This week, we’re taking a scalpel (or, more accurately, a janky pawn-shop file) to the life of Luigi Lucheni—the anarchist who assassinated Empress Elisabeth of Austria in 1898.

We dig into Lucheni’s trash fire of a childhood, the rise of anarchism in Europe, and the absolute disaster that was monarchy back then (and honestly, now too). We’ll follow Cece’s last days, break down what “propaganda of the deed” actually meant, and ask what happens when someone murders a symbol, not a person.

Also: was Lucheni martyred or snuffed out? Did the system silence him, or did he just flame out? And how much does any of this still matter today? A lot, it turns out.

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Sources (partial)

• Swiss History – Luigi Lucheni, Sisi assassin

• Sisi Museum – Assassination

• Connexions – Propaganda of the Deed

• Britannica – Elisabeth | Biography, Facts, & Assassination