The Last Emperor of Mexico
The Dramatic Story of the Habsburg Archduke Who Created a Kingdom in the New World

Quotes

“Mr. Shawcross, a British historian, creates a balanced and deeply human portrait of the emperor…[a] deeply researched narrative.”—Wall Street Journal

"A superbly entertaining and well‑researched account that sets a new standard for histories of the doomed escapade."—Financial Times

"Shawcross’s fascinating debut is keenly attuned to the ironies and tragedies that Maximilian faced in his ill-fated task."—Guardian

“Shawcross deftly reexamines the tragicomic rule of the Austrian archduke Ferdinand Maximilian… In Shawcross’s persuasive retelling, Maximilian was a well-intentioned, if flawed, Enlightenment ruler buffeted by the great forces of the mid-nineteenth century.”—Foreign Affairs

“Shawcross… is especially good at describing the cultural gulf between the imperial couple and their subjects and their adopted realm… [P]owerfully and authoritatively, he places an episode often dismissed as an ego-driven historical absurdity within the deeper context of Mexico’s history…This is history as at once both tragedy and farce.” —Paul Lay, The Times, Book of the Week (UK)

“Here is a well-researched, ably written, consistently interesting, and mercifully short book that deserves reading.”—New Criterion

“Edward Shawcross, a historian and first-time author, has a terrific story to tell here and he tackles it with real brio and narrative punch. This is a page-turning history of imperial hubris and nemesis, deceit and delusion, love and betrayal on a grand scale, written in an easy, lucid style.” —Justin Marozzi, The Sunday Times

“Devouring Edward Shawcross’s gripping book set in the 1860s, I was screaming at the hapless Austrian Archduke Maximilian: ‘Don’t do it!’ … [Shawcross] is an eloquent writer, good at showing both sides of an argument.” —Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Daily Mail

“One virtue of Shawcross’s book is his uncovering of the non-comic aspects of Maximilian’s story, almost all involving the true villain, Napoleon III of France…. Shawcross’s entertaining, just occasionally over-detailed account leaves the emperor with some dignity, weaving the warp of his ridiculousness with the darker threads of his betrayal by his imperial allies in Europe.” —Julian Evans, The Daily Telegraph

“Crisply written and meticulously researched, Shawcross’s engaging book tells a lively story that will appeal to most history buffs.”—Library Journal