[Illustration: _EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN_]
_Life Stories for Young People_
Maximilian in Mexico
_Translated from the German of
J. Kemper_
BY
GEORGE P. UPTON
_Translator of “Memories,” “Immensee,” etc._
WITH THREE ILLUSTRATIONS
[Illustration: A. C. McCLURG & CO.]
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1911
Copyright
A. C. McClurg & Co.
1911
Published September, 1911
THE · PLIMPTON · PRESS
[W·D·O]
NORWOOD · MASS · U·S·A
Translator’s Preface
The life story of Maximilian First in Mexico is one of the saddest of
tragedies. Admitting that he was in some respects a weak sovereign and
incompetent for the task he undertook, the tragedy is none the less sad.
The dreadful fate which overtook the Empress Carlotta only adds to the
gloom of the situation, and, if all reports are true, serves to
emphasize Mexican cruelty and treachery, for in official circles it is
generally believed she was made insane by a poisonous herb secretly
mixed with her drink. Maximilian himself was a gentleman in the best
sense of the term, gentle, courteous, refined, and scholarly; unfitted
for the position he held, inexperienced in political matters, and
ignorant how to contend with guile and treachery of the basest kind. He
was virtually forced to ascend the Mexican throne, and consented only
when he was assured that the Mexican people had enthusiastically elected
him. Once there, he found himself the victim of treacherous plots and
deadly hatred. He had but few friends upon whom he could rely, and they
were unable to aid him in the hour of greatest danger. Louis Napoleon,
who was chiefly instrumental in sending him there, violated his
agreements, withdrew the French troops from Mexico, and abandoned him as
a prey to his vindictive enemies, at whose hands he died like a
gentleman and a hero, leaving the Empress to suffer the tortures of
living death in a European asylum. History recalls few sadder tragedies
than the one contained in the story of Maximilian’s three years in
Mexico.
G. P. U.
Chicago, _May, 1911_
Contents
Chapter Page
I Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian 11
II The Mexican Empire 15
III Arrival of the Emperor in Mexico 24
IV Maximilian’s First Measures 28
V Church Affairs in Mexico 37
VI Enemies Within and Without 40
VII Bazaine’s Position in Mexico 44
VIII Fruits of the New Government 48
IX Louis Napoleon’s Attitude 52
X The Empress’ Journey to Europe 56
XI Events in Mexico After the Departure of the Empress 62
XII The Emperor at Orizaba 73
XIII Departure of the French 79
XIV The Siege of Querétaro 86
XV Downfall of the Mexican Empire 99
XVI The Emperor’s Imprisonment 113
XVII Death of Maximilian and His Generals 124
XVIII Conclusion 129
Appendix 133
Illustrations
Page
Emperor Maximilian _Frontispiece_
Empress Carlotta 56
Last Moments of Emperor Maximilian 124
Maximilian in Mexico
Chapter I
Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian
Ferdinand Maximilian, born at Schönbrunn on the sixth of July, 1832, was
the second son of Archduke Charles of Austria and the Archduchess Sophie
of Bavaria, a clever and highly cultivated princess, under whose
personal supervision the young Archduke received a careful and thorough
education, in which Count Bombelles, whose son afterward accompanied
Maximilian to Mexico, also had an important share.
From early childhood the prince showed that marked love of nature, and
especially of the sea, which was so characteristic of his later years
and which made his education for the navy—his destined career—an easy
and pleasant task. To this chosen profession, indeed, he applied himself
with such zeal and devotion that he may be regarded as the real founder
of the Austrian navy.
His leisure hours were devoted to the study of the fine arts and to the
practice of all sorts of athletic pursuits, in which he excelled, being
tall and well built, and quick and elastic in all his motions.
In 1850, upon the completion of his scientific studies, he made his
first long cruise, to Greece and Smyrna, followed by voyages to Spain,
Portugal, and Algiers. In 1853 he was made captain of a corvette, and a
year later received the appointment of commander-in-chief of the navy,
soon after which, escorted by a squadron of seventeen warships, he
visited Greece, Crete, Egypt, and Palestine.
The years 1856-57 were spent chiefly in European travel, during which
time the Archduke made the acquaintance of his future wife, the Princess
Carlotta, daughter of King Leopold Second of Belgium, to whom he was
married in 1857 and who proved so loyal and devoted a companion in joy
and sorrow until overtaken by the tragic fate of which we shall hear
later. Soon after his marriage, Maximilian, then only in his
twenty-fifth year, was made governor-general of the Lombardo-Venetian
kingdom by his brother, the Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria—an office
which he held for two years, and which served in some measure as a
preparation for his subsequent mission in Mexico for, as
governor-general, he had many difficulties to contend with, even though
they were of quite a different nature from those that afterward
confronted him in America.
The war that broke out in 1859 between Italy and Austria put an end to
Maximilian’s political career and he retired to the seclusion of
Miramar, the beautiful palace erected at Trieste some years before. Here
he lived quietly and peacefully, occupied with his favorite literary and
artistic pursuits, and it was here that he wrote the “Sketches of
Travel,” afterward published; also the “Aphorisms,” which speak the
thoughts and aspirations of a great soul.
Maximilian has been called weak and irresolute, and in fact he did prove
hopelessly unequal to the task that was set for him in Mexico—a task far
less suited to his gentle, kindly nature than to the bolder character of
his rival, Juarez, a man of quite another stamp, who hesitated at no
means to attain his ends and for whom the high-minded Hapsburger was no
match. That Maximilian made many grave errors cannot be denied, but his
entire administration should not be condemned for that reason. It is
certain that he was inspired by the noblest aims and intentions, and had
the Mexicans but realized this and given him their loyal support his
plans might have been realized and ensured both the country’s welfare
and his own.