Second Mexican Empire

Mexican Empire Imperio Mexicano (Spanish)
1863–1867
Top: State Flag Bottom: Imperial Standard Imperial coat of arms
Motto: Equidad en la Justicia "Equity in Justice"[citation needed]
Territory administered (light green) and territory claimed (dark green) by the Second Mexican Empire in April 1864, when Maximilian accepted the throne.
Status	Independent monarchy,[1][2][3] client state of France
Capital	Mexico City
Common languages	Spanish
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Emperor
• 1864–1867	Maximilian I
Regency
• 1863–1864	Juan Almonte, José Salas, Pelagio de Labastida
Prime Minister[4]
• 1864–1866	José María Lacunza
• 1866–1867	Teodosio Lares
• 1867	Santiago Vidaurri
Historical era	New Imperialism
• Second French Intervention	8 December 1861
• Maximilian I accepts Mexican crown	10 April 1863
• Emperor Maximilian I executed	19 June 1867
Currency	Peso
Preceded by Succeeded by Second Federal Republic of Mexico Restored Republic
Today part of	Mexico

The Second Mexican Empire (Spanish: Segundo Imperio mexicano; French: Second Empire mexicain), officially known as the Mexican Empire (Spanish: Imperio Mexicano), was a constitutional monarchy established in Mexico by Mexican monarchists with the support of the Second French Empire. This period is often referred to as the Second French intervention in Mexico. French Emperor Napoleon III, with backing from Mexican conservatives, the clergy, and nobility, aimed to establish a monarchist ally in the Americas as a counterbalance to the growing power of the United States.^[5]

The throne of Mexico was offered by Mexican monarchists, who had lost a civil war against Mexican liberals, to Austrian Archduke Maximilian of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, who had ancestral ties to the rulers of colonial Mexico. Maximilian's ascension was ratified through a controversial referendum. His wife, Belgian princess Charlotte of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, became the empress consort of Mexico, known locally as "Carlota."

While the French army secured control over central Mexico, supporters of the Mexican Republic continued to resist the Empire through conventional military means and guerrilla warfare. Despite being forced to abandon Mexico City, President Benito Juárez never left Mexican territory, even as he relocated his government multiple times to evade Imperial forces.

Maximilian's regime received recognition from European powers such as Great Britain and Austria, as well as from Brazil and China, but it was not recognized by the United States. At the time, the U.S. was engaged in its Civil War (1861–65) and did not formally oppose the Empire during the conflict. However, following the Union's victory over the Confederacy, the U.S. recognized the Republican government and exerted diplomatic pressure on France to withdraw its support. The U.S. did not provide material aid to the Republicans.^[6]

With the conclusion of the U.S. Civil War in 1865, the geopolitical situation shifted. Napoleon III began withdrawing French troops from Mexico in 1866, which had been essential to sustaining Maximilian's regime, and ceased further financial support. Maximilian, whose liberal policies alienated many of his conservative backers, attracted some moderate liberal support by endorsing much of the Liberal Reform legislation, though his efforts at further reform were largely unsuccessful.

Despite the increasingly dire military situation, Maximilian refused to abdicate and remained in Mexico after the French troops departed. He was eventually captured by Republican forces in Querétaro, along with his generals Tomás Mejía and Miguel Miramón. The Second Mexican Empire formally ended on June 19, 1867, when Maximilian and his generals were executed by firing squad. The Mexican Republic was restored, having maintained its existence throughout the French intervention and the monarchist regime.