This is what Maximilian of Habsburg looked like as a child.
The last Mexican emperor was considered from his childhood as a person skilled in the arts.
Fernando Maximiliano José María de Habsburgo-Lorena, better known as Maximilian I., was the last Mexican emperor who stood out for being a controversial ruler in the history of the country due to his political and social stances that led to change the course of Mexico.
Of Austrian origin, Maximilian of Habsburg was the descendant of Archdukes Franz Karl of Austria and Sophie of Bavaria, who received a strict aristocratic and military education that led him to occupy important positions.
Although there are different portraits of his life as Mexican emperor and as part of his country’s military army, there are few images of his childhood, of which the one made by Joseph Karl Stieler, a German painter recognized for the realism of his works, stands out.
Childhood Portrait of Maximilian of Habsburg
Painted in 1838, when Maximilian was only 6 years old, the Portrait of the young Archduke shows a boy with an elongated face and intense blue eyes, wearing a gala costume of the time, highlighting his sympathy.
According to various biographies of the emperor, Maximilian of Habsburg was recognized at court as a “charming” and sensitive child, who had won the sympathy of those present for his tastes and hobbies.
Maximilian I of Mexico
From Sickly Child to Military Responsibilities: Maximilian of Habsburg’s Journey of Education and Duty
He was born on July 6, 1832 at Schonbrunn Palace, located around Vienna, the capital of Austria. He was the second son of the Archdukes, who named the youngest child after Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and Maximilian I of Bavaria.
He was considered a sickly child, who resented the icy climates of his region, so he was under constant medical observation during his early years. However, this did not prevent him from developing a taste for botany and the arts from an early age.
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian of Habsburg grew up as one of the family’s favorites, so, at the age of 13, he traveled with his brother Francis Joseph through much of the Italian peninsula, increasing his taste for travel, culture and, therefore, the arts.
In spite of having a rich education in different disciplines, such as painting, literature and music, Maximiliano had to hasten his military training due to the imminent arrival of his brother to power after different political conflicts. Francis Joseph put Maximilian of Habsburg in charge of military operations and more.
Tragic Love Stories and Political Challenges: Maximilian of Habsburg’s Journey as the Mexican Emperor
At the age of 20, the Mexican emperor embarked on different missions that took him to Lisbon, Portugal, where he met, as described in the biographies, Maximilian’s first love.
Upon his arrival in the city, the military man met Princess Maria Amelia de Braganza, who, at the age of 19, would have been engaged to Maximilian after a series of agreements between Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, her father, and the Austrian archdukes.
However, this love story was dismantled by the death of the young woman, who, before getting married, died after contracting scarlet fever that led to tuberculosis. On February 4, 1853, she passed away in Lisbon to Madeira, leaving Maximilian of Habsburg in an impending sadness that accompanied him until his last days.
Three years later, during his visit to Brussels, he met Princess Carlota, whom he would marry and whom he would take to the New World to proclaim as emperors of Mexico.
Both aristocrats settled in the Palace of Chapultepec, in what is now Mexico City, where, by mandate of Napoleon II, they sought to continue the Mexican Empire. However, his liberal ideas led him to lose the support of the French government and the conservative elite of Mexico.
Maximilian of Habsburg died after the armed uprising of republican liberals who sought to end the political system. It was in the Cerro de las Campanas where he was shot following military orders.