The Prince Of Mexico

The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire is a sweeping historical novel of Mexico during the short, tragic, at times surreal, reign of Emperor Maximilian and his court. Even as the American Civil War raged north of the border, a clique of Mexican conservative exiles and clergy convinced Louis Napoleon to invade Mexico and install the Archduke of Austria, Maximilian von Habsburg, as Emperor. A year later, the childless Maximilian took custody of the two year old, half-American, Prince Agustìn de Iturbide y Green, making the toddler the Heir Presumptive. Maximilian’s reluctance to return the child to his distraught parents, even as his empire began to fall, and the Empress Carlota descended into madness, ignited an international scandal. This lush, grand read is based on the true story and illuminates both the cultural roots of Mexico and the political development of the Americas. But it is made all the more captivating by the depth of Mayo’s writing and her understanding of the pressures and influences on these all too human players.

Presents a fictionalized account of the reign of the archduke of Austria, Maximilian von Hapsburg, as emperor of Mexico.

*Includes pictures*Includes accounts written by Emperor Maximilian and his wife of their lives and reign in Mexico*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contentsOnce upon a time, when a Civil War threatened to fracture the US, there was a monarchy south of the Rio Grande. That kingdom was called Mexico. It had a magnificent castle, a beautiful princess and a tall, handsome prince; he was noble and idealistic, he had fire in his heart, but he was weak and gullible. A fool, some would say. One day, when he was still a teenager, he wrote, "Ambition is like the balloonist. To some extent, the rise is nice and he does enjoy a splendid view and a vast landscape. But when he rises more, vertigo occurs, the air becomes thin and the risk of a big fall increases." With this parable, the Austrian Archduke Maximilian of Hapsburg inadvertently predicted the destiny to which he would bravely ride, despite the warnings and the sweet talkers. In any case, he followed his heart ́s mandate. And Charlotte, the princess, was "one of the most cultured and beautiful" in Europe. Since she was a girl she'd known that one day she would become a queen or an empress.When it was first hinted that they would be offered the crown of Mexico, she was 22 and he was 28, and they were surrounded by the intrigue and ambition of their own brothers, who could not wait to have them removed from the picture. So when, three years later, the couple received the official diplomatic mission which affirmed Mexico required their presence, the proposition was like a fairy tale come true. In the imagination of the era, Mexico was the distant paradise described by the great geographer Alexander von Humboldt: thick jungles and forests, steaming volcanoes, copious gold and silver mines, infinite beaches and exotic birds. "The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world," the Prussian explorer had written, and Max believed it in all sincerity and contemplated the adventure with the eyes of his soul. In Mexico, the reality was different from the imagination. It was too late by the time they realized they had been seduced by sirens, specifically the siren sitting upon the throne of France, Napoleon III. The zealous emperor frowned at the expansion of the US and the Protestant, Anglo-Saxon race. But there were also the vast territories of northern Mexico to consider, the gold and silver mines, plus Napoleon ́s vague idea of rebuilding the Latin race and culture in the Americas. With that in mind, he brought two puppets to his global stage, Maximilian and Charlotte, and made sure they were told that the Mexican people would tender unto them a carpet of roses as soon as they saw their royal feet touch their land. In their dreams, Max of Austria and Charlotte of Belgium would become the saviors of the ancient empire of Montezuma, now unable to govern itself, and on the road to self-destruction. But Maximilian was not thinking of conquest and looting, as did his ancestor, Charles I of Spain, but in reconstruction and healing. It is not that he was guilty of arrogance, either. Sending a European monarch to the American continent sounds outrageous these days, but at the time, it was common for the kings of England, Belgium, Greece or Bulgaria to be of other nationalities. Still, Maximilian refused to accept the throne of Mexico until he was shown evidence that the Mexicans agreed. When he was shown a pretend plebiscite, he agreed on the dangerous adventure.The tragedy of Maximilian and Charlotte was romantic and political. In Mexico ́s official history, the one recorded by the winners, they were an affront to independence and a symbol of European arrogance. For the monarchies of Europe, they are a sad and embarrassing memory, because of the abandonment, craftiness and treachery they lived through.

iThe events described herein are intended to be a new public contributionto the history of the Mexican Empire. I have seen and experienced these events during the most memorable months of my life./i With these words, an unlikely individual began to pen a valuable historical memoir. What started as a volunteer mission to Mexico quickly thrust obscure Samuel Basch, Austrian medical doctor, into the role of confidant and personal physician to Maximilian, Emperor of the short-lived Mexican empire. Keenly aware of the magnitude of the drama surrounding him and his position as an insider, Basch kept daily notes and astutely observed the court intrigues and other events of his days with the Emperor. This carefully gathered information was then crafted into a compelling firsthand overview of the last months of Maximilian, who was persuaded in 1864 to take the throne as part of Napoleon III's scheme to establish an empire in Mexico.P iRecollections of Mexico The Last Ten Months of Maximilian's Empirei offers scholars a rare authoritative source on this little-known, yet important, period in Mexican history. Written in 1868, this book has been masterfully translated word for word from the original German by editor Fred D. Ullman, a distant relative of Dr. Basch, and includes his added annotations and comments that further augment the text. p Basch begins his account chronicling the last months leading up to the overthrow of Maximilian by Mexican Republicans. He recounts the defeat of the Emperor's army, his subsequent capture, and execution by firing squad on June 19, 1867. He describes his interaction with the Emperor as well as Maximilian's rapidly crumbling hold on power. Basch writes with a style that is at once detached and yet quite sentimental.p This memoir is a unique and necessary addition to courses on nineteenth-century Mexican history.p