In short
Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico was executed by firing squad on June 19, 1867, ending the French-backed Second Mexican Empire after just three years. His death marked the collapse of a European attempt to impose monarchy on a newly independent nation, and became one of the 19th century's most painted political executions.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
The Execution of Emperor Maximilian is a series of paintings by Édouard Manet from 1867 to 1869, depicting the execution by firing squad of Emperor Maximilian I of the short-lived Second Mexican Empire. Manet produced three large oil paintings, a smaller oil sketch and a lithograph of the same subject. All five works were brought together for an exhibition in London and Mannheim in 1992–1993 and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2006.
As it was happening
13 voices, 2028 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Maximilian crowned Emperor of Mexico
With support from French forces under Napoleon III, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph of Austria is proclaimed Emperor of the Second Mexican Empire.
Voices from this moment (1)
Maximilian crowned Emperor of Mexico
Jun 12
“With support from French forces under Napoleon III,…”
As it was happening
13 voices, 2028 days.
Day 0 · June 12, 1864
Maximilian crowned Emperor of Mexico
With support from French forces under Napoleon III, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph of Austria is proclaimed Emperor of the Second Mexican Empire.
“With support from French forces under Napoleon III,…”
- Maximilian crowned Emperor of Mexico, Jun 12
Day 568 · January 1, 1866
French withdrawal begins
Napoleon III announces the withdrawal of French troops from Mexico, weakening Maximilian's military position against the republican forces of Benito Juárez.
“Napoleon III announces the withdrawal of French troops from…”
- French withdrawal begins, Jan 1
Day 992 · March 1, 1867
Last French troops depart
The final French military forces leave Mexican territory, leaving Maximilian dependent on local conservative allies.
“The final French military forces leave Mexican territory,…”
- Last French troops depart, Mar 1
Day 1067 · May 15, 1867
Maximilian captured
Republican forces under Juárez capture Maximilian near Querétaro after weeks of siege and military defeat.
“Republican forces under Juárez capture Maximilian near…”
- Maximilian captured, May 15
Day 1102 · June 19, 1867
Execution of Maximilian and generals
Maximilian, Miguel Miramón, and Tomás Mejía are executed by firing squad at Cerro de las Campanas. International diplomatic efforts to spare his life fail.
“Emperor Maximilian Shot by Mexican Republicans - End of the…”
- The New York Times, Jun 20
“Execution of the Emperor Maximilian - Fall of the Mexican…”
- The Times, Jul 2
“The Death of an Emperor - Sketches from the Execution of…”
- Illustrated London News, Jul 20
“Synthesized from period reporting - Republican authorities…”
- Diario Oficial del Imperio Mexicano, Jun 21
“Maximilian, Miguel Miramón, and Tomás Mejía are executed by…”
- Execution of Maximilian and generals, Jun 19
“Synthesized from period reporting - The French government…”
- Le Figaro, Jun 25
Day 1237 · November 1, 1867
Manet completes first large oil painting
Édouard Manet finishes the first of three monumental oil paintings depicting Maximilian's execution, working from news accounts and sketches.
“Édouard Manet finishes the first of three monumental oil…”
- Manet completes first large oil painting, Nov 1
Day 1298 · January 1, 1868
Manet's lithograph created
Manet produces a lithograph version of the execution scene, attempting wider circulation of the work before the subject becomes dated.
“Manet produces a lithograph version of the execution scene,…”
- Manet's lithograph created, Jan 1
Day 2028 · December 31, 1869
Final Manet execution painting completed
Manet completes his third and final large oil painting of the execution, having worked on variations of the composition for over two years.
“Manet completes his third and final large oil painting of…”
- Final Manet execution painting completed, Dec 31
Afterward
What followed
- 1867 - End of Second Mexican Empire. Maximilian's execution on June 19, 1867 terminated the brief Habsburg intervention in Mexico and restored the Mexican Republic under Benito Juárez
- 1867 - Franco-Mexican diplomatic rupture. Napoleon III's withdrawal of French troops before Maximilian's execution strained relations and marked a policy failure for French imperialism
- 1868 - Manet's artistic response. Édouard Manet created his first major painting of the execution in 1868, part of a series exploring political violence and its representation
- 1870 - Precedent for nationalist resistance. Mexico's successful expulsion of foreign intervention influenced anti-colonial movements and nationalist sentiment across Latin America
- 1872 - Strengthening of Mexican republicanism. Juárez's re-election in 1872 consolidated republican governance and marginalized monarchist factions in Mexican politics
The numbers.
3 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Duration of Second Mexican Empire
0 years (1864–1867)
Age at execution
0 years old
Manet paintings completed
0 works (3 large oils, 1 oil sketch, 1 lithograph)
The visual record.
Front pages.
3 outlets carried the story: The New York Times, The Times, Le Figaro.
Media coverage
What the world was reading.
5 pieces, ranked by how much they shaped the discourse.
The New York Times
Newspaper · United States · Jun 20, 1867
"Emperor Maximilian Shot by Mexican Republicans - End of the Second Empire"
Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico was executed by firing squad on June 19, 1867, at the hill of the Cerro de las Campanas near Queretaro, bringing to a sudden and violent end the brief European-backed empire in North America.
- Jun 21, 1867
Diario Oficial del Imperio Mexicano
Newspaper · Mexico
"FR: 'Restauration de la Republique Mexicaine - Fin de l'Usurpation Imperiale' / EN: 'Restoration of the Mexican Republic - End of the Imperial Usurpation'"
Synthesized from period reporting - Republican authorities announced the execution of Maximilian as the definitive close of foreign intervention and the restoration of legitimate Mexican sovereignty under President Benito Juarez.
- Jun 25, 1867
Le Figaro
Newspaper · France
"FR: 'L'Execution de l'Empereur Maximilien - Fin d'une Tentative Imperiale' / EN: 'The Execution of Emperor Maximilian - End of an Imperial Venture'"
Synthesized from period reporting - The French government received with profound consternation news that Maximilian, whom Napoleon had championed as a sovereign remedy for Mexican instability, perished before Mexican Republican guns, vindicating those who warned of the venture's futility.
- Jul 2, 1867
The Times
Newspaper · United Kingdom
"Execution of the Emperor Maximilian - Fall of the Mexican Empire"
Dispatches from Mexico confirm the melancholy intelligence that the unfortunate Maximilian, installed upon the Mexican throne by French arms, has fallen before a Republican firing squad, a fate long anticipated by European observers of the colonial adventure.
- Jul 20, 1867
Illustrated London News
Magazine · United Kingdom
"The Death of an Emperor - Sketches from the Execution of Maximilian in Mexico"
This week's edition carries engravings and eyewitness accounts of the judicial execution of Emperor Maximilian at Queretaro, an event of such historical weight that illustrated journals across Europe vie for the most dramatic and accurate depictions.
At the cinema, on the charts.
The world it landed in
What was on the radio, the screen, and everyone's mind.
Same week, elsewhere
1867 Mexico was consumed by civil conflict between republican forces under Benito Juárez and the French-backed Second Mexican Empire. The execution represented the triumph of nationalist republicanism over European imperial ambitions in the Americas, occurring amid broader 19th-century shifts in global power dynamics and the decline of monarchical authority outside Europe.
Then and now.
3 measurements then and now - the deltas the event left behind.
Then & now
The world the event landed in vs. the one it left behind.
Habsburg territories in Americas
Mexico (Second Mexican Empire)
1867
None
2024
Maximilian's execution ended the last major European imperial venture in the Western Hemisphere
Mexican state capacity
Fragmented; civil war ongoing
1867
Federal republic with established institutions
2024
Juárez's victory enabled consolidation of Mexican state
European imperial holdings worldwide
Britain, France, Netherlands, Spain controlling vast territories
1867
Minimal; mostly island territories
2024
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.The Execution of Emperor Maximilian
en.wikipedia.org