# Canonical recap data for Execution of Emperor Maximilian (1867)
# Source: https://recap.at/1867/maximilian-execution
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: maximilian-execution
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1867/maximilian-execution"
title: Execution of Emperor Maximilian
aliases:
- Death of Maximilian
- Maximilian's Execution
- Fall of the Second Mexican Empire
- June 19, 1867
subtitle: Austrian archduke's death in Mexico City ended the Second Empire and reasserted republican sovereignty across the continent.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1867-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1867
decade: 1860
country:
name: Mexico
slug: mexico
summaryShort: 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 w
summaryLong: 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.
lede: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Edouard_Manet_022.jpg/1280px-Edouard_Manet_022.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "The Execution of Emperor Maximilian"
importance: 71
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date of execution
  value: June 19, 1867
- label: Location
  value: Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro, Mexico
- label: Duration of Second Mexican Empire
  value: 3 years (1864–1867)
- label: French troops withdrawn
  value: March 1867
- label: Age at execution
  value: 35 years old
- label: Manet paintings completed
  value: 5 works (3 large oils, 1 oil sketch, 1 lithograph)
- label: Mexican president who ordered execution
  value: Benito Juárez
- label: Executed alongside Maximilian
  value: Generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía
timeline:
- date: 1864-06-12
  title: Maximilian crowned Emperor of Mexico
  description: With support from French forces under Napoleon III, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph of Austria is proclaimed Emperor of the Second Mexican Empire.
- date: 1866-01-01
  title: French withdrawal begins
  description: Napoleon III announces the withdrawal of French troops from Mexico, weakening Maximilian's military position against the republican forces of Benito Juárez.
- date: 1867-03-01
  title: Last French troops depart
  description: The final French military forces leave Mexican territory, leaving Maximilian dependent on local conservative allies.
- date: 1867-05-15
  title: Maximilian captured
  description: Republican forces under Juárez capture Maximilian near Querétaro after weeks of siege and military defeat.
- date: 1867-06-19
  title: Execution of Maximilian and generals
  description: Maximilian, Miguel Miramón, and Tomás Mejía are executed by firing squad at Cerro de las Campanas. International diplomatic efforts to spare his life fail.
- date: 1867-11-01
  title: Manet completes first large oil painting
  description: Édouard Manet finishes the first of three monumental oil paintings depicting Maximilian's execution, working from news accounts and sketches.
- date: 1868-01-01
  title: Manet's lithograph created
  description: Manet produces a lithograph version of the execution scene, attempting wider circulation of the work before the subject becomes dated.
- date: 1869-12-31
  title: Final Manet execution painting completed
  description: Manet completes his third and final large oil painting of the execution, having worked on variations of the composition for over two years.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian"
  title: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: 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.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- regime_change
- assassination
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- governance
- collapse
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: death
metaDescription: Emperor Maximilian I executed by firing squad, June 1867. End of French-backed Mexican Empire.
wikidataQid: Q1212269
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: Emperor Maximilian Shot by Mexican Republicans - End of the Second Empire
  publishedAt: 1867-06-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.nytimes.com
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Execution of the Emperor Maximilian - Fall of the Mexican Empire
  publishedAt: 1867-07-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - thetimes.co.uk
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Le Figaro
  publisherSlug: le-figaro
  headline: "FR: 'L'Execution de l'Empereur Maximilien - Fin d'une Tentative Imperiale' / EN: 'The Execution of Emperor Maximilian - End of an Imperial Venture'"
  publishedAt: 1867-06-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - lefigaro.fr
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: Illustrated London News
  publisherSlug: illustrated-london-news
  headline: The Death of an Emperor - Sketches from the Execution of Maximilian in Mexico
  publishedAt: 1867-07-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - illustrated-london-news.co.uk
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 82
  type: magazine
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Diario Oficial del Imperio Mexicano
  publisherSlug: diario-oficial-imperio-mexicano
  headline: "FR: 'Restauration de la Republique Mexicaine - Fin de l'Usurpation Imperiale' / EN: 'Restoration of the Mexican Republic - End of the Imperial Usurpation'"
  publishedAt: 1867-06-21
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - mexico.gob.mx
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: Mexico
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260325193455/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian"
  capturedAt: 2026-03-25
  label: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Edouard_Manet_022.jpg/1280px-Edouard_Manet_022.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Edouard_Manet_022.jpg/800px-Edouard_Manet_022.jpg"
  caption: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian
  credit: Wikipedia · "The Execution of Emperor Maximilian"
  width: 330
  height: 279
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/1867_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg/1280px-1867_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/1867_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg/800px-1867_Events_Collage_V_1.0.jpg"
  caption: 1867 Events Collage V 1.0
  credit: From a variety of images credited above.
  width: 4096
  height: 3701
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian%2C_%C3%89douard_Manet%2C_Kunsthalle_Mannheim.jpg/1280px-Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian%2C_%C3%89douard_Manet%2C_Kunsthalle_Mannheim.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian%2C_%C3%89douard_Manet%2C_Kunsthalle_Mannheim.jpg/800px-Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian%2C_%C3%89douard_Manet%2C_Kunsthalle_Mannheim.jpg"
  caption: Execution of Emperor Maximilian, Édouard Manet, Kunsthalle Mannheim
  credit: Nemracc
  width: 2435
  height: 2111
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/%C3%89douard_Manet_-_L%27execution_de_Maximilien_%28London%29.jpg/1280px-%C3%89douard_Manet_-_L%27execution_de_Maximilien_%28London%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/%C3%89douard_Manet_-_L%27execution_de_Maximilien_%28London%29.jpg/800px-%C3%89douard_Manet_-_L%27execution_de_Maximilien_%28London%29.jpg"
  caption: Édouard Manet - L'execution de Maximilien (London)
  credit: Édouard Manet
  width: 6000
  height: 4077
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Habsburg territories in Americas
  thenValue: Mexico (Second Mexican Empire)
  thenYear: 1867
  nowValue: None
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Maximilian's execution ended the last major European imperial venture in the Western Hemisphere
- metric: Mexican state capacity
  thenValue: Fragmented; civil war ongoing
  thenYear: 1867
  nowValue: Federal republic with established institutions
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Juárez's victory enabled consolidation of Mexican state
- metric: European imperial holdings worldwide
  thenValue: Britain, France, Netherlands, Spain controlling vast territories
  thenYear: 1867
  nowValue: Minimal; mostly island territories
  nowYear: 2024
consequences:
- title: End of Second Mexican Empire
  year: 1867
  description: Maximilian's execution on June 19, 1867 terminated the brief Habsburg intervention in Mexico and restored the Mexican Republic under Benito Juárez
- title: Franco-Mexican diplomatic rupture
  year: 1867
  description: Napoleon III's withdrawal of French troops before Maximilian's execution strained relations and marked a policy failure for French imperialism
- title: Manet's artistic response
  year: 1868
  description: Édouard Manet created his first major painting of the execution in 1868, part of a series exploring political violence and its representation
- title: Strengthening of Mexican republicanism
  year: 1872
  description: Juárez's re-election in 1872 consolidated republican governance and marginalized monarchist factions in Mexican politics
- title: Precedent for nationalist resistance
  year: 1870
  description: Mexico's successful expulsion of foreign intervention influenced anti-colonial movements and nationalist sentiment across Latin America
culturalContext:
topMusic: []
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: 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.
relatedQueries:
- Benito Juárez Mexican Republic 1867
- French intervention Mexico Second Empire
- Édouard Manet Execution Emperor Maximilian paintings
- Maximilian I Austria Mexico
- Mexican-French War 1861-1867
- Napoleon III Mexico colonial ambitions
- Charlotte Carlota Maximilian Mexican empress
- 19th century European imperialism Americas
translations:
es:
lede: El Emperador Maximiliano I de México fue ejecutado por pelotón de fusilamiento el 19 de junio de 1867, terminando el Segundo Imperio Mexicano respaldado por Francia después de apenas tres años. Su muerte marcó el colapso de un intento europeo de imponer la monarquía en una nación recién independizada, y se convirtió en una de las ejecuciones políticas más pintadas del siglo XIX.
summaryShort: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian es una serie de pinturas de Édouard Manet de 1867 a 1869, que representa la ejecución por pelotón de fusilamiento del Emperador Maximiliano I del efímero Segundo Imperio Mexicano. Manet produjo tres grandes óleos, un esbozo en óleo más pequeño y una litografía del mismo tema. Las cinco obras fueron
summaryLong: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian es una serie de pinturas de Édouard Manet de 1867 a 1869, que representa la ejecución por pelotón de fusilamiento del Emperador Maximiliano I del efímero Segundo Imperio Mexicano. Manet produjo tres grandes óleos, un esbozo en óleo más pequeño y una litografía del mismo tema. Las cinco obras fueron reunidas para una exposición en Londres y Mannheim en 1992–1993 y en el Museum of Modern Art en Nueva York en 2006.
generatedAt: "2026-06-10T02:34:43.669Z"
fr:
lede: L'empereur Maximilien Ier du Mexique a été exécuté par peloton d'exécution le 19 juin 1867, mettant fin à l'Empire mexicain Second soutenu par les Français après seulement trois ans. Sa mort marqua l'effondrement d'une tentative européenne d'imposer la monarchie à une nation nouvellement indépendante, et devint l'une des exécutions politiques les plus peintes du XIXe siècle.
summaryShort: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian est une série de peintures d'Édouard Manet de 1867 à 1869, dépeignant l'exécution par peloton d'exécution de l'empereur Maximilien Ier du Court-lived Second Mexican Empire. Manet a produit trois grandes peintures à l'huile, une esquisse à l'huile plus petite et une lithographie du même sujet. Les cinq œuvres w
summaryLong: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian est une série de peintures d'Édouard Manet de 1867 à 1869, dépeignant l'exécution par peloton d'exécution de l'empereur Maximilien Ier du Court-lived Second Mexican Empire. Manet a produit trois grandes peintures à l'huile, une esquisse à l'huile plus petite et une lithographie du même sujet. Les cinq œuvres ont été réunies pour une exposition à Londres et Mannheim en 1992–1993 et au Museum of Modern Art à New York en 2006.
generatedAt: "2026-06-10T02:34:46.222Z"
de:
lede: Kaiser Maximilian I. von Mexiko wurde am 19. Juni 1867 durch Erschießungskommando hingerichtet, womit das französisch unterstützte Zweite Mexikanische Kaiserreich nach nur drei Jahren endete. Sein Tod markierte den Zusammenbruch eines europäischen Versuchs, eine Monarchie über eine neu unabhängige Nation zu verhängen, und wurde zu einer der am meisten gemalten politischen Hinrichtungen des 19. Jahrhunderts.
summaryShort: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian ist eine Serie von Gemälden von Édouard Manet aus den Jahren 1867 bis 1869, die die Hinrichtung durch Erschießungskommando von Kaiser Maximilian I. des kurzlebigen Zweiten Mexikanischen Kaiserreichs darstellt. Manet fertigte drei große Ölgemälde, eine kleinere Ölskizze und eine Lithografie desselben Motivs an. Alle fünf Werke w
summaryLong: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian ist eine Serie von Gemälden von Édouard Manet aus den Jahren 1867 bis 1869, die die Hinrichtung durch Erschießungskommando von Kaiser Maximilian I. des kurzlebigen Zweiten Mexikanischen Kaiserreichs darstellt. Manet fertigte drei große Ölgemälde, eine kleinere Ölskizze und eine Lithografie desselben Motivs an. Alle fünf Werke wurden 1992–1993 in einer Ausstellung in London und Mannheim und 2006 im Museum of Modern Art in New York zusammengebracht.
generatedAt: "2026-06-10T02:34:49.695Z"
