Married just seven years at the time of their acceptance of the throne in Mexico, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and Archduchess Maria Charlotte were both of royal blood, young, well educated, and happily in love. He was son of the ruler of Austria, and related by blood or marriage to every ruling family in Europe, she was daughter of King Leopold of Belgium, cousin of Queen Victoria of England and granddaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte III, the King of France. A natural linguist and talented writer, Carlota was slender and petite, with dark eyes and dark brown hair. When she knew she and Maximilian would be going to Mexico she immediately hired a Spanish language teacher to study with. Shortly after arriving in Mexico, she changed her name to Carlota, and adopted the Spanish spelling.

Maximilian was described as extremely personable, handsome, idealistic and trusting. He was also naive and extremely gullible. Though not as adept at learning languages as Carlota, he spoke several, including passable English. Now, on May 28, 1864, as they leaned over the rail of the S.M.S. Novara-the French ship that had carried them across the Atlantic to Veracruz, Mexico - they were eagerly looking forward to carrying out their duties as the newly appointed Emperor and Empress of Mexico. They could hardly wait to see their new country and meet the people over which they would rule. He was 32; she had just turned 24. In their happiness they hadn't a clue that in just three years, Maximilian would die by bloody execution, and she would spend the next sixty years in an institution for the hopelessly insane.

The deceit to entice Maximilian to accept the throne of Mexico began in earnest with the defeat of the Mexican Conservative Party in the Mexico Reform War of 1857-60. The war pitted the Conservatives that favored putting the big landowners and the Church back in power, against the Liberal Party, that favored declaring Mexico a democracy and making Benito Juárez its first president.

In one of the first actions of his presidency, Juárez delivered the final insult to France when, with the stroke of a pen, he threw out the long standing international custom that a new government was liable for the debts of the one it replaced. This left many of the French elite holding the bag for ten million dollars it had loaned the conservative forces that had opposed Juárez for control.

Adamant in his plan to depose Juarez and set up a monarchy, the fight between the two forces broke out again, and in May 1863, French troops ousted Juárez from Mexico City. With this victory, Napoleon III sent word for the future Emperor and Empress to set sail for Mexico. Throughout this hectic time, Maximilian had been lied to by Napoleon III and the Mexican leaders of the defeated Conservative Party that had taken refuge in France. Gullible as always, Maximilian accepted the stories he had been told about the desire of the Mexican people to see him on the throne as Emperor.

"They look upon you as their redeemer; someone who will bring equality and prosperity to Mexico," Maximilian was told. And in his naivety, Maximilian genuinely believed the lie that the Mexican people were behind him, and were eagerly anticipating his arrival. He began making plans to bring about change in Mexico, and looked forward to his rule as a means of restoring peace and order to the war torn country.

Up until this time, standing in the way of the ambitious Napoleon III to gain power in Mexico, had been the rise of the United States as a power to be dealt with and the Monroe Doctrine. . . .

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