The Last Emperor of Mexico

Review 'Edward Shawcross's entertaining history explores one of the most reckless political and military adventures of the 19th century . . . the attempt in the 1860s to establish a monarchy in Mexico under Maximilian, the Habsburg archduke who was the brother of Franz Joseph, emperor of Austria. . . A superbly entertaining and well-researched account that sets a new standard for histories of the doomed escapade.' ― Financial Times 'The jaw-dropping tale of Mexico's Habsburg emperor is told with brio and narrative punch.This is a page-turning history of imperial hubris and nemesis, deceit and delusion, love and betrayal on a grand scale, written in an easy, lucid style.' ― Sunday Times 'The rise and fall of Maxmilian I, the doomed royal dupe, makes for a bleakly comic tale. Shawcross is especially good at describing the cultural gulf between the imperial couple and their subjects and their adopted realm.This is history as at once both tragedy and farce.' ― The Times 'Majestic . . . Shawcross's vivid details turn the emperor into a character as ornate as the silk tapestries he imported. Such attention to the minutiae - including Maximilian's hunt for rare larvae - makes his demise all the more heartrending.' ― Spectator 'Gripping...he's an eloquent writer, good at showing both sides of an argument.' ― Daily Mail 'Entertaining.' ― Telegraph 'Shawcross's account of Maximillian's fall is both gripping and moving.' ― The Oldie 'Mr. Shawcross . . . creates a balanced and deeply human portrait of the emperor.[a] deeply researched narrative.' ― Wall Street Journal 'Crisply written and meticulously researched, Shawcross's engaging book tells a lively story that will appeal to most history buffs.' ― Library Journal 'The story of Maximilian is one of the most compelling, absurd, cynical, and revealing chapters in the history of Mexico and the nineteenth-century Atlantic world. Edward Shawcross has marvellous material to work with, and he handles it with insight and panache.' -- H.W. Brands, author of The General vs. the President 'A story where no one comes out well, but Edward Shawcross tells it with verve, weaving together the big-power politics, fevered intrigue, and low villainy behind Maximilian of Mexico's ill-starred venture.' -- Martyn Rady, author of The Habsburgs 'Enthralling.' ― Literary Review 'Splendid...baroque, page-turning & often grimly funny, it is the work of an author in complete control of his material.' ― Tom Holland Hilarious, heartbreaking and utterly extraordinary, Edward Shawcross's book tells the story of the Habsburg archduke Maximilian, formerly admiral of the Austrian navy, who was persuaded to become Emperor of Mexico in 1864. Sailing west with elaborate ambitions for his new court, Maximilian was soon plunged into a chaotic bloodbath. His reign lasted just three years: deserted by his French allies, he ended his days before a rebel firing squad. Shawcross tells the story beautifully, deftly balancing high politics and low comedy. The real star is Maximilian's tragic, tempestuous wife, Carlota, driven mad by stress and grief. -- Dominic Sandbrook ― Sunday Times, Books of the Year Product Description 'Hilarious, heartbreaking and utterly extraordinary.' Sunday Times 'Superbly entertaining' Financial Times 'Baroque, page-turning and often grimly funny' Tom Holland The bizarre and little known story of how a hubristic Archduke became the puppet Emperor of Mexico - with tragic results and pivotal historical consequences for Europe and America. 'One of the most monstrous enterprises in the annals of international history,' said Karl Marx. ' A madness without parallel since Don Quixote,' said a future French president. This is history's judgement on the events surrounding the ill-fated reign of Maximilian of Mexico, the young Austrian archduke who in 1864 crossed the Atlantic to assume a faraway throne. He had been convinced to do so by a duplicitous Napoleon III. Keen to spread his own intere