Maximilian I (Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph Maria, Spanish: Fernando
Maximiliano José María de Habsburgo-Lorena; 6 July 1832 â€" 19 June
1867) was an Austrian archduke who reigned as the only Emperor of the
Second Mexican Empire from 10 April 1864 until his execution on 19
June 1867. A younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria,
Maximilian had a distinguished career as commander-in-chief of the
Imperial Austrian Navy.France, together with Spain and the United
Kingdom, had invaded Mexico in the winter of 1861 to pressure the
Mexican government into settling its debts with the three powers after
Mexico had announced a suspension on debt repayment; the Spanish and
British both withdrew the following year after negotiating agreements
with the Mexican government and realising the true intention of the
French, while France sought to conquer the country. Seeking to
legitimize French rule, Emperor Napoleon III invited Maximilian to
establish a new pro-French Mexican monarchy. With the support of the
French army and a group of Conservative Party monarchists hostile to
the Liberal Party administration of President Benito Juárez,
Maximilian accepted the crown of Mexico on 10 April 1864.The Empire
managed to gain the diplomatic recognition of several European powers,
including Russia, Austria, and Prussia. The United States, however,
continued to recognize Juárez as the legal president of Mexico and
saw the French invasion as a violation of the Monroe Doctrine, but was
unable to intervene due to the American Civil War. Maximilian never
completely defeated the Mexican Republic; Republican forces led by
Juárez continued to be active during Maximilian's rule. With the end
of the Civil War in 1865, the United States began providing more
explicit aid to Juárez's forces. Matters worsened for Maximilian
after French armies withdrew from Mexico in 1866, in part due to
American pressure, in part due to needing to deal with matters closer
to home. The Empire collapsed without French aid, and Maximilian was
captured and executed by the restored Republican government in 1867. Maximilian I of Mexico Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter