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The 'Second Mexican Empire' was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867. Using the pretext of collecting overdue loans to Mexico, Napoleon III of France justified the invasion by French troops. The French attempted to use the Mexican adventure to recapture some of the grandeur of earlier Napoleonic times. The military intervention put Archduke Maximilian of Austria on the Mexican Throne as Maximilian I. It was promoted and installed by the French, with some support from the Austrian and Spanish Crowns, in order to create a European-style monarchical system in Mexico. The French also had support from conservative elements within Mexico, who were looking for a way to promote stability and end the constant cycle of unrest and revolution. The Second Mexican Empire lasted three years, with one reigning emperor.
The Empire was divided into 50 departments (departamentos).
The rule of Emperor Maximiliano was blemished by constant conflict. On his arrival in 1864 with his wife, Empress Carlota of Mexico, he found himself in the middle of a political struggle between the Liberals, headed by Benito Juárez, and the Conservatives that backed him. The two factions had set up parallel governments; the Conservatives in Mexico City controlling central Mexico and the Liberals in Veracruz. The Conservatives received funding from Europe, especially from Isabella II of Spain and Napoleon III of France; the Liberals found backing from United States Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, whose country fought its own Civil War until 1865. Maximilian became a pawn in this conflict.
Because Emperor Maximilian was viewed as a French puppet by some, he was unpopular and many citizens did not regard him as the legitimate leader of Mexico. He was executed by a Liberal firing squad in 1867, under the orders of Benito Juárez in an attempt to dissuade any further foreign attempts to control Mexico.

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See also

★ First Mexican Empire

★ French intervention in Mexico

★ Mexican Imperial Orders

★ List of Emperors of Mexico

External links

★ Imperial House of Mexico

★ Mexican Empire