all if he wanted his Empire to survive, let alone remain a great power on the European stage. As a result, the Hungarian Revolution was finally crushed in 1849 with the help of Russian intervention.

Although Franz Joseph I granted a constitution that same year, as a result of the Revolutions in Europe ending and the Austrian Parliament behaving “abnormally” in his view, he went back on his word and suspended it. The young Emperor subsequently established an absolutist policy.

After these near disasters, the Austrian Empire began to recover her status a major European power, preventing her rival Prussia from creating a “German Federation” without Austria. After the untimely death of Prime Minister Schwarzenberg on April 5, 1852, aged 51, the Emperor himself, only 21 years old, took over the office of Austrian Prime Minister.

463px-Franz_Joseph_of_Austria_young.jpg

Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria; Apostolic King of Hungary; King of Bohemia; King of Croatia; King of Galicia and Lodomeria; Grand Duke of Cracow​

However, after these events the scars of the Hungarian Revolutions had not yet healed; far from it. In the end, these scars would cost the young emperor his life.
 

Zoidberg12

Sneak Preview of Part Two: The rest will be up soon....

The Assassination​
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“It was an assassination that sent shockwaves through Europe. A young emperor, only twenty two years old, of a major European empire was senselessly murdered in the dawn of his reign. To the Monarchs of Europe, it had seemed as if the revolutions that spread throughout the continent only five years previously, had backfired in case of Austria suppressing the revolt​
in Hungary.​
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-From “1853” by Frederick Smith, Oxford Press, 1889

The day is February 18th, 1853, and the time is around one o’clock. Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria is taking a stroll through a city bastion in Vienna, accompanied by one of his officers, an Irish-Austrian by the name of Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell. Suddenly, without warning, disaster struck….
 

Zoidberg12

The rest of Chapter Two is here! I'll try to be pretty consistent with these updates folks. Plus, keep in mind, this is my first original Timeline, and there's allot of thing here I still need to map out. I do have a basic idea of things for the next decade however.


The Assassination​
​

“It was an assassination that sent shockwaves through Europe. A young emperor, only twenty two years old, of a major European empire was senselessly murdered in the dawn of his reign. To the Monarchs of Europe, it had seemed as if the revolutions that spread throughout the continent only five years previously, had backfired in case of Austria suppressing the revolt in Hungary.​
​
​


-From “1853” by Frederick Smith, Oxford Press, 1889

The day is February 18th, 1853, and the time is around one o’clock. Twenty-Two year old Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria is taking a stroll through a city bastion in Vienna, accompanied by one of his officers, an Irish-Austrian by the name of Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell [1]. Suddenly, without warning, disaster struck….

A mysterious figure, dressed in a brown cloak and simple hat, rushed toward the Emperor, almost as if out nowhere. According to witnesses, Franz Joseph did not notice the man, but perhaps only the sound of his rushing footsteps. Whether the young monarch noticed if anything was amiss in his surrounding is a secret he all but took to his grave.

Subsequently, the man pulled out a concealed weapon. This concealed weapon was none other than a handgun. He then proceeded to shot the Emperor Franz Joseph not one, but two times in the back of his neck [2]. Subsequently, as if in the blink of an eye, Count O’Donnell stuck down the assassin with his sabre. A local butcher, Joseph Ettenreich [3], in an attempt to save the Emperors life, immediately overwhelmed the assassin by attempting to struggle him down to the sidewalk. Within seconds, he was beaten down, lying on the pavement bleeding, and seriously injured. To the men who were involved, it had almost seemed as if these events had all happened in little more than a split second.

joseph-reiner-assassination-attempt-on-emperor-franz-joseph-i-of-austria_i-G-40-4019-BGMWF00Z.jpg


The assasination of Franz Jospeh I of Austira​

It just so turned out that the assassin was a man by the name of János Libényi, a former tailor and Hussa, as well as a Hungarian Nationalist. Libényi was apparently enraged with the Emperor's reactionary crushing of the Hungarian Revolution only four years earlier.

Franz Joseph was bleeding, and seriously wounded by the bullets. The first bullet has lodged through his neck collar and struck is neck [4], as the neck collars of the uniforms at the time were made of a very sturdy material to counter such attacks. However, the second wound hit slightly above the first wound, and as it happened, it was not lodged through anything, it was right in the middle of his neck. The latter wound was much more serious. Count O’Donnell, immediately after striking down Libényi, carried Franz Joseph and attempted to attract the attention of a carriage driver, so the Emperor could be sent to Schönbrunn Palace for medical assistance. But it was too late, within moments of the shots, Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, was dead, aged only twenty two years.

János Libényi was quickly arrested by Austrian soldiers. Only days after the assassination, he died in incarceration, of the several wounds he received from the dual beating.

After the "Junge Kaiser's" premature death, the whole empire went into mourning. Flags were waved at half-mast, businesses were closed down, and families stood in silence in their homes. Even Hungarians and other ethnic minorities within the empire, such Czechs, Slovaks and Croatians, shared in the grief and mourning of the Austrians.

The assassination sent shock-waves throughout Europe. Many prominent European monarchs including Queen Victoria of Great Britain, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, among others, sent their condolences to the grieving Hapsburg family. At the same time, monarchs, nobility and other members of the conservative establishment were outraged. To them it had seemed as if radical and revolutionary ideas had killed a young monarch in the dawn of his reign, and revenge on the Hungarians was all but imperative. To others, it had seemed as if reform was needed to save the Austrian Empire from total ruin. Which idea would win was yet to be seen.

Within hours of the assassination, Franz Joseph’s younger brother, twenty year old Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph [5], was declared the new emperor of Austria. This was only the begging.....

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[1] In OTL, for saving the Emperors life, he was made a count of the Hapsburg Empire.

[2] The POD. IOTL Libényi attempted to stab Franz Joseph in the neck. The assassination attempt failed, because of the material in Franz Josephs neck collar was made to protect from such attacks. IITL, Libényi decided to shot Franz Joseph instead, and the bullets prove much more fatal.

[3] This same man attempted to subdue the assassin in OTL. For his deed he was elevated to the status of nobility.

[4] See the second footnote.

[5] In OTL he would become Emperor Maximilian I of the Second Mexican Empire.
 
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PariahNihil

So... is this timeline going to end up being about a reactionary Austrian Empire surviving without an Augsleich?

That's the vibe I'm getting.
 

Zoidberg12

Added a bit more to the second chapter. Added a part on Europes reaction to the assassination, added more on who the assassin was, and added footnotes as well. :cool: Chapter Three should be up maybe later this week. :)
 
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Geordie

The footnotes appear to be missing...

Edit: The perils of leaving tabs open to read later. Footnotes now fixed.

PS, this looks rather interesting. I was going to comment on the fact that the picture of the assassination had our Hungarian wielding a knife, but your footnotes explain that too! :eek:
 

Dathi THorfinnsson

Zoidberg12 said:
Within hours of the assassination, Franz Joseph’s younger brother, twenty year old Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph [5], was declared the new emperor of Austria. This was only the begging*.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[1] In OTL, for saving the Emperors life, he was made a count of the Hapsburg Empire.

[2] The POD. IOTL Libényi attempted to stab Franz Joseph in the neck. The assassination attempt failed, because of the material in Franz Josephs neck collar was made to protect from such attacks. IITL, Libényi decided to shot Franz Joseph instead, and the bullets prove much more fatal.

[3] This same man attempted to subdue the assassin in OTL. For his deed he was elevated to the status of nobility.

[4] See the second appendix. **

[5] In OTL he would become Emperor Maximilian I of the Second Mexican Empire.
Click to expand...

Zoidberg12 said:
Added a bit more to the second chapter. Added a part on Europes reaction to the assassination, added more on who the assassin was, and added appendixes** as well. :cool: Chapter Three should be up maybe later this week. :)
Click to expand...
* "beginning" this confused me significantly on first reading:)
** what appendices? I don't see any appendices here. Am I missing something?
 

The Admiral Hook

I have a huge soft spot for Maximiliano and Carlotta...

Like... wrote a thinly veiled song about them.

Awesome start, subscribed, and please don't kill Max, the poor good-hearted fool.
 
NHBL

NHBL

Nice start

I like this. I'd like to see reaction in theinsignificant country across the sea--that silly little USA that's of no concern to Europe.
 

wolf_brother

Banned
NHBL said:
I like this. I'd like to see reaction in theinsignificant country across the sea--that silly little USA that's of no concern to Europe.
Click to expand...

Considering the Americans are still grappling with the Slavery Issue at this point I'm not sure how much of a reaction you can expect to see in the US outside of a few liberal circles and the State Department's diplomats.
 

Zoidberg12

Thanks for the praise guys. :D

Edit: FINISHED!!!! :D

Maximilian I; The Dawn of a new Era ​


“The reign of Maximilian I would see a number of reforms throughout the Austrian Empire. Maximilian would develop Liberal political views when coming to the throne. Many historians have claimed that these views, in the long run, saved the Hapsburg Monarchy from catastrophe.”

-From “The Hapsburg Empire” by Stefan Herzog, Salzburg Publishing, 1998

On February 26th 1853, Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph Hapsburg, was officially crowned Maximilian I, Emperor of Austria, ; Apostolic King of Hungary; King of Bohemia; King of Croatia; King of Galicia and Lodomeria; Grand Duke of Cracow. He also became Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire as well, as his late brother had previously held that office.

The new emperor, only twenty years old, and who had previously been in a lieutenant in the Austrian Navy for two years, was greatly saddened by the untimely loss of his older brother only a week before. In spite of all this he knew work had to get done, he was a monarch now, and the leader of a major European Power.

250px-Emperador_Maximiliano_I_de_Mexico.jpg

Maximilian I, Emperor of Austria; Apostolic King of Hungary; King of Bohemia; King of Croatia; King of Galicia and Lodomeria; Grand Duke of Cracow​

220px-Maximiliano_1852.png

Maximilian at the age of 20 in 1852, one year before becoming Emperor​

Within the first years of his reign, Maximilian would gradually show his politically liberal leanings [1]. Many historians claim he had developed these liberal views, which had become increasingly popular in Europe at the time, shortly before he became Emperor. Whatever the case, Maximilian I of Austria would, unbeknownst at the time of his coronation, change the course of history forever.

Maximilian I sought to turn Austria away from its current status of a radically reactionary and conservative state. He believed that if Austria remained on this path it had been on for centuries, it would end in all out ruin for the Empire in the long run. Change had to come.

One of his first acts as Emperor, as well as Prime Minister, came in the Autumn of 1853. Maximilian I was to finally fulfill his obligations to the Constitutional Concessions his older brother had promised before the 1848 Revolutions. On October 22, 1853, the Constitution of the Austrian Empire was officially adopted. The “1853 Constitution”, as it came to be known, officially transformed the Austrian Empire into a Constitutional Monarchy, and officially made law the concessions promised before the revolutions. The Constitution established a bicameral Imperial Parliament, called the Reichsrat. The Reichsrat contained within it an Upper Chamber, appointed by the emperor, whose members, crown princes, prominent bishops, heads of noble families, and other such important citizens, were to serve for life. Below, there was a Lower Chamber of indirectly elected officials. The lower house permitted delegates of all nationalities, not just German. Hungarians, Rumanians, Slavs and Italians were thus permitted to run for office [2]. Thus, the diverse sections of the empire were unified through representation in a single body [3]. The responsibilities of the parliament were divided into “greater” and “lesser” sections. The greater section dealt with matters that concerned the whole of the empire, while the lesser section was intended to deal with matters in the estates. The constitution also called for public, oral and jury trials, a concession from the Pillersdorf Constitution of 1848, one of the constitutions adopted by the Austrian Empire before the revolutions. [4]. Under the new constitution, the parliament had much power, thought was still subject to the emperor. As a result, Austria would continue to remain an autocratic state, at least for the foreseeable future.

Maximilian was an intelligent man, and he knew how to play his cards just right. Had he enforced all of his liberal policies at once, the nobility would be up in arms, perhaps calling for his abdication. However, if he gradually enforced his liberal policies over time, the nobility would be more accepting of the gradual change.

Due to the representation given to ethnic minorities, many Magyars, while still resentful of the failure of the 1848 revolution, as well as the Hapsburg’s monarchies past reactionary stance towards Hungary, decided to go along with the new constitution for the time being. Others in Hungary were not fully on board with the constitution, as they demanded many more concessions. However, the majority decided it was best to stick to the new constitution, as they felt it was much better than what had been offered to them before, and that more change would come in the long run.

Most of the nobility went along with the new constitution, as they would still remain in power, as they had before. However, the most conservative members of the nobility were outraged. They had claimed the new emperor was giving into "dangerous" and "radical" ideas, and that he was an immature, inexperienced and naive leader. Despite their complaints there was little to nothing they could do about it. Maximilian I had absolute control, so whatever he put forward was the law of the land.

Thus, the Magyars and other ethnic minorities in the empire were satisfied for the meantime. Maximilian I was certainly proud of his work, and for good reason. The Austrian Empire had finally stabilized, and was in a position to be a major player on the European Stage. That is exactly what Austria would do when, only five months later, when in March of 1854, a major European War, known as the Crimean War, was to break out. Austria, no longer preoccupied with internal problems, would have to pick a side, or risk political isolation.

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[1] In OTL, Maximilian was known for his liberal political views.

[2] TTL's Austrian Constitution is similar to OTL's February Patent of 1861. Accept here, ethnic minorities are given representation. In OTL, only Germans and Romanians from Hungary were given representation in the lower house.

[3] This was not the case IOTL, which undermined the purpose of the Imperial Parliament. This is one of the reasons why the February Patent failed, and was suspended in September of 1865.

[4] As is this is pre-POD, this is OTL.
 
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Razgriz 2K9

Banned
Oh this is amazing. A Liberal Austria might not necessarily mean a surviving Austrian Empire, but it might give it a longer shelf period than OTL. Consider me interested.
 

wolf_brother

Banned
Which revolutionary constitution is Maximilian bringing (back) into force here? The Pillersdorf Constitution (and the associated April Laws & Prague Charter) of 1848? The Kremsier Charter of 1849? The March Constitution of 1849-1851?
 
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