Maximilian | Archduke of Austria & Emperor of Mexico
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Maximilian was an archduke of Austria and the emperor of Mexico, a man whose naive liberalism proved unequal to the international intrigues that had put him on the throne and to the brutal struggles within Mexico that led to his execution. The younger brother of Emperor Francis Joseph, he served as
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Maximilian (born July 6, 1832, Vienna, Austria—died June 19, 1867, near Querétaro, Mex.) was an archduke of Austria and the emperor of Mexico, a man whose naive liberalism proved unequal to the international intrigues that had put him on the throne and to the brutal struggles within Mexico that led to his execution.

The younger brother of Emperor Francis Joseph, he served as a rear admiral in the Austrian navy and as governor-general of the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom. In 1863 he accepted the offer of the Mexican throne, falsely believing that the Mexican people had voted him their king; in fact, the offer was the result of a scheme between conservative Mexicans, who wished to overturn the liberal government of President Benito Juárez, and the French emperor Napoleon III, who wanted to collect a debt from Mexico and further his imperialistic ambitions there. Backed by a pledge of support from the French army, Maximilian sailed for Mexico with his wife Carlota, daughter of Leopold I, king of the Belgians.

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Crowned emperor on June 10, 1864, Maximilian intended to rule with paternal benevolence, viewing himself as the protector of the Indian peasants. He upheld Juárez’ sweeping reforms (to the indignation of the landed proprietors) and was determined to abolish peonage, and he antagonized the Roman Catholic hierarchy by refusing to restore vast church holdings confiscated by Juárez. The treasury was so bare, however, that he had to use his own inherited income for daily expenses.