— Ch. 1 · The Archduke's Naval Ascent —
Maximilian I of Mexico.
~9 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
On the 6th of July 1832, Maximilian was born inside the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. He entered a world of rigid hierarchy where his father, Archduke Franz Karl, was described by historian Richard O'Conner as an amiably dim fellow whose main interest in life was consuming bowls of dumplings drenched in gravy. His mother, Princess Sophie of Bavaria, was intelligent and strong-willed, creating a sharp contrast with her husband. The couple had four sons who reached adulthood after suffering through four miscarriages. Rumors at the court alleged that Maximilian was the product of an extramarital affair between his mother and Napoleon II, Duke of Reichstadt, though historians consider this dubious.
Maximilian's upbringing was closely supervised until his sixth birthday when Baroness Louise von Sturmfeder-Oppenweiler took over his care. His education intensified rapidly, increasing from 32 hours per week at age seven to 55 hours by the time he turned seventeen. The curriculum covered history, geography, law, technology, languages, military studies, fencing, and diplomacy. He tried constantly to surpass his older brother Franz Joseph in everything, but primogeniture destined him for secondary status within the Habsburg dynasty.
Not destined to rule Austria, Maximilian entered military service and trained in the small Imperial Austrian Navy. He displayed zeal in his naval career and used his direct link with Emperor Franz Joseph to divert resources to what had previously been a neglected service. On the 10th of September 1854, he was named Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian Navy and granted the rank of counter admiral. He carried out reforms to modernize the naval forces and created the naval ports at Trieste and Pola. He also initiated a large-scale scientific expedition between 1857 and 1859.
The Viceroyalty That Failed
On the 28th of February 1857, Franz Joseph named Maximilian as viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia, an Italian-speaking region of the empire. He and Charlotte made their entrance to the capital Milan on the 6th of September 1857. During their stay there, the couple lived at the Royal Palace of Milan and occasionally resided at the Royal Villa of Monza. As viceroy, Maximilian lived as a sovereign surrounded by an imposing court of chamberlains and servants. He continued the construction of Miramar Castle during his two years as viceroy.
Maximilian worked on developing the imperial navy and organized the expedition of the ship Novara, which turned out to be the first circumnavigation of the globe conducted by the Austrian Empire. Politically, the Archduke was strongly influenced by nineteenth-century liberalism, generally not a political position that those of royal blood adhered to. The appointment was intended to encourage the local population's personal loyalty to the House of Habsburg. Charlotte made efforts to win over her subjects, speaking Italian, visiting charitable institutions, inaugurating schools, and dressing in native Lombard dress.
Despite their efforts, anti-Austrian sentiment continued to spread rapidly throughout the Italian population. Maximilian's conciliatory efforts ultimately fell apart when his various projects for improving the wellbeing of the Italian public were shut down. Franz Joseph considered his brother too liberal and generous with the rebellious Italian population. On the 10th of April 1859, the emperor relieved his brother of his post as viceroy. In Italy, news of Maximilian's dismissal was received with sarcastic enthusiasm by statesmen there.