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Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico attempted the impossible far from the European civilization, in a country with an entirely different history and cultural traditions. The young ruler, who is generally considered to have adhered to liberalism and to have been influenced by the progressive intellectual trends of his age, wished to create a state, whose system had been unknown in Latin America. The 1130 days of his rule proved to be insufficient to achieve it.

Although the extremely ambitious Maximilian possessed an outstanding education and extensive experience in leadership, his plans were doomed to failure the very moment he accepted the crown. This fact could only be obscured by his romantic personality.

His hands were tied from the very beginning in a political “game” which was played by Napoleon III, but also all the other great powers of the European continent. In the Miramare Convention, he became both financially and militarily committed to France, whose leader was seeking a king log for the sole purpose of realizing his own ambitions. However, history shows that both parties were mistaken about each other: Maximilian did not behave as Napoleon III’s king log, whereas the French Emperor burdened Mexico with heavy debts in exchange for military aid, however, he did not cede his armed forces to Maximilian, Napoleon violated the terms of a contract of his own making without further thought and withdrew his troops to Europe thereby sealing the fate of the Mexican Empire.

Despite all his reforms and modern thinking, the emperor – who was different in his appearance and considered as a foreigner, a European intruder – could never secure his place neither in the monarch's position, not in the heart of the Mexicans. So this way, Maximilian did not even have the slightest chance against the former president, Juarez who represented the "Mexican case" more authentically, at least at first sight. Especially, if we take the fact into consideration that the USA had ended its civil war and became fully capable of giving military support.

Taking all these into account, the little bit more than three years of the Second Mexican Empire can rather be interpreted as an adventure, and not a well-planned or a reasonable decision that ever had the potential of executing it with success. However, the significance of the enterprise from the prospective of the Hungarian military science is unquestionable.

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Emperador-Maximiliano

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2013.09.01.