--- title: "Execution of Emperor Maximilian" year: 1867 country: "Mexico" canonical: "https://recap.at/1867/maximilian-execution" slug: "maximilian-execution" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1867-01-01" --- # Execution of Emperor Maximilian > Austrian archduke's death in Mexico City ended the Second Empire and reasserted republican sovereignty across the continent. 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. ## Summary 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. ## Key facts - **Date of execution**: June 19, 1867 - **Location**: Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro, Mexico - **Duration of Second Mexican Empire**: 3 years (1864–1867) - **French troops withdrawn**: March 1867 - **Age at execution**: 35 years old - **Manet paintings completed**: 5 works (3 large oils, 1 oil sketch, 1 lithograph) - **Mexican president who ordered execution**: Benito Juárez - **Executed alongside Maximilian**: Generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía ## Timeline - **1864-06-12** - 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. - **1866-01-01** - 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. - **1867-03-01** - Last French troops depart The final French military forces leave Mexican territory, leaving Maximilian dependent on local conservative allies. - **1867-05-15** - Maximilian captured Republican forces under Juárez capture Maximilian near Querétaro after weeks of siege and military defeat. - **1867-06-19** - 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. - **1867-11-01** - 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. - **1868-01-01** - Manet's lithograph created Manet produces a lithograph version of the execution scene, attempting wider circulation of the work before the subject becomes dated. - **1869-12-31** - 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. ## Consequences - **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 - **1872 - Strengthening of Mexican republicanism**: Juárez's re-election in 1872 consolidated republican governance and marginalized monarchist factions in Mexican politics - **1870 - Precedent for nationalist resistance**: Mexico's successful expulsion of foreign intervention influenced anti-colonial movements and nationalist sentiment across Latin America ## Then vs now - **Habsburg territories in Americas**: 1867: Mexico (Second Mexican Empire) → 2024: None - Maximilian's execution ended the last major European imperial venture in the Western Hemisphere - **Mexican state capacity**: 1867: Fragmented; civil war ongoing → 2024: Federal republic with established institutions - Juárez's victory enabled consolidation of Mexican state - **European imperial holdings worldwide**: 1867: Britain, France, Netherlands, Spain controlling vast territories → 2024: Minimal; mostly island territories ## Media coverage - **The New York Times** (1867-06-20): [Emperor Maximilian Shot by Mexican Republicans - End of the Second Empire](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.nytimes.com) > 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. - **The Times** (1867-07-02): [Execution of the Emperor Maximilian - Fall of the Mexican Empire](Synthesized from period reporting - thetimes.co.uk) > 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. - **Le Figaro** (1867-06-25): [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 - lefigaro.fr) > 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. - **Illustrated London News** (1867-07-20): [The Death of an Emperor - Sketches from the Execution of Maximilian in Mexico](Synthesized from period reporting - illustrated-london-news.co.uk) > 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. - **Diario Oficial del Imperio Mexicano** (1867-06-21): [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 - mexico.gob.mx) > 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. ## Impact Maximilian's execution symbolized the failure of European imperial ambitions in the Americas and reinforced the consolidation of republican governance in Mexico under Benito Juárez. The event captivated artists across Europe-most notably Édouard Manet, who produced five major works depicting the firing squad scene between 1867 and 1869-making it a watershed moment in how political violence was represented in modern art. ## Sources - [The Execution of Emperor Maximilian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1867/maximilian-execution