Empress Elisabeth did not immediately realize she had been stabbed because the weapon made a very narrow wound and the bleeding was initially so slight that she seemed to have only been struck or punched. Tight corseting likely also slowed the bleeding, so she was able to keep walking for a short time before collapsing.

What happened

Reports of the assassination say she was hit by a small, sharpened file-like weapon, and at first neither she nor her companion understood it as a stabbing.

The pain and visible injury were limited at first, so her first reaction was to get up and continue toward the boat.

Why it was not obvious

The wound was extremely narrow, which meant the blood loss began slowly.

Doctors later determined that blood accumulated around the heart, causing cardiac tamponade, which can become fatal only after some time has passed.

In plain terms

She likely thought she had been shoved or punched because the attack did not look dramatic at first, even though it was already life-threatening.