#emperor maximillian i of mexico

[lavenderrosiefan]

Alexandra: Imagine if someone handed you a box full of all the things you lost throughout your life.

Charles John: It would be nice to have my sense of purpose back…

Carlota: Oh wow, my childhood innocence! Thank you for finding this.

William: My will to live! I haven't seen this in years.

Adelaide: I knew I lost that potential somewhere.

Maximillian: Mental stability, my old friend!

Alexandra: Jesus, could you guys lighten up a little?

[crownedpatriot11]

Seeing that w/e anon made me remember that just yesterday I was scrolling your blog, saw that Maximillian post, and teared up. Fuck that one hurts.

Arguably the most tragic and maligned figure in modern history. No one ever asks why the people that were in Maximilian’s immediate sphere served him with fanatic loyalty. They also completely ignore the fact that he chose to stay and die in Mexico as its Emperor and not flee to Europe to live a life of comfort. Benito Juárez is burning in hell

[bonfire-at-the-crossroads]

I love learning shit.

Here’s my deep-dive into a part of history that I had NO idea about.

The painting is enormous. The figures are almost life-size, and the whole things packs a wallop as it hangs in the hallway of the client’s current home. But what the HELL is it about?

I thought you’d never ask….

My research started with “imprisoned queen” and I kept falling down rabbit-holes. The trampled rose at her feet is the iconography for the whole story, and I knew I would figure it out if I just kept digging…

The uniforms on the soldiers are definitely French (I learned a bit about these when I restored another painting awhile ago, about the Peninsular War in Spain) - but the messy, swarthiness of the guy in front seemed odd. The jeering crowd, the bars in the window, the story is hiding here somewhere.

Mexico. The “French Intervention” 1862-1867 and Napoleon III. Ferdinand Maximillian Franz Joseph - archduke of Austria and his wife Carlota were installed as “Emperor and Empress of Mexico” by Napoleon III.

The Mexicans were not thrilled, and overthrew the whole shebang in five years time. They executed Franz Joseph, and imprisoned Marie-Charlotte-Emilie-Augustine-Victoire-Clementine-Leopoldine…aka “CARLOTA” former archduchess of Austria.

They let her go eventually, and she went into exile, living in various European countries the rest of her life. She was mentally unwell, and became a recluse - finally passing in 1927.

The story and the subject matter was apparently very popular with artists and writers and poets of the time - it had all the earmarks of being a marvelous failed attempt to “civilize and elevate” the Mexican people - with tragic results.

The trampled rose….

I figured it out - and am quite chuffed with myself.

[lahilden]

Miramare Castle

Miramare Castle is located on the Gulf of Trieste in Italy. The castle was built from 1856-60 by the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximillian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium. They later became Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlota of Mexico in 1864 and took up residence in Mexico City. Although Napoleon III encouraged Maximilian to take the Mexican throne, three years later, Napoleon III urged him to abdicate, but he wouldn’t. Sadly, Maximilian was taken prisoner in 1867 and executed by a firing squad at the age of 34. The grief-stricken Charlotte spent the rest of her days mourning her husband in seclusion. The white castle is a mix of Gothic, medieval, and Renaissance architecture. The castle has more than 20 rooms, including the throne room and the archduke’s bedroom, designed and furnished like a ship’s cabin. The ground floor houses the private apartments, while the first floor was used for events and receptions. The castle sits on 54 acres with lakes, Italian and English gardens, sculptures, rare trees, and plants. Many of the trees were brought to the estate from outside Europe. The exterior buildings include stables, greenhouses, the Chapel of San Canciano, and a small Gartenhaus, which is a small castle, aka a castelletto. Miramare Castle has multiple exhibitions and is open to the public. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy.

[inky-duchess]

what kind of emperor do you think franz ferdinand would have been? from what i've read, it sounds like his uncle maximillian would have been quite a good one if he'd actually succeeded in mexico.

I think given the chance Franz could have been good. I mean if he showed as much devotion to ruling as he did to Sophie, he would have been fantastic.

[dahliamorena]

1864, Second Mexican Empire.

Fun fact, Maximillian I was the first and only emperor of Mexico in this period and was of Austrian origin, which is why Roderich is here with an angsty teenage Lupe.

[mzecchin]

Illuminando la Strada - Miramare - from Momenti Italiani - https://marcozecchin.com/2016/portfolio-stories/momenti-italiani/ On the way to Trieste, at the very eastern most edge of Italy, is Castello di Miramare. It was build for the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximillian of the House of Habsburg from 1856 to 1860. He accepted an offer by Napoleon III to rule as Emperor of Mexico with his wife Carlota of Mexico. It’s worth the visit but it was the train station that caught my eye with its fenestrated exterior giving the interior an airy greenhouse feel. At the time it seemed unused, other than as a repository for potted plants but it did cover the tunnel to the entry of the castle. I imagined royal entourages making their way down the stairs to waiting carriages at the other end of the tunnel to take them to the castle… Buy a print… https://marcozecchin.com/2020/italy/arrivals/ #momentiitaliani #book #fineartphotography #photography #travelphotography #iphonephotography #italy #veneto #friuliveneziagiulia #miramare (at Miramare, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEb0EZCDWjp/?igshid=egyu6coqn099

[memecucker]

Sometimes I wonder if there’s a descendant of Emperor Maximillian of Mexico that’s like an accountant in Australia and during the work day they’re just like “man fuck this I’m supposed to be ruling Mexico”

[magpiedragon]

Elisabeth das Musical exposition/setting notes

Back when I was translating the ‘92 Vienna rehearsal footage to English I ended up digging deeper than I probably should have into lyrics, because I was kinda fascinated with how precisely you could pinpoint some of the songs in time that way.

I ended up including an extremely short summary of...fun trivia I learned as footnotes in my yt videos for Americans and other aliens (...kidding. kidding! Not like I really remember what was up with Spring of Nations either other than ‘Poland was there too’...) but since a) like nobody watches ‘92 Elisabeth b) if they do they are almost guaranteed not to read video descriptions anyway, I finally decided to repost this here.

Or, you know, you can check out @land-of-blitheness-and-catharsis Vienna Revival Elisabeth translations for some way more entertaining background comments.

PROLOG

[1] Luigi Lucheni (1873-1910) Italian anarchist famous for assassinating Empress Elisabeth of Austria in 1898. Died in 1910 by hanging himself in his cell while serving a life sentence in Geneva. Curiously enough, his head had been preserved in formaldehyde and only buried in 2000, 90 years after his death.

[2] Grammar bonus in case you live under a rock: German is a language with what is known as grammatical gender, effectively making the noun 'death' come with built-in male pronouns unless stated otherwise.

[3] "Why not? She loved Heinrich Heine!" Heinrich Heine (1797 – 1856) Born to a Jewish family but later converted to Christianity, German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic. Elisabeth was something of a fan, to put it mildly.

WIE DU

[4] "In this case, it's impossible." Elisabeth absolutely can't come with her father because, according to the libretto, he is actually on his way to spend a night with an actress in Monachium.

[5] "...with a zither under one arm" The flat, black box Elisabeth doesn't want to give back to her father is indeed a zither case.

JEDEM GIBT ER DAS SEINE

[6] Franz-Joseph I of Austria (1830 – 1916) The oldest of four brothers, ascended the throne in 1848 at the age of eighteen when, after his epileptic uncle's Ferdinand I abdication, his father stepped aside in his favor.

[7] "Russia, we owe rescue.../...from the revolution." In 1848 a wave of political upheavals swept across Europe, an event known as the Spring of Nations. Stuck between fighting in the territories of today's Italy and the rebelling Hungarians, who were at the time under the rule of the Austrian Empire, Austria lacked the power to quell the latter. Assistance from its ally, Russia, was sent for and the revolution suppressed.

[8] Crimean War (1853 - 1856) Military conflict fought between Russia and an alliance of France, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia started over the rights of Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire. Russia lost and apparently was none too happy about Austrian Empire choosing to remain neutral.

SIE PASST NICHT

[9] "Rauscher's speech was too long." Joseph Othmar Ritter von Rauscher (1797-1875), Cardinal and Austrian Prince-Archbishop of Vienna, considered the father of the Austrian Concordat of 1855. This will kinda keep coming up.

DER LETZTE TANZ

[10] "In mirror room" (der Spiegelsaal) Large mirrors used to be difficult to produce and thus very expensive. Naturally, for a while small rooms and galleries with mirrors embedded in the walls seem to have been a must-have in every grand residence.

DIE ERSTEN VIER JAHRE

[11] "Where does she stand on Hungary?" After the rebellion of 1848 Hungary wasn't exactly in the Austrian Empire's best books. A lot of its former independence was taken away.

DIE FRÖHLICHE APOKALYPSE

[12] "One more coffee!" Wiener Melange ("Viennese blend") is a type of coffee drink specific to Vienna, traditionally consisting of a shot of expresso topped with hot milk and milk foam.

[13] We've signed a concordat!" A concordat is convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the [..] privileges of the Catholic Church in a particular country. (Thanks wikipedia...) In the case of Austrian Concordat of 1855 the Church was granted full control over their direct affairs, oversight of approx 98% of public schools and their curriculum as well as jurisdiction over marriages where either or both the couple were Catholic. In other words something of a big deal and most liberals really weren't a fan.

[14] "The last Crimean War neutralized us.../And Austria is now.../ ...politically, completely isolated./[...]/And we are now at war with Piedmont!" In 1858 England and, more importantly, Russia, is definitely still sulking over Austrian Empire's neutrality in the Crimean War. In the meanwhile wars in what is today's Italy continue, notably with the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Up until 1871 Italy was a collection of small kingdoms/city states. The Second Italian War of Independence of 1859 will prove to be a crucial part of their future unification.

[15] "...crowds of men waving their fists/at her on Ballhausplatz." The Ballhausplatz is a square in central Vienna and the location of the residence/set of office of the Chancellor of Austria. It's also located a short walk's distance from the Austrian Parliament building.

SCHÖNHEITSPFLEGE

[16] "Here, veal for the face./Lay it in thick slices on the cheeks.../[...]/The meat sauce, that she drinks at midday.../...has to, imagine.../...absolutely be from a fillet." etc Supposedly all true. She is also known for fasting, exercising rigorously and tight-lacing her corsets to a worrying degree.

WIR ODER SIE

[17] "A ringleader advanced.../...to a minister of state!" Likely refers to Count Gyula Andrássy (1823 – 1890), a Hungarian statesman who, in 1867, with Elisabeth's backing became Prime Minister of Hungary. By all accounts a close friend, thought to be lover by some.

[18] "...she rules like a Pompadour!" Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764) chief mistress of French king Louis XV and, later, his close friend and confidant. While having little official political influence, she was able to gather a network of supporters and wielded considerable power behind the scenes.

[19] "Instead of Goethe or Schiller.../...she recites Heine!" A serious offense indeed seeing as Goethe and Schiller are some of the most iconic/well-known German-language writers, while Heine's more radical works were banned.

[20] "I will, myself, undertake.../...delivering a Circe to him" In the Greek epic poem Odyssey, the hero Odysseus is steadfast and unrelenting in his attempt to return home to his faithul wife Penelope, except for that one entire year he spends feasting and sharing a bed of a powerful sorceress named Circe. Because why not.

MALADIE

[21] "One.../...known as the French disease." Anemia, fever and dizzy spells are not exactly the most prominent symptoms of secondary syphillis and Elisabeth's bad health is only speculated to be a result of a veneral disease instead of constant stress she was under, but I suppose we’ll just have to trust the personification of death on this one. You'd assume he'd know.

DIE RASTLOSEN JAHRE

[22] "Wants to Corfu, Pest and England..." Budapest is the capital and the largest city of Hungary. Originally two separate cities, Buda and Pest, it became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube in 1873.

DIE SCHATTEN WERDEN LÄNGER

[23] "To the tune of the Pied Piper.../...they dance wildly..." "Der Rattenfänger von Hameln", better known in the Anglosphere as "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" is a German legend concerning a rat-catcher hired to lead rats away from the city of Hamelin using his magical flute. When the townsfolk refuse to give him the promised payment, he turns the magic on the town's children instead, luring them all into the unknown.

HASS

[24] "Nationalists! Supporters of Schönerer." Georg Ritter von Schönerer (1842 – 1921), German landowner, politician, rabid nationalist and antisemite. In 1888, he was temporarily jailed for ransacking a newspaper office and his popularity soared, with nationalist marches organized to demand freeing him etc. Likely the person to introduce Führer (”leader") to the nationalist vocabulary. All around a great guy like that. Hitler is said to have been a big fan as a young man.

[25] "Wilhelm should be Emperor!" Wilhelm II (1859 – 1941), the last German Emperor and Austrian nationalists' preferred Habsburg replacement.

[26] "For Heinrich Heine she wants to, here, in Vienna.../...erect a statue!" She really did, except by the time it was finished, the nationalist protests were so widespread there was nowhere to put it. Somehow, and don't ask me how or why, it is now located in Bronx, New York City and known as the Lorelei Fountain.

[27] "The Guard on the Rhine stands proud!" "Die Wacht am Rhein" is a famous patriotic German song, for a while considered something of an unofficial second anthem.

MAYERLING-WALZER

[28] Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria and his 17-year-old lover Baroness Mary Vetsera died on 30 January 1889 in what is widely considered to be a murder-suicide pact, known as the Mayerling Incident. His death caused Franz-Joseph I's nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, to become first in line to the throne of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Franz Ferdinand is perhaps best known as the man whose assassination in Sarajevo  in 1914 kickstarted the WWI.

AM DECK DER SINKENDEN WELT

[29] Maximillian I (1832 – 1867) Younger brother of Emperor Franz-Joseph. Accepted Napoleon III's offer to move to Mexico where he declared himself Emperor in 1864 and was executed by firing squad three years later.

[30] Maria von Wittelsbach (1841 - 1925) Elisabeth's younger sister. By all accounts a rather unhappy lady with an equally unhappy marriage.

[31] Ludwig von Wittelsbach (1845 – 1886) Elisabeth's cousin, king of Bavaria. Known as an eccentric with a love for extravagant artistic and architectural projects. Declared insane and deposed in 1886, died under unknown circumstances. Body found floating in a lake near his residence at the time.

[32] Sophie von Wittelsbach (1847 – 1897) Elisabeth's youngest sister, died in a fire of the Bazar de la Charité in Paris, during a charity event.

DER SCHLEIER FÄLLT

[33] Elisabeth, Empress of Austria died on the 10 September 1898 after being fatally stabbed in the heart with a stiletto improvised out of a sharpened needle file. Perhaps thanks to her practice of lacing her corsets very tightly the injury wasn't immediately detected and it took half an hour for her to die. Ironically, first recorded successful treatment of this exact kind of injury was achieved by dr Ludwig Rehn in Frankfurt am Main exactly two years and one day before that date.

...also something I failed to mention in footnotes, but occurs to me not everyone knows: yes, a porcelain tea set with portraits of Franz-Joseph and Elisabeth painted on it was not a very strange item to own. That’s kind of what Kitsch is about XD

[lustfullywitchy]

I'm a big history nerd so when I got the chance to name my fish. I named it after historical/legendary figures. My betta boy was named Max after Emperor Maximillian of Mexico Then his name was Charlotte after Empress Charlotte of Mexico When they died I got some mollies and danios that I named after Mongol rulers There's Kökochin, Marco Polo, Kublai, Khan, Chabi and Genghis. Now 3 mollies and a danio baby that I named after roman/greek figures. There was Apollo and Artemis because they were twins and one was always sleeping while the other one was active. There's Romelous and Numa after the first two kings of Rome And my last baby is named Machiavelli who is Italian but lived in Roman territory.... Now I think if I get any more fish I'll probably name them after the Borgias.

[lavenderrosiefan]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but...

Soldier

Poet

King

Idk, I was listening to the song and this idea popped into my head, but again...Correct me if I'm wrong.

[thesolprovider13-blog]

@Regrann from @seaneen5 - Imma bout to piss somma y'all right off- but some truth needs saying: University of California, Los Angeles professor David Hayes-Bautista wrote in 2009. “It is an American Civil War holiday, created spontaneously by Mexicans and Latinos living in California who supported the fragile cause of defending freedom and democracy during the first years of that bloody war.” Hayes-Bautista holds that the holiday belongs to the United States as much as Mexico and says that the fighting at Puebla prevented the French from aiding the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. http://archive.is/Dmfse The reason I say it has much less to do with Mexican Independence is because it wasn't until May, 15, 1867 that the Mexicans defeated the French puppet Emperor Maximillian. This of course resulted in Maximillian being executed along with his Generals Miramón and Mejía, which brought an end to the Second Mexican Empire. http://www.rd.com/culture/cinco-de-mayo-history/ Rasmussen Reports has found consistently for years that most voters want the border with Mexico secured to prevent further illegal immigration before there is any talk of amnesty. Men and those 40 and over are stronger supporters of building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border than women and younger voters are. But the groups are much closer to agreement when it comes to deporting illegal immigrants convicted of felonies in this country. Sizable majorities in nearly all demographic categories favor deporting illegal immigrants convicted here of felony crimes. http://m.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/august_2015/voters_want_to_build_a_wall_deport_felon_illegal_immigrants Deportation concerns among Hispanics are little changed from 2013, when 46% of Hispanics said they worried, and is down from 52% in 2010. Overall, all major subgroups of Hispanics have seen a decline in their worry about deportation or no change in recent years. For example, in 2010, 84% of Hispanic immigrants who were not U.S. citizens and not lawful permanent residents said they worried a lot or some that they or someone close to them could be deported, about 17 percentage points

[lavenderrosiefan]

In the chip aisle at Walmart, doing a late-night grocery run.

Alexandra: Minding her own business, looking for tortilla chips.

Alexandra: Finds tortilla chips.

Carlota, to Maximillian: See, she knows what she's here for. She knows what she's doing. Be more like her. Make a decision, Maximillian!

[mzecchin]

Percorso dei Viaggiatore – Miramare - from Momenti Italiani - https://marcozecchin.com/2016/portfolio-stories/momenti-italiani/ On the way to Trieste, at the very eastern most edge of Italy, is Castello di Miramare. It was build for the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximillian of the House of Habsburg from 1856 to 1860. He accepted an offer by Napoleon III to rule as Emperor of Mexico with his wife Carlota of Mexico. It’s worth the visit but it was the train station that caught my eye with its fenestrated exterior giving the interior an airy greenhouse feel. At the time it seemed unused, other than as a repository for potted plants but it did cover the tunnel to the entry of the castle. I imagined royal entourages making their way down the stairs to waiting carriages at the other end of the tunnel to take them to the castle… Buy a print… https://marcozecchin.com/2020/italy/percorso-dei-viaggiatori/ #momentiitaliani #book #fineartphotography #photography #travelphotography #iphonephotography #italy #veneto #friuliveneziagiulia #miramare (at Miramare, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CClSFs_jmHN/?igshid=rnqej0hlsmo

[mzecchin]

Stazione – Miramare - from Momenti Italiani - https://marcozecchin.com/2016/portfolio-stories/momenti-italiani/ On the way to Trieste, at the very eastern most edge of Italy, is Castello di Miramare. It was build for the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximillian of the House of Habsburg from 1856 to 1860. He accepted an offer by Napoleon III to rule as Emperor of Mexico with his wife Carlota of Mexico. It’s worth the visit but it was the train station that caught my eye with its fenestrated exterior giving the interior an airy greenhouse feel. At the time it seemed unused, other than as a repository for potted plants but it did cover the tunnel to the entry of the castle. I imagined royal entourages making their way down the stairs to waiting carriages at the other end of the tunnel to take them to the castle… Buy a print… https://marcozecchin.com/2020/italy/stazione/ #momentiitaliani #book #fineartphotography #photography #travelphotography #iphonephotography #italy #veneto #friuliveneziagiulia #miramare (at Miramare, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB1IFFFjWJ9/?igshid=asvllg9hm7jc