[July 19] Agustín I, emperor of México

Parents: José Joaquín de Iturbide y Arreguí and María Josefa de Arámburu y Carrillo de Figueroa

Date of Birth: 27 September 1783
Royal House: Iturbide
Spouse: Ana María, daughter of Isidro Huarte y Arrivillaga and Ana Manuela Muñiz y Sánchez de Tagle

Reign: 1822 — 1823
Summary: Born in Michoacán to a privileged family of Spanish landowners, Agustín led a fairly easy life, entering Catholic seminary in the late 1790s where he was no better than his peers. He then began working at a hacienda where he acted as overseer. His sadistic behavior was first noted here, when he was spotted cutting off toes of chicken before slaughtering them. In 1802, he joined the royal army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. In 1805, he married a daughter from the wealthy Tagle family. When the first uprisings against Spanish rule occurred in 1809, it is possible that Agustín was involved in the conspiracy against the royal army. The possibility escaped the notice of the Spanish, though, who elevated Agustín to the rank of colonel in 1813 after he distinguished himself in battle. In 1815, he was personally responsible for the capture and execution of rebel general José María Morelos. Immediately after his victory over Morelos, Agustín was relieved of duty pending investigation into cruel tactics and policies. A year later, though, he was back in active service, and by 1820, he was the general in charge of southern New Spain. When Vicente Guerrero rose up that same year, Agustín began to realize that this new enemy may be beyond his ability to defeat. 


It took a threat to the Bourbon monarchy in Spain to convince Agustín de Iturbide that becoming a leader in the Mexican Independence movement would be a better choice. When republicans took over Spain in 1820, Iturbide joined with other Mexican revolutionaries in inviting King Ferdinand VII over to Mexico to create an independent Mexican state separate from Spain. Ferdinand declined the offer, banned any member of his family from taking the Mexican throne, and proclaimed México's absolute attachment to the Spanish crown. With no other option available to him, Agustín joined Guerrero and went to war with Spain.


On Mexico City on September 27th, 1821, Agustín marched on México City and proclaimed the start of the First Mexican Empire. Ferdinand was again invited over to rule the now-independent Mexico. In the meanwhile, Iturbide was proclaimed provisional president. Spain rejected the Treaty of Córdoba and forbade any member of the Spanish royal family from becoming emperor. Spain once again became Mexico’s enemy.


In the confusion, Iturbide declared himself Emperor Augustine I of Mexico, but this action was not popular with Mexico’s republicans. In response, Iturbide dissolved the national congress to solidify his rule, but no foreign power would work with the new empire. Mexico began to suffer and Iturbide was not able to stop the opposition. El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras all seceded from the Mexican Empire to become the United Provinces of Central America. Then, on February 1st, 1823, Iturbide was forced to abdicate the Mexican throne by a rebellious congress. The country began its long progress toward a republican state, and Iturbide sailed to Europe as an exile.


Iturbide’s final stand came the next year. Concerned with reports of a new Spanish attempt to retake Mexico, Iturbide returned from his exile. He was welcomed enthusiastically but the government arrested him within days. It was decided that for returning from exile, Iturbide would be executed. His final words were “¡Mexicanos! I die with honor, not as a traitor; do not leave this stain on my children and my legacy. I am not a traitor, no.” He was executed by firing squad on July 19th, 1824, the first and only native Emperor of Mexico.  His memory was revived a decade later when his dying wish was granted: Iturbide was reinterred in the Mexico City Cathedral as a hero of the revolution that freed Mexico from Spanish tyranny. [Much of this article was published under the title "El Jorge Washington de México" in the October 2010 issue of XOXOR: La Gran Revita...!!!]

Date of Death: 19 July 1924
Successor: Agustín II Jerónimo (as pretender)

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Symmachus, pope of Rome (514)
• Uda, emperor of Japan (931)

[July 29] Moctezuma II, tlatoani of Tenochtitlan

True Name: Motecuhzoma Zocoyotzin
Parents: Axayacatl, tlatoani of Tenochtitlan
Date of Birth: circa 1466
Royal House: Tenochtitlan
Spouse: (1) Teotlalco, daughter of Matlaccohuatl, tlatoani of Ecatepec, and (2) Tlapalizquizochtzin, tlatoani of Eatepec, daughter of Matlaccohuatl, tlatoani of Ecatepec
Predecessor: Ahuitzotl
Reign: 1502 – 1520
Summary: Absolutely nothing is know of the early life of Moctezuma II before he became the leader of the Aztec people at Tenochtitlan. The sources all begin with his reign, and reports that Europeans were landing on his soil. In 1517, the first sighting of Spaniards in Aztec territory were reported to the king. When Hernan Cortés arrived in 1519, Moctezuma proactively sent ambassadors to attempt to negotiate with these newcomers before they got the upper hand. The legend that Moctezuma perceived Cortés as a god returned from the sky is probably a myth perpetuated by the Spaniards to emphasize the importance of Christianity. Cortés quickly made allies with Tlaxcalteca, a rival city, as he marched on Tenochtitlan. Moctezuma, hoping to pacify the Spanish, invited them into his city and lavished them with gifts for many months. Slowly, Moctezuma became a prisoner in his own home. When Cortés left to fight a rival conquistador, Moctezuma was left under guard, which kept him safe when the Spaniards killed the majority of the Aztec aristocracy at the massacre in the main temple. When Cortés returned, open warfare had broken out in the streets of Tenochtitlan. Moctezuma was forced onto the balcony of his palace to address his people, and was pelted with rocks and darts. He died soon after, either from injuries or by Spaniards who no longer saw the use in keeping the king alive. The Spaniards fled soon after and Moctezuma's brother, Cuauhtémoc, succeeded him in Tenochtitlan.

"Emperor Moctezuma II of the Aztec Empire was a special case in colonial Spanish diplomacy. He was regarded as a nuisance to Hernan Cortes, yet three of his legitimate children were granted “reyes naturales” status within the Spanish Empire. When the Aztec Empire was overthrown 489 years ago, Montezuma’s heirs were able to continue their fight against the conquest of Mexico through lawsuits that awarded them not only compensation but status as well.

"By the 1600s, Moctezuma’s legitimate heirs had found their way into Spain where they married into the noble houses and, for all intent and purposes, became Spanish. Their heirs still retain titles such as duke of Moctezuma & Tultengo, duke of Atrisco, and count of Miravalle today. Most importantly, multiple lines of the family became Grandees of Spain, the highest noble title obtainable in Spain.

"In Mexico, the majority of Moctezuma’s descendants today are from illegitimate lines. Since Spanish law disapproved of such offspring, the descent from these individuals is much harder to trace. However, many thousands of Mexicans still claim royal Aztec ancestry. In fact, from the beginning of the Mexican Republic in the 1810s until 1934, Mexico paid pensions to the descendants of Moctezuma until Interim President Abelardo Rodríguez halted them. A concerted effort to restore back-payments to Moctezuma’s descendants began in 2002 and continues to this day.

"Nearly five hundred years after his fall from power, Emperor Moctezuma II remains one of the most popular and well-known Native American royals to this day. His fame is such that people such as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela have attempted to link themselves to the Aztec emperor for political and social benefit. But it is not just celebrity presidents that can claim descent from Aztec royalty. Mexico has long been a melting pot of peoples who have spread and settled across the world. Maybe, just maybe, a little part of Moctezuma’s blood runs in your veins as well." (Portion in quotes published under the title "Moctezuma II" in XOXOR: La Gran Revisita...!!! in September 2010.)
Date of Death: 29 June  1520
Successor: Cuauhtémoc

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Cao Pi, king of Wei (226 CE)
• Bernard II, duke of Saxony (1059)
• Raymond, prince of Antioch (1149)
• Abel, king of Denmark (1252)
• Ferdinand I, emperor of Austria (1875)

[June 19] Maximilian, emperor of México

Parents: Franz Karl, archduke of Austria, and Sophie of Bavaria

Date of Birth: 6 July 1832

House: Habsburg-Lorraine

Spouse: Charlotte, daughter of Leopold I, king of Belgium, and Louise-Marie of France

Predecessor: Agustín II (as pretender)

Reign: 1864 – 1867

Summary: México’s two emperors were very different people. Augustín was a popular and well-known figure before his coronation while Maximilian had never even been to México until 1864. That’s because Maximilian was Austrian in origin. He was the brother of Emperor Francis Joseph I and was married to the Belgian princess Charlotte. Maximilian was the commander-in-chief of the Austrian Navy and did whatever his brother required of him. He was liberal-minded and hated suffering.

In 1859, the Mexican aristocracy invited Maximilian to become emperor of México. They hoped that by restoring the monarchy, they could centralize the government around their rule. Maximilian declined the invitation at first but then France got involved. Napoleon III invaded México in the midst of the U.S. Civil War, hoping to create a loyalist state in the New World to check the growing power of the United States. He captured México City in 1863 and a rigged election soon after chose Maximilian as emperor. The Austrian archduke accepted the invitation. He and his wife arrived in Veracruz in May 1864. They never knew his election was arranged.

México had fallen into civil war. Benito Juárez, the elected president, controlled the north and Maximilian spent most of his power to return México to peace. But peace was impossible so long as Maximilian ruled. Still, he tried to improve conditions in his new home. He banned child labor and shortened work hours. He also cancelled debts and forbade corporal punishment. He wished to return México to its democratic ideals. Every day, he became more involved than his aristocratic supporters wished. His blatant liberalism would become his downfall.

When the United States Civil War ended in 1865, Maximilian began losing supporters. In response, he invited ex-Confederates and foreigners into México to tip support in his favor. He even adopted the two grandsons of Emperor Agustín as his heirs to emphasize continuity and respect for the former monarchy of fifty years earlier. But it all backfired terribly. Napoleon III withdrew his support in 1866 and Charlotte went to Europe to seek allies. She never returned. Maximilian was captured by the Republican army on May 15th, 1867. A month later, he was executed by firing squad. He died proclaiming: “I die for a just cause: the independence and liberty of México. Let my blood be the last disgrace of my new home! Long live México!” His body was returned to Austria where he rests today. Mexico dissolved the monarchy upon his death and became a problematic but sometimes functional republic again. (Expanded version of the article "The Tragic Tale of Maximilian I" soon to be published in XOXOR: La Gran Revista!!!)

Date of Death: 18 June 1867

Successor: Agustín III (as pretender)

Other Monarch Deaths:

Roman, grand prince of Kiev (1205)

Albert, king of Saxony (1902)