Uniforms of the Armed Forces in Maximilian's Mexico

If the French intervention of Mexico had been succesful and Emporer Maximilian had remained in power how might the uniform designs for the Mexican armed forces have been different from the ones used in OTL. Where there any design created for some uniforms during Max's reign that never got used?

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before so sorry if it has.
 
Any particular reason why you think it might have changed ?

Assuming that Mexico remained a french-aligned empire, I would assume it might simply have continued the same basic uniform but tweaked from time to time to follow comtemporary fashion. If at one point there is a new uniform introduced, it would porbably be one that followed a french pattern.
 
Some on this site believe hat after some time Maximillian would distance himself from France. Why he might do this has been discussed a lot from France still losing to Prussia in such a TL and this Max not liking the New French Gov. to him just not liking France in general. If this is the case I'd imagine that the military of Mexico wouldn't model itself after French uniforms and so I'd like to know what other possibilities there are. Could Max encourage modeling uniforms after Prussian designs?
 
Could Max encourage modeling uniforms after Prussian designs?

Choice of uniform tend to send a message. You usualy model yourself after someone to whom you are alligned or who has sent "military advisors" to you. In your timeline, does mexico has any link to Prussia or would it chose to change strictly because it happen to be the big boy at the time ? If not, one avenue to explore is that Max might decide to go a bit native (to boost his image) and adopt some mexican folk dress elements into the military uniform.
 
Choice of uniform tend to send a message. You usualy model yourself after someone to whom you are alligned or who has sent "military advisors" to you. In your timeline, does mexico has any link to Prussia or would it chose to change strictly because it happen to be the big boy at the time ?
I was thinking about Prussian designs b/c Max himself was Prussian.
If not, one avenue to explore is that Max might decide to go a bit native (to boost his image) and adopt some mexican folk dress elements into the military uniform.
That sounds like the better idea to me. Do you now of some pictorial examples of this that I can look at?
 
I was thinking about Prussian designs b/c Max himself was Prussian.

That sounds like the better idea to me. Do you now of some pictorial examples of this that I can look at?

Maximilian was not Prussian - he was Austrian.

Osprey Books published a book on the uniforms of Imperial Mexico.
 
Well, I can't speak about the 1860s in particular but my impression was that from independence to the mid 19th century Mexico was using French inspired uniforms already. So was the rest of Latin America.

I can see is some European units that arrived with Maximilian becoming de facto especial/elite Mexican army units such as Zouaves, the Belgian Legion, Austrian volunteers, etc.

But I don't see Maximilian ever breaking from France. Basically because without French guns and money he's toast.
 
Well, I can't speak about the 1860s in particular but my impression was that from independence to the mid 19th century Mexico was using French inspired uniforms already. So was the rest of Latin America.

I can see is some European units that arrived with Maximilian becoming de facto especial/elite Mexican army units such as Zouaves, the Belgian Legion, Austrian volunteers, etc.

But I don't see Maximilian ever breaking from France. Basically because without French guns and money he's toast.
Even after Prussia dethrones Nap III?
 
Prussia didn't dethrone Nap III. The French did. And the consensus here is that Nap wouldn't have gone to war with Prussia without the need to cover the shame brought by the retreat from Mexico, so a Franco-Prussian War happening is not a given.
 
Prussia didn't dethrone Nap III. The French did. And the consensus here is that Nap wouldn't have gone to war with Prussia without the need to cover the shame brought by the retreat from Mexico, so a Franco-Prussian War happening is not a given.
Ah, thank you for correcting me. I do find it interesting that the Franco-Prussian war could be prevented by a French Victory in Mexico and I've read a couple TLs involving that situation but some on this site are not convinced that the war could be butterflied away so thats why I mentioned it.
 
That sounds like the better idea to me. Do you now of some pictorial examples of this that I can look at?

for the cavalry, you could go with a militarised version of a charro costume:

designall.dll
 
Due to the French influences on Mexico in such a TL and the fact that Mexico has alot desert territory could we see a Zouave styled uniform in some Mexican Units light the one the French used in Africa?
 

Redbeard

Banned
BTW the OTL Confederate uniforms took much inspiration from 19th century Austrian uniforms.

Regards

Steffen Redbeard
 
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