The Last Emperor of Mexico: The Dramatic Story of the Habsburg Archduke Who Created a Kingdom in the New World

by Edward Shawcross

The true operatic tragedy of Maximilian and Carlota, the European aristocrats who stumbled into power in Mexico—and faced bloody consequences.

In the 1860s, Napoleon III, intent on curbing the rise of American imperialism, persuaded a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico. They and their entourage arrived in a Mexico ruled by terror, where revolutionary fervor was barely suppressed by French troops. When the United States, now clear of its own Civil War, aided the rebels in pushing back Maximilian’s imperial soldiers, the French army withdrew, abandoning the young couple. The regime fell apart. Maximilian was executed by a firing squad and Carlota, secluded in a Belgian castle, descended into madness.

Assiduously researched and vividly told, The Last Emperor of Mexico is a dramatic story of European hubris, imperialist aspirations clashing with revolutionary fervor, and the Old World breaking from the New.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, European History, Latin American History, Audiobook, 19th Century

Audiobook

First published October 19, 2021

About the author

Edward Shawcross is a historian and teacher, who earned his PhD in history from University College London.

Reviews

[Dieter Moitzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been provided by the editor via NetGalley for the purpose of a review.

As an Austrian and more importantly an Austrian who has worked as a guide in the Imperial Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna during my university years, I already knew my share about the Habsburgs, including Emperor Francis Joseph I (1830-1916) and his brother, archduke Maximilian. Yet I had never looked closely at the latter’s life and luckless career as short-lived Emperor of Mexico. I just remember thinking “Who in their right minds would want to leave this heavenly place?” the last time I visited the cosy coastal Miramare Castle he had himself built near Trieste, Italy (for those who love travelling: both Trieste and the Castle are truly worth a visit).

That’s why I requested this book, and I can say it turned out the interesting and satisfying read I was hoping for. I learned a whole lot more about Maximilian’s ambitions, the boredom that had seeped into his and his wife Charlotte of Belgium’s up-to-then eventless lives, their genuine political naiveté—and dare I say ineptitude?—, their hapless dreams and aspirations, their later illusions and delusions. I also got all the confirmation I needed concerning the upstart French Emperor Napoleon III’s reckless scheming, his cunning manipulations, and his subsequent betrayal (I admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of the whole Bonaparte clan, historically speaking).

This book tells the story of this unique path that led a second son of an illustrious lineage from the golden-spoon-in-mouth youth as an Austrian archduke living in the splendid palaces of his family to the subservient role as rather powerless Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia (of his brother’s grace) to Emperor of Mexico who only ever ruled over and controlled bits and patches of that huge country. It inevitably (or so it seems) leads to this man’s tragic and gory death in Querétaro, Mexico, in 1867, where he was executed by a Republican firing squad at the age of only 34.

All is told in detail, yet not overwhelmingly so. For example, I find the description of battles, even though they’re often very important, a rather dull reading experience; yet here, I didn’t get bored one second. I also always say that good history-telling demands the same talent as good story-telling, and the author has that talent. He spins his (historical) yarn skilfully and entertainingly. What I could see perfectly well was the ludicrous character the whole Mexico-enterprise had from the start, the wobbly base upon which the empire was built, the unsavoury helpers and builders of that scheme, and the helpless credulity of both Maximilian and his wife, who (and that can maybe only be understood after the facts, of course) were doomed from the start.

A very good book anyone interested in that period should read.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always find it surprising when Goodreads fails to include all editions of a book, particularly when it has been published, like this one, in the last two years. My edition carries the subtitle A Disaster in the New World which is a considerably more accurate, and succinct, subtitle then the one above (I am aware of the Kindle editions with my subtitle but I have read a hardback version).

Anyway the important thing is the book itself - finally a good history in English of a subject that has up to now attracted far to many romantic, amateur lady biographers/historians who devote far to much time on the tragedy of the under employed princeling and not enough time on the consequences for ordinary Mexicans.

Poor Maximilian one would so like to say something positive about him - I am sure he was a delightful person - but in terms of practicalities he was hopeless. He was offered the throne by ultra conservative Mexicans who hated what liberals like Juarez had done - particularly in stripping the Mexican church of a great of its lands. They thought they were hiring a reactionary - Maximilian went to Mexico and proclaimed liberal empire with freedom of worship and allowed everyone to keep the church lands. All very noble intentions but the conservative Mexicans felt betrayed - they could have had a liberal regime under Juarez, what was the point of a Mexican empire if it represented everything they hated? Needless to say neither the Mexican church nor the pope in Rome approved of his plans (it never ceases to amaze me how the Catholic Church has reinvented itself since the 1960's and 70's as a church of freedom of worship and democratic rights). Maximillian could easily have discovered the pope's hostility during the two years it took before he left for Mexico. Using that time to ascertain the attitude of archbishop of Mexico (in exile in Europe at that time) and the pope would have been more useful then the time he spent planning an elaborate etiquette, peerage and court ceremonial for his empire.

The fact that Napoleon III was a schemer and liar greatly influenced by his illegitimate half-brother the Duc de Morny, that the Mexicans offering the crown were self-centred liars, that the emperor Franz Josef was stuffy and didn't give Maximilian a job, etc. etc. is all true but again and again Maximilian comes over as a man who wanted to be tricked.

But this is a splendid and intelligent account of a complex, and important, incident in the development of the USA's relationship with the UK and France as well as Mexico. There was a lot more at stake then then a comic opera empire. A fascinating read and I am sure Mr. Shawcross will write many more fine histories in the future.

[Shereadbookblog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read quite a few books about this period in Mexican history. This was one of the most comprehensive, well written, and highly readable. I felt as though I was reading a novel, with all the historical facts presented in a well researched, accurate manner.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting overview of Maxmillian habsburg on his ill fated reign as emperor of Mexico backed by France.

[Joaquín · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one the THE best books of Mexican history I have ever read, so much so that I frequently had to stop myself from reading so I could go do other things.

As someone who has read much of US and Mexican history and travelled to Mexico frequently, I have never heard any type of favourable opinion of Maximilian or his empire. The whole affair is always dismissed as an ill-fated European project of colonialism. And Maximilian, as an idiot foreign aristocrat who cared only to enrich himself.

But as Shawcross expertly points out, it is much more than this. And Emperor Maximilian himself was much more than a dumb bystander puppet for European (French) colonial adventures who knew nothing of Mexico. He was passionate about the sciences, arts, literature, and unlike his brother, Franz Josef, a patron of the Enlightenment movement. He spoke Spanish fluently, studied the country deeply when he arrived, placed respect on its traditions, honoured important dates in its history, wore Mexican clothing, and even placed deep recognition of Mexico’s indigenous heritage by meeting with tribal chieftains and ardently learning about pre-Columbian history.
Perhaps the most liberal head of state in the world at the time, the Emperor ultimately alienated his conservative base early on which cost him his empire. But his hubris when it came to court etiquette and pomp, as well as his stalled ignorance of financial matters unfortunately held much of his reforms and planning back. All of these, in addition to France’s placement of a huge debt onto his government when Napoleon III enlisted him on France’s misadventure, spelt the end for him and the empire.

Shawcross paints a beautiful narrative throughout that cannot be missed.

In case you have been wavering on whether or not to read this book, I can affirm that it is DEFINITELY worth the read.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrative non-fiction about the short reign of Maximilian (1832-1867) and Carlota (1840-1927) as Emperor and Empress of Mexico, 1864-1867. Shawcross opens in 1867 with Maximilian being held by Juarez’s troops awaiting word as to whether he will be executed or spared. He then takes the reader back into history, explaining the manner in which Napoleon III (nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) orchestrated their installation as monarchs in Mexico to further the empire of France in the North American continent during the American Civil War. We learn of the background of Maximilian, younger brother of Franz Joseph of Austria, and of Carlota (Charlotte), daughter of Leopold I of Belgium.

The account covers the politics of Mexico of the time, the goals and policies of both the liberals and conservatives, and the ultimate downfall of the monarchy. Shawcross portrays Maximilian as a charismatic leader who (potentially) could have been successful if he had been an elected official. For example, he abolished debt peonage and published decrees in the language of the Aztecs. Carlota had significant influence on her husband, and her story is conveyed as equally significant. As Maximilian’s position became more precarious, she traveled to Europe to convince Napoleon III and Pope Pius IX to support their regime. She also experienced a mental breakdown while in Europe.

It paints a portrait of the delusions of grandeur that caused anyone to think that establishing a monarchy in a recently independent Mexico was a good idea (or had any reasonable chance of success). Since the US was occupied by its Civil War, Napoleon took advantage of the opportunity to reap the benefits of occupation without a grand layout of funds. I found it interesting that Maximilian’s concept of “honor and duty” was the primary reason he was unwilling to abdicate, along with misapprehension that he still had support of the Mexican people. I am unsure how many Americans are aware of this part of history of our neighbors to the south, but it is quite illuminating and an enjoyable read if you are interested in the history of North America.

[Gareth Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary episode in modern history, to which Shawcross does justice. His expertise is in Mexican intellectual history and the book starts there by exploring the ways in which Mexican conservatives - and many intellectuals - hit upon the idea that they could use a monarchy to save Mexico from being conquered by the USA. They cited the recent downfall of the republic of Texas as proof that republics were vulnerable to American expansionism and then developed a version of intellectual history in which monarchy was part of Mexico’s identity, past, and future - marking it out as superior to, and different from, their northern neighbour. They cited the country’s Aztec past and then, after the death of Moctezuma II, it being ruled by the Hapsburgs.

As Mexico grappled with a bloody civil war, this long-standing view of Mexican history sensed an opportunity. The republic under President Benito Juárez seemed weak, as did the US, which had just descended into its own civil war. Correctly guessing that America would be in no position now to stop a monarchy arriving south of its borders, Mexican conservatives decided to invite a Hapsburg descendant of their former emperors to assume a revived Mexican throne. Their choice settled on the Emperor of Austria’s younger brother, the Archduke Maximilian, who was encouraged to accept by his Belgian wife, the Archduchess Charlotte or, as she was known in Mexico and by posterity, the Empress Carlota.

What followed is brilliantly narrated by Shawcross - how the European powers reacted to the prospect of a monarchist revival in the Americas, how Confederates and Unionists regarded it, and how the tensions between Mexican conservatives and liberals evolved under Maximilian’s rule. As well as being strong on the history of Mexican intellectualism, Shawcross is equally so with the personalities involved. Carlota emerges as perhaps the most fascinating with her mixture of truly remarkable emotional strength, drive, myopia, intelligence, stubbornness, sense of destiny, and tragedy. Also fascinating is General Tomás Mejía, a monarchist and member of the Otomi community, through whom Shawcross explores how many of the indigenous communities in Mexico responded to the new “Mexican Empire”.

The history of Mexico’s monarchy and the people who supported it - and those who destroyed it - is not just interesting but intellectually, politically, and culturally important. Shawcross has written an exciting and brilliantly researched account of it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on Audible. Probably why I gave it 4 instead of 3 stars. An excellent narrative of the short-lived French intervention to create a Second Mexican Empire with Archduke Maximillian on the throne. I was entertained, but I have some quibbles:

1. I thought the book was too sympathetic to Maximillian. As one would say, his heart was in the right place but he was totally ineffective as the new Emperor of Mexico. He was depressive and indecisive. And he was a underemployed Hapsburg - he spent the journey to Mexico writing a book on court etiquette. This was not his top priority (his top priority was securing the country and paying back France/Britain). He appears to have spent much of his time on entertaining, spending lavishly, and alienating his few reactionary supporters. I thought he got what he deserved (the firing squad).

2. The book claims Maximillan was popular with the indigenous population. I would have liked more of a discussion why. But that would require research outside of diplomatic history and letters to and from the leading (European) protagonists.

3. In my opinion, I think the 1930s movie Juarez (not history - liberties were taken) focuses on the real hero of this era - Juarez not Maximillian. Go watch it.

[Todd Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth is stranger than fiction is a maxim that applies aptly to this book. Aside from knowing the French became involved in filibustering military actions during the tempestuous years of Mexican political turmoil in the mid 19th Century, I knew precious little of the Empire of Mexico, led by Austrian Maximilian prior to reading this. My oldest daughter Autumn gave it to me as a Christmas present, because it was “related to American history”.

Several of the formal reviews often referenced the ludicrous nature of the short lived empire. Edward Shawcross clearly conveys the sense of the ridiculous and preposterous in this work. Maximilian was a member of the Holy Roman Empire’s Habsburg family. His older brother sat as king of the Austrian Empire, leaving Maximilian a largely unwanted potential political rival. Emperor Napoleon III of France seized on Maximilian’s situation, co-opting him into the ill conceived and poorly researched geopolitical maelstrom of Mexico. Mexico was weakened by decades of revolutionary and counter-revolutionary warfare and inherently corrupt political administrations. The military was poorly organized, even more poorly funded, and outdated. The French intervention forces easily brushed aside Mexican troops to pave the way for bringing the Austrian Archduke Maximilian on stage as a new ruler, instituting a monarchy that had never existed in Mexico since its successful revolt against centuries of Spanish rule decades before.

The results were predictable. The Mexican political climate was complex and fractured. Bringing in a ruler with no ties to the country, nor any legal right to be there sparked a powder keg of civil and military unrest. Maximilian was simply in over his head. He was used by the French and the Roman Catholic Church, as well as by one splintered segment of the Mexican political spectrum. Not fully understanding the complexity of the situation, Maximilian ruled for several unstable years, ultimately losing the military support of the French and naively trusting that his Mexican faction could sustain him. He ended both his rule and life under a hail of bullets from a firing squad commissioned by duly elected Mexican President Benito Juarez.

This story is truly fascinating. The characters are both comical and tragic, and the complicated legacy of Mexican political intrigue serving as the stage on which the drama played out was exceptionally compelling.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mexican you have probably heard about the emperor, however taking a deep dive into his story and getting to know the real situation better, makes me feel ashamed of what we did as a country. It is also very interesting to think, what would have happened if the Mexican empire would have flourished.

[Elisabeth (Bouquins & Books)]

I found this book a little underwhelming, for several reasons. First, the title is misleading. I was expecting a biography of Archduke Maximilian, but that's not what the book is. The focus of the book is the empire, not Maximilian. For example, his entire life before he is offered the throne of Mexico is covered in less than a chapter. Second, given the shortish length of the book, it is not much more than an overview. And third, no new ground is covered here. The history of the empire is presented from the same point of view as usual, that is the European point of view. The Mexican point of view is completely evacuated. Given that the idea of a Mexican empire largely came from Europe and was implemented by Europeans, it makes sense, but I nevertheless would have liked to see how it was seen from the other side.

Despite all of this, I enjoyed reading the book. I find the subject in and of itself interesting enough (for the shear folly of the project if nothing else) for any book on the subject to grab my attention. For a reader who is not familiar with this particular episode of history, this book provides and excellent introduction.

[DanSk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always found the Second Empire fascinating - and this strangely deluded venture seems to perfectly sum up all that was wrong with this period of French history. It is true that this is more a book about political machinations than a biography of Maximilian - but that is surely the bigger story. A Hapsburg claiming the Mexican throne: the manoeuvring that got him there is much more the story than who he was.
Great read.

[Jonathan Van der horst · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Af en toe leef je haast even mee met Maximiliaan en al zijn ongeluk, voor je je weer beseft hoe absurd deze hele geschiedenis eigenlijk is en hoe gemakkelijk al dat bloedvergieten voorkomen had kunnen worden.'

Volledige recensie te lezen op Tzum

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit outside my main interests, but it is a good story, and it certainly adds some context to North American history from 1864 to 1867. (Reading the relevant Wikipedia pages, though, is a lot more efficient.) Shawcross gives a very generous appraisal of Maximilian, and I would have liked to have this complemented by more critical views.

> Maximilian was now free to govern as the benevolent liberal monarch that he had always dreamt of becoming. He passed some of the most progressive laws anywhere in the world. In addition to outlawing corporal punishment and regulating child labour, decrees provided for such unheard-of things as lunch breaks, limits to working hours, and days off. Moreover, debt peonage—a system wherein hacienda owners forced tenants to pay debts through labour—was abolished. Large landowners and factory owners also had to provide free schools and, in some cases, access to water and shelter for their workers.

> Mexico’s creole elite, liberal and conservative, often denigrated the indigenous past as barbaric; Maximilian embraced it as part of modern Mexico. Indeed, he increasingly felt that his empire should rest on Mexico’s majority indigenous population. Liberal land reforms in the 1850s had not only stripped the church of its property, but also declared communal village landholdings illegal, breaking them up for private sale. Maximilian restored rights to shared landownership for indigenous villages.

> as Maximilian dreamed, others were growing aware of an enormous problem: most of Maximilian’s new laws were never enforced. The emperor was at his happiest when overseeing a paper empire, but his state was much greater in his imagination than in reality.

> At enormous cost, however, the Union had emerged from the conflict not only victorious but more powerful than ever, with a veteran army larger than at any point in previous US history. Moreover, bellicose Union generals, now popular war heroes, notably Ulysses S. Grant, were keen to use this army to uphold the Monroe Doctrine and US supremacy in the Americas. For men like Grant, Maximilian’s empire represented a nightmarish mix of papal conspiracy and monarchical European power that, in league with the Confederacy, challenged republican democracy.

> Faverney explained that France must leave Mexico or go to war with the United States. On January 15, 1866, faced with catastrophe or humiliation, Napoleon III wrote to Maximilian. “It is not without painful emotion”, the letter began, “that I am writing to Your Majesty”. Pleasantries out of the way, the French emperor cut to his decision. The impossibility of asking the Corps législatif for more money and Maximilian’s own inability to provide the necessary funds, Napoleon III wrote, “force me to fix a definitive limit to the French occupation.”

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Last Emperor of Mexico' looks at the little-remembered (at least outside of the Americas) story of Europe's last botched attempt to intervene in the politics of America. In a gripping narrative account, Shawcross charts the entire endeavour, from the plan's inception by a few desperate Mexican conservatives in conjunction with Napoleon III, to the execution of the 'last emperor', the Habsburg archduke Maximilian just a few short years later. In doing so, Shawcross draws together the strands of failing European imperialism, the clash of ideas and ideologies, and the rise of the New World against the Old into a startlingly original commentary, providing a different viewpoint on the events that shaped Europe and the world during the last 150 years. It is a part of history that is often overlooked, but one that Shawcross uses to shine new light onto the Zeitgeist of the era. It is pacy and full of sympathetic characters to towards whom one can't help but warm, yet it retains that critical edge that makes it a fantastic example of stand-out historical writing.

[Andrew Tollemache · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read about a shocking event that few outside of Mexico appreciate or even know about. In the early 1860s conservative elements in the Mexican civil war wih the republican forces of Juarez came up with the idea to establish Mexico as an empire with an emperor. Many hoped that an emperor would give Mexico the strength to maintain much of its old power structure while giving Mexico the strength to hold off US expansionism. But first they needed an emperor, into the story steps Maximilian, a Hapsburg Archduke with close ties to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Napoleon III of France.
The French saw this project as a way to insure that France got paid back the staggering amount of money it had loaned Mexico in the prior decades. The plan also would help France and other European powers check the growing power of the US that had many concerned in both Mexico City and on the Continent.
So it came to be that a Hapsburg Duke was installed on the newly created Mexican throne by the French Army. Britain had also been expected to join the effort to bolster Maximillian's power, but at the last minute the Brits wisely balked and walked away.
The issue was that everyone involved knew that the US would not stand for the largest European intervention in the Americas since the Monroe Doctrine was proclaimed. The just started US Civil War convinced everyone that the US would be distracted and unable to thwart the French plan for years if ever. So the French army landed at Vera Cruz and fought its way to the Mexican capital at which time Maximillian sailed from Austria with his wife and took the throne. For a few years the Mexican Imperial forces had the Republican forces under Juarez all but routed. Juarez hung onto a few footholds in the northern Mexican desert and near US border towns at El Paso and Brownsville.
Then it all imploded for Maximillian and the Imperial forces, the US Civil War ended and the US government oversaw a flood of arms and money flow to Juarez's forces with many US citizens fresh from the Union army joining the republicans. Maximillian could have escaped back to Europe as many of his family and European supporters pleaded, but out of a combination of arrogant pride and dumb optimism he dawdled.
The whole daft plan would end with Maximillian and the last of his officers being executed by firing squad in a dusty church yard in Mexico.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the author's detailed and well-researched book on Maximillian's (and Carlota's) tragic and short reign in Mexico. There was an astonishing amount of first-person sources. When I first studied Latin American history at the University of New Mexico in the early 1980s, Maximillian's reign was just a short blip on the radar, a sad anomaly. The professor just swept over the time period. This was way before the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, aka "nation-building". Now that I read the author's book, I can see how similar France's and Maximillian's "nation-building" efforts were to the more recent wars. And the Afghanistan devastation ended in a similarly tragic way. It seems that political and military leaders have not learned from the tragic lessons of the past.

[Guilrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book detailing this often obscured part of Mexico history, the way a Habsburg was sold on the idea that Mexico, a Republic, wanted an Emperor for its government and the way it all played out is a fascinating read, the author has a keen sense of writing that immerses you in the protagonists shoes, highly recommended.

[Mshelton50 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being very interested in the Habsburgs, it was only to be expected that I would read Edward Shawcross's The Last Emperor of Mexico about the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and the attempt to make him Mexico's sovereign. The book tells the story of French Emperor Napoleon III's cynical scheme to have a European royal -- one favorable to France's interests -- installed as the head of Mexico's government while evading the Monroe Doctrine. The American government may have been preoccupied with winning the Civil War, but even in the early days of that struggle, Secretary of State William Seward made it abundantly clear before Maximilian departed for Mexico that Washington would never accept such a regime. Moreover, Maximilian and his headstrong wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium -- a first cousin of Britain's Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert -- were also clearly advised that the British government would not support their venture. Considering that Maximilian had listed British support as one of the preconditions for his acceptance of the Mexican throne, one can only conclude that he believed what he wanted to believe, however divorced from reality that might be.

Throughout the American Civil War, the Lincoln Administration was steadfast in its support of Mexican President Benito Juarez. As soon as that war was ended, General Ulysses S. Grant pressured the Johnson Administration to put the screws to the Mexican "imperialistas." A Yankee "Army of Observation" was stationed in Mexico, and arms and money began to flow freely to Juarez from Washington. By 1866, Seward could send General John Schofield to Paris on a special diplomatic mission to convey to Napoleon III the message that France must end its intervention in Mexican affairs. That, plus the enormous strain the Mexican scheme put on French finances, caused Napoleon to publicly proclaim the imminent withdrawal of French forces.

Without the French, Maximilian was left with an "army" that consisted of Austrian and Belgian volunteers, and a handful of Mexican forces (led in some cases by notoriously brutal and reactionary generals). Although his immediate thought was to abdicate and return to Europe, Maximilian was convinced by his wife Carlotta to hang on while she went to remonstrate with Napoleon III in Paris. When she realized that further French assistance would not be forthcoming, Carlotta suffered a nervous breakdown that would last for the rest of her long life. She never saw Maximilian again. And in an attempt to rally the Mexican Church to his side, Maximilian reversed course, and ordered the restoration of the Church's enormous land holdings -- which had been sold to the people years before. At a stroke, he had destroyed his own credibility, at a time when the volte face could not assist him.

Wishful thinking characterized Maximilian's time in Mexico to the very end. When it was clear that those loyal to him controlled only a few cities, and that he might not make it to the port of Veracruz and escape, Maximilian chose to hang on while a "Congress" was called to ratify his renouncement of the throne. Then in a final suicidal act, Maximilian moved further into the interior, to Queretaro, where he would be shot by a firing squad.

An interesting, if depressing, book, The Last Emperor is Shawcross's first. Indeed, there was apparently a bidding war among publishers for this work. I seem to focus on this, but Basic Books (a division of the huge Hachette publishing empire) could have done a much better job editing the final product. Howlers like the "diplomatic core" really grate on the reader. Here's hoping Shawcross is better served on his next endeavor.

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian was an interesting study in contrasts. The younger brother of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, Maximilian was outgoing and personable (in contrast to his brother), fascinated by many things (art, botany, entomology, etc.), but not particularly interested in military drills and maneuvers. When given the opportunity, he showed himself to be an able administrator and organizer of the Austrian army. Unfortunately, though, Franz Joseph was not terribly interested in finding his winsome sibling a more responsible position in his realm. (This despite the fact that the two had been rather close as they grew up in their uncle's Viennese court.) As a result, Max was ripe for an imperial scheme hatched by Emperor Napoleon III of France. Eager to expand French influence into the New World as well as to contain what was perceived (in the aftermath of the Mexican War) as American imperialistic expansion, Napoleon planned to install an emperor on the throne in Mexico -- and needed a European nobleman to become head of state. (Napoleon believed the U.S. to be too distracted by the Civil War to raise much objection.) Enter Maximilian, who -- with his ambitious wife, the Belgian princess Carlotta (Charlotte) -- eventually (after some vacillation) set out for Mexico to claim the crown he'd been offered. This well-written book details the entire episode. The author is even-handed in his treatment of Maximilian (one incident that stuck in my head once I'd closed the book was Emperor Maximilian, out on a military campaign against republican forces, stopping to take time to write notes on the flora and fauna he encountered along the way); the Emperor achieves an almost heroic stature in the final months of his reign -- he was focused and engaged, not wandering around, creating pleasure palaces throughout his realm. I enjoyed this book -- it was a section of Mexican history about which I knew very little -- and I recommend it to anyone who might have similar interests...

[Dropbear123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 rounding down for goodreads (but I was close to rounding up to 5/5) . Read most of it over the course of one day.

Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, using the oppurtunity of the American Civil War in the 1860s (so the US was distracted and couldn't intervene to enforce its Monroe Doctrine) and the excuse of Mexico's foreign debts installed Archduke Maximillian Habsburg as emperor of Mexico in order to counter the USA's expansion and growing influence. The book covers the process that led to Maximillian becoming emperor, his rule, the war with the republican former government forces and the fairly rapid decline of his empire before his execution by Mexican firing squad.

The author argues that the plan failed for a range of reasons. In terms of Maximillian himself he had a tendancy to fuss about things like pagentry or royal tours of his lands, rather than important things like economic reform. Additionally he was a genuine liberal reformer, but could never compete with his opponents in terms of promise and policies but did alienate his conservative monarchy supporting base by trying to. But the entire scheme to make Maximillian emperor was also reliant on foreign support, mainly French and it was very expensive to them. Once the American Civil War was over the European powers didn't want to risk provoking the USA so cut off the supply of money and volunteers to Maximillian.

The book is very enjoyable to read. No prior knowledge of Mexican history needed, I don't have any. Overall I'd recommend it.

[Adrian R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shawcross writes about a chapter of Mexican and colonial history that is usually let in the footnotes of manuscripts from the Victorian era. Not much information survived what amounted to a dark age of Mexican history, as the country grappled with the fallout of the Mexican-American war. Shawcross offers a deep look into not just the political aspects of the French Intervention, but also the social and personal aspects of the rise and fall of the empire from the perspective of a man who did not know what he was getting into. The book covers small details and stories about the intervention and the monarchy that paint a picture of the old world colliding head on with the new.
The book is informative and well written, almost as if it was a drama. It offers an opportunity to become emotionally attached to historical characters in a way that is difficult to replicate. But ultimately, it tells the story of how hope can quickly become hopeless.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating, well written, and detailed account of one of the strangest episodes of 19th century history.

Story of how Napoleon III of France came up with the hair brained scheme of placing Maximilian of Austria, an archduke of the moribund Habsburg dynasty, on the throne of Mexico. It’s really quite a tale.

Maximilian and his young wife Carlotta come across as tragic figures, who believed too much in their own royal majesty and were thus able to delude themselves into believing that it was an idea that just might work. It cost his life and her sanity and God only knows how many Mexican lives.

There’s a lot of fascinating information here about the history of the times and Mexico in particular.

Good stuff.

[Diego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un gran libro que retrata lo inviable del segundo imperio a través de lo inepto aunque valiente Maximiliano. El libro se resume perfectamente en el dicho de Tácito, alguna vez aplicado a un emperador romano, "si no hubiera sido emperador nadie hubiera dudado de su habilidad para gobernar". Magnifico libro.

[Kyle Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written, fascinating story of the attempt to set up a European-style monarchy in Mexico to combat US intervention and liberalism. This is one of my favorite reads so far this year!

[Robert Puig · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books that you look up and you’ve read 100 pages before you realized it.

[Benedict · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot! A great book that conducts a comprehensible portrayal of Maximilian von Habsburg’s ambigous character and his motivation for accepting the crown of the Second Mexican Empire. The book is well written and was never annoying to read. I only wish the author would‘ve dared a deeper analysis of the events because - as he shows in the conclusion - he is definetely capable of providing a thorough and convincing assessment of Maximilians „adventure“‘s relevance in the general historical context of mid 19th century.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 4 out of 5]

En mycket välskriven biografi. Rekommenderar starkt. Bra balans av äventyrlighet, porträtt, och analys.

[Cara Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so interesting, my jaw was dropped the whole time

[karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is how history books are supposed to be written