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

Historian Shawcross’s impressive debut recounts a significant yet overlooked chapter in the 19th-century struggle over “who would govern the Americas, and how they would be governed.” He details tensions in Mexico between conservatives who sought to curb U.S. influence by rejecting “radical democracy” and aligning with European monarchies, and liberals who wanted to secularize the country and make it more republican. When liberal lawyer Benito Juárez became president in 1861, Mexico’s conservative leaders encouraged French emperor Napoleon III to invade the country and install Habsburg archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Carlota, as Mexico’s monarchs. Maximilian proved too modern for the conservatives, however, and he disappointed Napoleon by not consolidating power quickly enough to repay the costs of putting him on the throne. Juárez, meanwhile, refused to resign the presidency, and his supporters waged military operations against Maximilian with help from the U.S. In 1866, Napoleon abruptly announced the withdrawal of French troops from Mexico. Unable to persuade other European powers to send reinforcements, Maximilian negotiated his abdication but was reluctant to leave the country without a functioning government. Captured by liberal forces and convicted of treason, he was executed in 1867. Filled with political intrigue, crisp battle scenes, and a richly textured portrait of Maximilian, this is an entertaining and informative historical page-turner. Illus. (Oct.)