Last Emperor of Mexico (eBook)

Edward Shawcross (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2022 | 1. Auflage
336 Seiten
Faber & Faber (Verlag)
978-0-571-36059-8 (ISBN)

Infos

Mexico, 19th June 1867. Dressed in black and carrying a crucifix, a tall blonde bearded man steps out of his carriage. As he turns to face the firing squad, his last words ring out under the cloudless sky: 'Long live Mexico, long live independence.' The execution of Ferdinand Maximilian is the climax of one of the most extraordinary stories in history. This young Austrian archduke was born into Europe's most illustrious royal family, second in line to the Habsburg throne. Why did he die as the Emperor of Mexico, leaving his wife to descend into madness in a Belgian castle? The answer is a tale of operatic proportions, sweeping across continents from the 1848 European revolutions to the civil wars in Mexico and the USA, pitting Old World against New, conservatives against radicals, monarchies against republics. Harbouring ambitions of a Latin American empire to halt American expansionism, Napoleon III of France installed these puppets to rule over a country riven by internal factions - with tragic consequences. Marshalling an incredible range of sources to bring to life a cast of stranger-than-fiction characters, Edward Shawcross' The Last Emperor of Mexico is historical storytelling at its finest: the definitive telling of the greatest tale you've never known.

After graduating from the University of Oxford, Edward Shawcross lived and worked in France, then South Korea and finally Colombia before returning to London where he completed a PhD at UCL. His research specialised on French imperialism in Latin America and the Mexican intellectual thought that underpinned the Second Mexican Empire.

Rezensionen

'Crisply written and meticulously researched, Shawcross's engaging book tells a lively story that will appeal to most history buffs.'

'Entertaining.'

'A story where no one comes out well, but Edward Shawcross tells it with verve, weaving together the big-power politics, fevered intrigue, and low villainy behind Maximilian of Mexico's ill-starred venture.'

'Shawcross's account of Maximillian's fall is both gripping and moving.'

'Gripping...he's an eloquent writer, good at showing both sides of an argument.'

'Mr. Shawcross . . . creates a balanced and deeply human portrait of the emperor.[a] deeply researched narrative.'

'Majestic . . . Shawcross's vivid details turn the emperor into a character as ornate as the silk tapestries he imported. Such attention to the minutiae - including Maximilian's hunt for rare larvae - makes his demise all the more heartrending.'

'Enthralling.'

'The story of Maximilian is one of the most compelling, absurd, cynical, and revealing chapters in the history of Mexico and the nineteenth-century Atlantic world. Edward Shawcross has marvellous material to work with, and he handles it with insight and panache.'

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.1.2022
• Verlagsort: London
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Wirtschaftsgeschichte
• Schlagworte: Dan Jones • Franz Joseph, Simon Sebag Montefiore, William Dalrymple, Tom Penn, Max Hastings, Colin Jones • Napoleon, Europe, colonialism, Empire, bloodshed, Hapsburg dynasty, Emperor, Bonaparte, Carlota of Mexico • Peter Frankopan, Peter Ackroyd, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico • Power of Geography • River Kings • The Burgundians
• ISBN-10: 0-571-36059-9 / 0571360599
• ISBN-13: 978-0-571-36059-8 / 9780571360598