Maximilian of Mexico & a Monarchist West?

This is an idea I've had for around that last 15 minutes which probably isn't enough to flesh out the idea fully. This is why you don't see me having a single completed timeline. :|

---

So the basis of this is that Maria Amelia (Maria III or Maria I of Mexico) doesn't contract tuberculosis. Since she survives, she marries Maximilian as intended in 1852. Maximilian is thus somewhat distantly in line to receive the throne of Brazil, occupied by his wife's half-brother Pedro II.

Maximilian was reportedly horrified by the events of the Liberal Revolts in 1848, complaining about what he saw as senseless brutality. He remained a liberal for the rest of his life. In addition he reportedly had a passion for science and botany, in addition to travel. His wife had been recognized as a member of the Brazilian royal family in 1841. Based on this I postulate that he and his wife moved to Brazil in 1854; his brother probably requested that he leave due to his public criticisms of his government.

While in Brazil, Maximilian becomes an abolitionist. He and Pedro II also become friends, which will be important later on. Maximilian is involved with the Brazilian navy and establishes many contacts there.

Maximilian was first offered the crown of Mexico in 1859, which OTL he doesn't accept, instead chosing to go on an expedition to Brazil. Presuming he'd already lived in Brazil for 5 years by this point, Maximilian accepts this offer. Mexico was embroiled in civil war at the time. While Maximilian was invited by the conservatives, who backed him for the crown, he was not implicitly the ruler of Mexico after he'd been declared Emperor. Nevertheless he moves to Mexico in the midst of the War of Reform.
 
So, what happens next? Maximilian is declared the head of the conservative government in Mexico city. The Liberal opposition, operating from Veracruz, is heavily opposed to this. The United States does not see his ascendancy as a violation of the Monroe doctrine ATL due to there being no French intervention.

Maximilian's arrival complicates matters in Mexico. Maximilian's naval experience is a major boon for the Conservatives. Though his personal views are Liberal, Maximilian wishes to establish his rule over Mexico. Pedro II of Brazil sends a naval squadron to assist Maximilian. Veracruz is blockaded, cutting off the majority of the Liberal capitals supply lines. The city's defense is weakened, and it falls to the conservatives under General Miramon in 1860. Under Maximilian's orders Benito Juarez and his cabinet are not executed but instead placed under house arrest in Mexico city. Maximilian's tolerant stance is well received by the liberals but opposed by some conservative elements. Liberal Guerillas continue to operate across the country, and Maximilian's army has difficulty containing them.

Maximilian and Juarez come to personally respect eachother during his imprisonment. In 1862 Juarez officially surrenders the liberal government, legally rendering the Mexican constitution of 1857 null and void. However, he and Maximilian begin crafting a new constitution. The Liberals feel their demands have finally been met by the new constitution, which somewhat limits church and military power. The war ends, but the conservatives feel betrayed by Maximilian.

The new Mexican government, under Maximilian, is very popular amongst the populace. Maximilian institutes a series of liberal reforms, identical to the ones he put forward OTL. Juarez, unlike in OTL, accepts Maximilian's offer of becoming the Prime Minister. This angers the conservatives considerably. After an attempted assassination, Maximilian feels the need to keep the army loyal to him.

Mexico after the war faced a shattered economy, simmering political tensions, and hostility from France, Spain and Great Britain over the large debts owed to them by the Mexican nation. How it would deal with this has yet to be seen.

So, do you think that it's plausible for all this to have happened so far? Is it possible that Maximilian I can hold on to his office?
 
Sorry for ranting, I'm operating on about 4 hours of sleep right now. I'm not the most coherent.

---
To summarize my last two posts;
-Maximilian marries Maria Amelia of Brazil in 1852
-Maximilian moves to Brazil in 1854. While there, he helps raise money for developing the Brazilian navy. He becomes personal friends with Pedro II. He also becomes an abolitionist after viewing the conditions Brazilian slaves work in.
-The Mexican Conservatives offer Maximilian the crown of Mexico in 1859. He accepts. Pedro II lends him a squadron of the Brazilian navy.
-In 1860, Veracruz falls due to naval blockade cutting off supplies. The Liberal leaders are spared by Maximilian.
-By 1862, Maximilian has become friends with Benito Juarez. He has also instituted a wide variety of liberal reforms that make him less popular among conservatives but much more popular among the lower classes. He and Juarez draft a new, more liberal constitution.

---

Does anyone see any implausibilities at this point? Do you think any of these things could not have happened? Maximilian certainly has to secure his hold of Mexico: he's just infuriated the conservatives, including the majority of the army. The Liberal army and Brazil support him, but Mexico may yet fall into another civil war. And across the ocean European powers are getting very cross...
 
Sounds good to me

Sounds interesting. I always thought that Maxmillian got a bad rap, he just wanted to make Mexico a great country and had very progressive ideals. I am curious what he could have accomplished given the right circumstances.

Would he be able to accomplish this with just the assistance of Brazil?
 
Maximiliano would likely have helped a lot the indigenous population of Mexico, that's a given, considering how much he pandered to the indigenous population. In the long run, this might have lead to defuse some of the troubles that ushered in OTL's Revolución, leading to a more liberal empire in the 1900's.

As for the OP, I can assure that Juárez will refuse to work with Maximiliano, whom the first will always look at the latter as an imposed foreign ruler. And Maximiliano's top brass would really hate Juárez back for his perceived stubbornness and unwillingness to actually put his two cents into the country, with Juárez going down in history as both a traitor and an unreasonable jerk. This will also help the Moderate Liberals, distancing them from the radicals. The Liberal Radicals will still cause trouble. And it's likely that they will have to hunt the remaining radical liberals around the country, which now, without American support, are doomed.

Though, this will need a lot of later convincing to the Americans that there is no need for intervention in the country, and might ask for moral support later on.

The rest of the things are somewhat hard to pull off, specially since the conservatives are asking an European prince who just went native, but they are doable.
 
Maximilian by all accounts was a nice guy but he was an idiot. He expected to be welcomed by the Mexican people but he should have known better. He installed by an invading army, whom had invaded under extremely flimsy reasoning and this was after Britain and Spain, whom had participated along with France to seize Veracruz to force the payment of debts, had refused to invade Mexico. And all of this was because the Conservatives in Mexico had been decidedly defeated during the long Liberal v. Conservative Wars (Maximilian finally destroyed their credibility). The Empire requires decisive military victory and probably the death or imprisonment of Juarez and all of this before the end of the American Civil War.

My two cents
 
Top