1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. Oh, Tracy. 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: We talked about our last show, but because the world 5 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 1: was kind of a mess, it's really really gotten to 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: be a tricky um dance to figure out what seems 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: appropriate for podcast subjects. Yeah. I mean there have certainly 8 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: been other times in our many years of working on 9 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: the show where I've been like, man, it feels weird 10 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: to talk about anything else, But none of those have 11 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: been quite the ongoing, ever present situation of living u 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: in self isolation in a pandemic. Yeah. Yeah, it's a 13 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: strange thing. I mean, part of it is that I 14 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: think our headspaces are just different than normal. So even 15 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: our reception of, like the whole process of selecting topics 16 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: shifts a little bit. Uh. Yeah. I I am constantly 17 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: having this this inner monologue of like, uh, is this 18 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: how I would behave normally? Or is this because this 19 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: is a stressful in weird time, is this how I 20 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: would behave normally? Is this is this reaction something that 21 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,119 Speaker 1: like I've I've lost all sense of what what normal 22 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: is in terms of both my behavior and my judgment. 23 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: So I was squirreling around and I you and I 24 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: have talked about how a lot of our episodes are 25 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: kind of informed by the fact that we're living in 26 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: these times, and in some ways they relate to the 27 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: the world of contagious disease and uh, the trajectory of 28 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: of medical knowledge throughout history. But then, UH, this week 29 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: I was kind of like, I really want to talk 30 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: about something that's not that um, and then I was like, 31 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: I know, I'll do a mad Royal. People love those, 32 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: which then led me to you will sometimes see her 33 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: called Charlotte of Belgium and other times Carlotta of Mexico. Uh. 34 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: She actually very consciously sort of made a name change 35 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: in there. And part of the reason that the story 36 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: of Charlotte and Maximilian of Mexico is sometimes a little 37 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: lost in historical discussion is that it was playing out 38 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: at the same time as the U. S. Civil War, 39 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: and that event the U. S Civil were also played 40 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: a part in the events that led to Charlotte of 41 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: Belgium becoming Carlotta of Mexico. Uh. The two of them 42 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: are tied to basically all of the houses of Europe, 43 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,359 Speaker 1: so they were very connected to a lot of important 44 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: history as well. We have an episode on Maximilian in 45 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: our archive that will be an upcoming classic. But Carlotta 46 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: doesn't get a lot of discussion in it, particularly her 47 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: mental state and some of the things she was going 48 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: through separate from her husband as things in their lives 49 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,119 Speaker 1: got very stressful. As I said, she has sometimes called 50 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: Charlotte sometimes Carlotta depends know what biography you read. Uh, 51 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: We are going to start by calling her Charlotte, and 52 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: we will switch over to Carlotta in the narrative at 53 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: the point where she her herself started going by that name. 54 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: And this one I think, and I hope for everyone's 55 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: entertainment and maybe a little bit of Escape has a 56 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: mix of everything. There's some political history, there is a 57 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: mad Royal element, there's a very complicated marriage heads up. 58 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:28,559 Speaker 1: There is a little bit of concern about germs um. 59 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: There is some disregard for personal space as it relates 60 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: to food safety. So if that is something that you're 61 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: very uncomfortable with at the moment, understandably just know when 62 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: we start talking about the pope, maybe jump out for 63 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: a little while. Princess Charlotte was born on Junet and 64 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: leg in Belgium with a very long name Marie Charlotte. 65 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: I'm a the Augustine Victoire Clementine Leopoldine. I said that 66 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: last bit almost as though she was more German. Her 67 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: father was Liabel the First of Belgium, her mother was 68 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: Princess Louise of Orleans, and Charlotte was named for Leopold's 69 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: deceased first wife, the Princess Charlotte of Great Britain, and 70 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:18,919 Speaker 1: Charlotte's own mother died of tuberculosis in eighteen fifty, and 71 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: from that point on most of the maternal influence in 72 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: her life came from her grandmother, Maria Amalia of Naples 73 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: and Sicily. She was Queen of France through marriage to 74 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 1: Louis Philippe the First. But Charlotte's father, Leopold, was very present. 75 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 1: After his wife died, he spent more time with his children, 76 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,280 Speaker 1: although he wasn't necessarily good at it. But Charlotte in 77 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: particular really worked to kind of gain his affections, and 78 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: she seemed to be very fascinated by the nuts and 79 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 1: bolts of his job as a ruler, and so they 80 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 1: kind of became pals. In eighteen fifty six, the teenage Charlotte, 81 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: who was considered to be quite a beauty, met Archduke 82 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 1: Maximilian when he visited Brussels. He was twenty four, a 83 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: handsome naval office there and a liberal idealist. Charlotte felt 84 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: for him really almost immediately, and it was mutual. While 85 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: Leopold the First had been hoping for a marriage between 86 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: his daughter and Portugal's ruler, Patter the fifth, he ultimately 87 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: let Charlotte choose who she wished to marry. That choice, 88 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: of course, was Maximilian. Incidentally, they were both cousins of 89 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:24,600 Speaker 1: Queen Victoria, who was initially against this match, calling Maximilian 90 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: quote one of those worthless habsburg archdukes. Uh. He was 91 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: so charming though, that he quickly won both Victoria and 92 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:36,280 Speaker 1: Albert over and Maximilian continued to wu Charlotte while their 93 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: royal houses worked out the business details of their marriage. 94 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: That took about six months. While things like dowries and 95 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: and agreements in terms of the union and what it 96 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,599 Speaker 1: would mean politically were worked out. And as this happened, 97 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: they essentially kind of dated. Maximilian would visit and he 98 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: would tell the princess of his home, which he hoped 99 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,799 Speaker 1: would soon be hers. But then, finally, on July seven, 100 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: at the age of seventeen, Charlotte married into the Austrian 101 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: royal family, I mean marrying Maximilian. Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph 102 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: became her brother in law. Maximilian was his younger brother. 103 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 1: The newlyweds left shortly after the wedding for Italy, where 104 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: Maximilian had been appointed Viceroy of Lombardy in Venice. Charlotte 105 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:24,720 Speaker 1: really loved Venice, but the marriage wasn't quite as romantic 106 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: as their courtship had been. It turned out that Maximilian 107 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 1: had no intention of living a monogamous life. He frequently 108 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: left Charlotte at home to go back to Austria, where 109 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: his partying and womanizing were just really legendary. Exactly how 110 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: Charlotte felt about this is a little bit unclear. Some 111 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: biographies make it seem like Maximilian was the love of 112 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: her life and that she tolerated his behavior because she 113 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 1: was so devoted to him. When the Second Italian War 114 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: of Independence broke out in eighteen fifty nine, Maximilian and 115 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: Carlotta left Italy for treat where Maximilian built the spectacular 116 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: castle Miramar on the Adriatic Sea, and at this point 117 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: Trieste was still part of the Habsburg Empire. Later that 118 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: same year, Maximilian decided to visit Brazil and left in November. 119 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: Charlotte was with him, but when they stopped in Madeira 120 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: on the way, Charlotte decided she would stay there. She 121 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: could not really handle being at sea, but her husband 122 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: happily continued on as planned, which eventually caused some problems 123 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: for the two of them. The exact nature of their 124 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: problems isn't really documented, but there have long been stories 125 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: that Maximilian came back from Brazil with a sexually transmitted infection. Yeah, 126 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: you can find all kinds of historical gossip about the 127 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: situation and whether or not that infection resulted in one 128 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: or both of them being unable to have children. We 129 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: don't really know. It's the kind of thing that's always 130 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: referenced very sort of obliquely, but things did. His his 131 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: own account by his valet suggests that something happened in 132 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: all of this that really kind of pretty much shut 133 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: down the romance angle of their their relationship and throughout 134 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: all of this, though to the outside world. Charlotte remained 135 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: a doting wife, and the couple presented themselves publicly as 136 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: deeply in love and still very devoted to one another. 137 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: Whether or not Charlotte had looked the other way about 138 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: his infidelities early on in their marriage, whatever happened in 139 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: Brazil seemed to have been the last straw for her 140 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: in terms of them having a physical romantic relationship. The 141 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: private life of husband and wife became quite distant, and 142 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: Charlotte actually moved into a separate bedroom from her husband, 143 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 1: and she occupied her time with solo activities instead of 144 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 1: being with him, like reading and swimming. But she also 145 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: really longed for more. This wasn't a very happy life 146 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: for her, for someone who had been so fascinated by 147 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: politics and the work of governance when she was, you know, 148 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 1: at her her father's side. She really wanted to have 149 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: some actual work to do instead of just making public 150 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,319 Speaker 1: appearances to look like a dutiful wife. So seven years 151 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: into her marriage, Charlotte's husband, Maximilian, was offered an opportunity 152 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: by Napoleon the Third, and that was to be Emperor 153 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: of Mexico. It's a big part of that previous episode 154 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 1: that we talked about at the top of the show. 155 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: That's going to be a Saturday Classics student. His idea 156 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 1: had actually been floated to him several years earlier, in 157 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty one, and Napoleon the Third hatched his plan 158 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: to get a foothold in North America. This was not 159 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: Napoleon's idea alone. A European ruler in Mexico had been 160 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:39,079 Speaker 1: discussed by the upper class there as soon as Mexico 161 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: had gained independence from Spain. In one those people had 162 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 1: all prospered under Spanish rule. They wanted to have something 163 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: like that. Again. Yeah, for people that were kind of 164 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: in the elite class, like to suddenly not have royal 165 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:56,559 Speaker 1: governance meant that they also didn't have royal favor and 166 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,959 Speaker 1: it was very upsetting u At the end of eighteen 167 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: sixty one, Napoleon the Third did invade Mexico, claiming that 168 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: the country had defaulted on its debts. Again, this is 169 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: a much more complicated thing, which is discussed a bit 170 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: more than that that classic that's coming up. The timing 171 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: of the end of eighteen sixty one was no accident. 172 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 1: The US, which had an alliance with Mexico, was too 173 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: tied up with its own civil war to offer any 174 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: aid to their neighbors to the south, particularly in terms 175 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: of military force. So throughout the fall of that year, 176 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,440 Speaker 1: the French Emperor had been setting his plan in motion 177 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: and shoring up support from the conservative aristocracy of Mexico. 178 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: A heavy investment in the effort enabled French troops to 179 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: seize control of the country by force. It wasn't quite 180 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: that quick, but that's basically how it played out. So 181 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: this would appear to be Maximilian's time, and before we 182 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 1: dig into that, we will pause for a quick sponsor break. 183 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 1: Maximilian was actually not sure initially that he wanted to 184 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: be emperor of Mexico, but he sought the counsel of 185 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: his trusted friends and other European leaders, and even the Pope. 186 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: Napoleon sent word to Maximilian on August eighth, eighteen sixty three, 187 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,959 Speaker 1: that he had been declared emperor by Mexico's National Assembly, 188 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: and Maximilian uh was a little bolstered by this in 189 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: terms of being like, okay, I could run that country. 190 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 1: But he also wanted there to be a popular vote 191 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: to install him as emperor under a constitutional monarchy, and 192 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: he insisted that as a condition of him stepping into 193 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: the role, that French troops had to continue to protect 194 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,560 Speaker 1: all of the country's major cities and culturally significant sites 195 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:41,840 Speaker 1: for several years, and he did incidentally get that popular vote. 196 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 1: Charlotte was really excited about this plan. She started studying 197 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: Spanish and became fluent in it. She also studied the 198 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: culture of Mexico, became knowledgeable about its art history, and 199 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:55,640 Speaker 1: she started to go by Carlatta, which is the name 200 00:11:55,640 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 1: that she would officially take upon Maximilian's coronation. Yeah, she 201 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: was multi lingual already. She tended to have a gift 202 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,199 Speaker 1: for languages, so it's not especially surprising that she was 203 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: like wealth time to learn Spanish. This appears, of course, 204 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,040 Speaker 1: to be a pretty significant move up in terms of 205 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:16,720 Speaker 1: power for Maximilian. Being a king is a higher rank 206 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: than being an archduke. But if he took the throne 207 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: as Mexico's ruler, his brother, Emperor Francis Joseph, insisted that 208 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: Maximilian would have to renounce any claim or rights that 209 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,200 Speaker 1: he would have to the Austrian crown, and that also 210 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: included any offspring that he may have, like basically your 211 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: family line is not part of the Austrian royal family 212 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: line anymore. This was a really problematic point, and it 213 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 1: was intended on Francis Joseph's part to potentially reverse Maximilian's decision, 214 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 1: because uh, Francis Joseph did not think Mexico was a 215 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 1: great idea. He thought it was kind of a terrible idea. 216 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: And this almost worked. Maximilian almost backed out of the 217 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: agreement rather than sever tized his familial line. Charlotte, however, 218 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 1: was pretty adamant that they followed through, and she did 219 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 1: actually try to work something out with her brother in 220 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: law so that Maximilian could retain his status or some 221 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:13,440 Speaker 1: sort of status in the Austrian royal family, but that 222 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: did not accomplish anything, and by the time it was 223 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: settled that it wasn't going to change, they were pretty 224 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: much already committed to go to Mexico. On April fourteenth, 225 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty four, Carlotta and Maximilian set out on their 226 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: journey to their new home. The trip took more than 227 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 1: a month. They got to Mexico on and then they 228 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: faced this three mile journey to get to Mexico City. 229 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: They took that by rail, carriage and horseback. Traveling through 230 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:42,079 Speaker 1: the rural areas in this way made the deep class 231 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: disparity of the country really apparent to the new rulers. Yeah, 232 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:51,199 Speaker 1: Carlotta was also very keenly aware of the racial segregation 233 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:54,840 Speaker 1: that seemed to be an inherent part of Mexico's set 234 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: up at that time. That she she noted that like 235 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 1: there were no white people out side of the cities, 236 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: Like they seemed afraid to go outside the cities. And 237 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 1: she was kind of noting all of this in her 238 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: journal as kind of her preparation to think about what 239 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: they could do as rulers. But if Carlotta was expecting 240 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: a new life of power and prestige, she was probably 241 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,040 Speaker 1: a little bit disappointed. Uh. There were some pretty lovely 242 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: celebrations to greet them and their arrival and during their coronation, 243 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,960 Speaker 1: but the Palazzio Nacional was in pretty rough shape. That's 244 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 1: the national palace. It was not at all fit for 245 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: royal residents. It had not been tended to in decades, 246 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: and it had problems with mites. That problem was so 247 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: bad that Carlotta slept out on a balcony and Maximilian 248 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: slept on a billiards table just to try to get 249 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 1: away from the bugs for a little while. They opted 250 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 1: instead to move into Chapultepec Castle, but that was not 251 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: a whole lot better at the time. It also hadn't 252 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: been kept up for quite some time. They already had 253 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: experience working with architects and designers and gardeners to create Miramar, though, 254 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: so they were not daunted by the condition of this palace. 255 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 1: Was they took on a similar project there. Yeah, and 256 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: they actually did some really really beautiful work there and 257 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: and designed something really quite spectacular. The entire setup of 258 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:17,040 Speaker 1: Maximilian's reign in Mexico was uniquely odd, even aside from 259 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 1: this being a case of European royalty kind of shoved 260 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: into leadership in an overseas country through an occupation. Maximilian, 261 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 1: as we mentioned, was very liberal in his political and 262 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: social views. That was part of what Carlotta loved about him, 263 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: But his backers in Mexico were actually the country's conservatives, 264 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 1: including the Church. There. Mexico's liberal constituents back the elected 265 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 1: president Benito Juarez, who did not give up his office 266 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: after the French invasion. Instead, he went into exile. Juarez 267 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: as supporters continued to fight French soldiers that were garrisoned 268 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 1: in Mexico throughout the entire time that Maximilian and Carlotta 269 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: were in power. Once the US Civil War was coming 270 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: to a close, the Need States was able to turn 271 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: its military attentions to Mexico, backed the presidency of Benito Warez. Simultaneously, 272 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 1: the support that Napoleon the Third had initially proffered was 273 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:16,160 Speaker 1: slowly diminishing. He kept repositioning loyalties and assets of France 274 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: to whatever would suit his personal advantage. Things really quickly 275 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 1: took a downturn for the emperor's fortunes. Yeah, that US 276 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: involvement really really shifted France away in many ways. They 277 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: kind of were suddenly met with real resistance, and it 278 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 1: was very scary. They couldn't any longer feel like they 279 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: could just swoop in and take an unstable country. In 280 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: February eighteen sixty five, The New York Times ran an 281 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 1: article about the precarious nature of Maximilian's reign. And do 282 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 1: keep in mind that this is the point of view 283 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 1: of a U s paper, which was supporting Juarez. But 284 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: it wrote, quote, the second Mexican Empire promises to prove 285 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: as ephemeral as the first was durable. That of the 286 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: montezoom Us, which Cortez overthrew, had existed for centuries. But 287 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: the empire which the third Napoleon has founded for the 288 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:11,880 Speaker 1: benefit of the Habsburgs already tatters. On every side of Maximilian. 289 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:15,840 Speaker 1: The storm clouds are looming above the horizon. France was 290 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 1: already cooling, and its enthusiasm for financially supporting the establishment 291 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: of an allied government in North America. But another big 292 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 1: part of the problem was that Maximilian supported the idea 293 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: of separating church and state. He intended to make that 294 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:32,879 Speaker 1: the law of the Mexican Empire. Naturally, the Catholic Church, 295 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 1: which was hugely powerful in Mexico, was very strongly against 296 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: this idea. As a consequence, Maximilian's greatest support not only vanished, 297 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: but it turned to lobby against him. That same New 298 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: York Times article that I just quoted went on to 299 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,959 Speaker 1: make very clear how doomed the Emperor of Mexico was 300 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:54,119 Speaker 1: in going against the wishes of the Church. It says, quote, 301 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 1: if the champions of the priesthood cannot encounter the mercenaries 302 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 1: of Maximilian in the field, or emissaries can traverse the 303 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: country and prepare the way for that universal uprising which 304 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 1: bids fair to overwhelm the usurper by sowing the seeds 305 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:12,399 Speaker 1: of disaffection in the minds of the people. Nor have 306 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: the Church part confined themselves to isolated action and the 307 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:20,359 Speaker 1: incitement of insurrection, but have actually made advances to some 308 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:24,040 Speaker 1: of the Republican chiefs and invited them to make common 309 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,920 Speaker 1: cause with the clergy against the oppressor of Mexico. When 310 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:31,679 Speaker 1: a union of the clerical and Republican parties is once affected, 311 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,479 Speaker 1: the whole nation will be virtually leagued against him, and 312 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,360 Speaker 1: the fate of the Second Mexican Empire will be sealed. 313 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 1: Even now the ground is beginning to slip from under 314 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 1: his feet, Maximilian was really trying not to let that happen. 315 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: He toward Mexico, trying to connect with the people and 316 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 1: win their favor back. He and Carlotta adopted to Mexican children, 317 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: the grandsons of one of the country's previous rulers, to 318 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:01,440 Speaker 1: try to ingratiate the emperor to the people. That backfired 319 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: because the mother claimed that she had been pressured into 320 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:07,880 Speaker 1: this whole arrangement that the Emperor and Empress had stolen 321 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 1: their children. Yes, she actually was exiled as part of 322 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 1: that deal. She will crop up again in a moment briefly. 323 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:20,159 Speaker 1: Thanks for going clearly pretty badly, uh, from bad to 324 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,160 Speaker 1: worse for Maximilian and Carlotta. And we're going to delve 325 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,680 Speaker 1: into how things went really south after we pause for 326 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:37,719 Speaker 1: a word from our sponsors. In eighteen sixty six, things 327 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: in Mexico truly began to fall apart. Napoleon the third 328 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: was unable to keep France's footing in the country as 329 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: the Mexican people resisted European occupation, and he stopped all 330 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 1: of France's promised financial backing for the newly established monarchy, 331 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:57,399 Speaker 1: and then the majority of the French troops were recalled. 332 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:02,320 Speaker 1: Carlotta found herself in an incredibly RESTful situation even before 333 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: Napoleon the Third's decision to leave her and her husband 334 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,119 Speaker 1: without any help from France. She was already grieving the 335 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,400 Speaker 1: recent death of her father, and then her husband, who 336 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: again had no claim to the throne in Austria, was 337 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: considering abdicating Yeah, which would have left them really with 338 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: no real position of power. It's not like they would 339 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: have been destitute. They still like connections to the royal 340 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: houses of Europe, but it would have significantly um basically 341 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: left them in a really awkward position. So Carlotta kind 342 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,480 Speaker 1: of took matters into her own hands. Her husband was involved, 343 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,359 Speaker 1: but after consulting with him and the two of them 344 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:42,879 Speaker 1: laying out a plan for how they could rebuild the 345 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,120 Speaker 1: monarchy and bolster the country's finances, she kind of had 346 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 1: all of these documents and essentially like spreadsheets of the day. 347 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 1: She set sail for France to speak directly with Napoleon 348 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 1: the Third and make her case. And this did not 349 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,879 Speaker 1: go as planned initially or really at all, but she 350 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: arrived in August eighteen sixty six ready to meet with 351 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 1: the Emperor, but she had been told that he was 352 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:07,960 Speaker 1: simply too ill to receive her, that maybe he could 353 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: talk to her later, but she was adamant that she 354 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:13,160 Speaker 1: had to speak with him, so she got herself settled 355 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 1: in Paris and prepared to wait until he was better, 356 00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: all the while kind of poking things to try to 357 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,200 Speaker 1: make sure that she got a meeting. She was able 358 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:23,719 Speaker 1: in the meantime to meet with Empress Eugenie, and it 359 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: was through her that Carlotta was finally able to get 360 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,879 Speaker 1: face time with Napoleon the Third, and at this point 361 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 1: she also had a meeting with Alice green inter beet A, 362 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,440 Speaker 1: the mother of those two adopted sons, and that meeting 363 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 1: was as tense as you might imagine. Alice was asking 364 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 1: for her children back, Carlotta flatly refused. There were three meetings. 365 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:47,639 Speaker 1: They did not go very well, and the first meeting, 366 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,399 Speaker 1: Carlotta opened by saying, Sir, I came to save a 367 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 1: cause which is your own. She describes to Napoleon the 368 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,879 Speaker 1: Third the details of the arrangement that he had agreed 369 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,439 Speaker 1: to with Maximilian, the ongoing strife in Mexico between the 370 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: liberals and the conservative royalists, and the failure of France 371 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,720 Speaker 1: to hold up their part in all this. He told 372 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:10,880 Speaker 1: her that hold ups with his ministers were the problem 373 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: and that he would plead her case a totally sidelineder. 374 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:17,239 Speaker 1: Oh God, it's I hear you. My guys are so 375 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:20,639 Speaker 1: busy they haven't gotten that contract worked out. Um. A 376 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:23,439 Speaker 1: few days later she met with him again, and this 377 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 1: time she kind of upset Napoleon and insulted him by 378 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:29,120 Speaker 1: recounting all of the promises that he had made back 379 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: to him, and then she got in a very fevered 380 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: discussion with his finance ministers, who explained that the entire 381 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:40,200 Speaker 1: Mexico effort had nearly ruined the country of France. Carlotta 382 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: threatened that they would abdicate if they had no help, 383 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: and Napoleon the Third, calling her bluff, said then abdicate. 384 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: The last meeting that Carlota had with Napoleon the Third 385 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:53,679 Speaker 1: was mostly hurt, making the case that France should be 386 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: deeply invested in Mexico's prosperity, and the Emperor telling her 387 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,199 Speaker 1: flatly that France had no money to give her or 388 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: her husband or their country. The end, the pressure of 389 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,920 Speaker 1: all of this really began to manifest in a series 390 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:10,640 Speaker 1: of bizarre behavior for Carlotta. The strain of it had 391 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 1: just a completely deliterious effect on her mental state. Having 392 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:18,399 Speaker 1: been refused help by people that she thought cared about 393 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 1: her and her husband, she started to exhibit signs of paranoia. 394 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: She began to send letters back to her husband insisting 395 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:29,159 Speaker 1: that Napoleon the Third was possessed by the devil, and 396 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: she also believed that assassins were after her after her 397 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:36,880 Speaker 1: efforts in Paris went so poorly. Carlotta traveled to Trieste 398 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 1: and then, at her husband's urging, to Rome to talk 399 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: directly to Pope Pious the ninth about their problem. It 400 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: was hoped that he could use his influence to get 401 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:49,720 Speaker 1: France to honor its financial promises, but her behavior in 402 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: Rome really only made a mess of things. In the 403 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,880 Speaker 1: moment she arrived in Vatican City, Carlotta's conduct wavered between 404 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:00,640 Speaker 1: nervously exhibiting sort of the grace into corehum that one 405 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 1: would expect of royalty and someone of her position, and 406 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 1: then moments where she just completely abandoned social moraise. She 407 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,040 Speaker 1: was granted a meeting with the Pope, but when that 408 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: was over she was left really deflated. There was not 409 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: a lot that the papal state could do for her cause. 410 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 1: The next day, her behavior was at times angry and 411 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,639 Speaker 1: at other times defeated, and then at a formal dinner 412 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:28,639 Speaker 1: that night, she declared, seemingly out of nowhere, it is 413 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: obvious that someone is trying to poison me. She believed 414 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:35,960 Speaker 1: that there was someone on her staff that was trying 415 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: to poison her, and that the Pope was her only 416 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,920 Speaker 1: possible protection. The morning after that dinner where she had 417 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: that outburst. She barged into the papal apartments to tell 418 00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 1: the Pope of this alleged treachery. She had not been 419 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: eating because of her fear of poison, and Pious the Ninth, 420 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,760 Speaker 1: seeing that she was unsettled, asked if she wouldn't like 421 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,879 Speaker 1: something to eat. He had been having breakfast with a 422 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: cup of hot chocolate when she got there, and she 423 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 1: declared that she was starving. Dipped her hand into his 424 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: cup of hot chocolate, and then it's like the liquid 425 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: off of her fingers. The Pope ordered a second cup, 426 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:14,119 Speaker 1: initially intending it for Carlotta, but she was insistent that 427 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,879 Speaker 1: she would only drink from the same vessel as he 428 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: was because of this whole poisoning concern. He was able 429 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:22,880 Speaker 1: to calm her down and get her to speak about 430 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: the struggles that Mexico's installed moner he was facing, but 431 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,560 Speaker 1: she kept asking him about poison antidotes through the whole conversation. 432 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: Uh he always suggested that prayer was an antidote. Pope 433 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 1: Pious the Ninth recognized that Carlotta was obviously not okay, 434 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,639 Speaker 1: and he attempted to put sort of a plan together 435 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 1: to help, He did not react harshly. He kept as cool. 436 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:47,919 Speaker 1: He had two doctors come to see her, but in 437 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 1: his note to the Cardinal that he had asked to 438 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: arrange for those people to come, Pious the Ninth asked 439 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,960 Speaker 1: that the doctors introduced themselves as chamberlain's because he feared 440 00:25:57,000 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 1: if they came in and said they were doctors there 441 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:01,920 Speaker 1: to examine her her mental state, that Carlotta might become 442 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 1: even more upset. Because Carlotta was also suspicious of her staff, 443 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 1: the Pope asked the Cardinal to also have her apartments 444 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: cleared of everyone so they could tell her the assassin 445 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,679 Speaker 1: had been dealt with. Cardinal Antonelli also reached out to 446 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 1: her brothers Leopold, the second King of Belgium and Philippe, 447 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:23,879 Speaker 1: Count of Flanders. In the meantime, the Pope kept her 448 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:27,119 Speaker 1: calm and busy by escorting her around the Vatican and 449 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,920 Speaker 1: showing her various pieces in the art collection as well 450 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: as the gardens. She spent a very peaceful afternoon there, 451 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 1: and she appeared to have relaxed back into her more 452 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:41,119 Speaker 1: normal self and to have stopped being agitated. And she 453 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,399 Speaker 1: was informed that the suspected assassins were gone, so she 454 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:47,719 Speaker 1: consented to go back to her hotel, But once she 455 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:51,480 Speaker 1: arrived there, she noticed that the keys had been removed 456 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 1: from the interior of the rooms, and she became convinced 457 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:57,480 Speaker 1: that someone was going to lock her in and kill her, 458 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: and so she ran out and fled to the Vatican. 459 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:03,919 Speaker 1: She begged, and this was late at night, to be 460 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,719 Speaker 1: allowed to stay in the papal apartments, which was completely 461 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: unheard of for a woman, but Pious the Ninth instructed 462 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:12,919 Speaker 1: his staff to break with decorum and set up a 463 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:15,600 Speaker 1: bed for her in the library. She was given a 464 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,280 Speaker 1: sedative in a cup of war milk, and she slept 465 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: peacefully for probably the first time in months. Although the 466 00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 1: Pope accommodated her that night, he had really reached his 467 00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:29,399 Speaker 1: limit in trying to deal with this situation. The next day, 468 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,960 Speaker 1: she wanted to spend it with him. She refused to 469 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,800 Speaker 1: eat unless it was in the Pope's company. Those please 470 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:40,040 Speaker 1: went unfulfilled. She became certain that she had been poisoned, 471 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 1: and before leaving the papal apartments, she wrote out several documents. 472 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:46,959 Speaker 1: One was a letter to her husband that said, quote, 473 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:49,480 Speaker 1: my darling, I am taking leave of you. God is 474 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:53,199 Speaker 1: calling me to him. She also left a note to 475 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,160 Speaker 1: the pope asking for last rites, and then she put 476 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,840 Speaker 1: together a quick will. She also left another note about 477 00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:04,760 Speaker 1: her final wishes regarding burial. She still wouldn't leave the 478 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:09,720 Speaker 1: apartments though. Yeah. Incidentally, in that uh that last wishes note, 479 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: she also asked that she not be autopsied, which is 480 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 1: interesting for someone who believes they have been poisoned. Uh So, 481 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:19,920 Speaker 1: as kind of an an effort to get her out, 482 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,399 Speaker 1: she was invited to visit a nearby orphanage. This was 483 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:25,200 Speaker 1: a ruse that was cooked up to get her out 484 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:29,040 Speaker 1: of those living quarters, and she agreed. She was actually 485 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,160 Speaker 1: really good with the children by all accounts, but once 486 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,200 Speaker 1: she was in the kitchen there, she reached her hand 487 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:37,200 Speaker 1: into a boiling stewpot to snatch a piece of meat 488 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 1: that she believed could not have been poisoned, and in 489 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 1: the process scalded her hand, and then she fainted from 490 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:44,800 Speaker 1: the pain while the nuns were trying to treat her. 491 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:47,800 Speaker 1: Her burns were treated and she was put into a 492 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,720 Speaker 1: papal coach before she regained consciousness. When she awoke on 493 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 1: route to her hotel, she panicked and began yelling murder. 494 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 1: She was forcibly taken from the coach to her rooms 495 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: at the hotel, and there she only allowed her maid 496 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 1: Matilda to stay with her. On The days that followed 497 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 1: this were just a time of very intense stress for 498 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 1: everyone involved. Carlotta was continually fearful about poisoning, and she 499 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:16,800 Speaker 1: had two live chickens brought to her rooms, where they 500 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:20,960 Speaker 1: were tethered to a table until Matfield killed and prepared 501 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: and cooked them while Carlotta watched her. She had a 502 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 1: cat brought in as well to taste her food before 503 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 1: she ate it. Yeah, and in the midst of all 504 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: of this, like her staff was actually still working behind 505 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: the scenes. They weren't there with her in the apartment 506 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: because they knew she would be upset, but like the Pope's, 507 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:44,560 Speaker 1: cardinals and everyone were trying to like work without her knowing, 508 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 1: to try to make sure all her needs were met. 509 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 1: She had some visitors, and at some point she seemed 510 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:54,640 Speaker 1: more or less her normal self, although she had lost 511 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:56,719 Speaker 1: a good deal of weight and she was very pale. 512 00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:59,480 Speaker 1: But then others who came to see her found her 513 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: in a mud more unhinged and disheveled state. She also 514 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: made arrangements to have much of her staff fired for 515 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: suspicion of this plot that she believed was was happening 516 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:13,959 Speaker 1: against her. And then, finally, after several days of this, 517 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: on October seven, her brother Philip arrived. Carlotta talked to 518 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 1: him really all night. She refused to sleep even with 519 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:24,840 Speaker 1: her brother there. In the morning they left. They went 520 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: arm in arm to the train station, and she wondered 521 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,239 Speaker 1: where her staff had all gone, apparently forgetting that she 522 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:34,080 Speaker 1: had dismissed them. A telegraph was sent to Maximilian in 523 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,400 Speaker 1: Mexico which read, quote, her majesty, the Empress Carlotta, on 524 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:41,760 Speaker 1: October four was attacked by a very serious cerebral congestion. 525 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:46,760 Speaker 1: The August Princess has been conducted to Miramar. Carlotta was 526 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,760 Speaker 1: never to go to Mexico or to see her husband again, 527 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,440 Speaker 1: and Maximilian, of course, had his own problems. He was 528 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,520 Speaker 1: not in the greatest mental shape as he tried to 529 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,560 Speaker 1: figure out what to do, still waiting in Mexico and 530 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 1: hoping that help would arrive from Europe. And he had 531 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 1: also been physically sick. He had dysentery and malaria. He 532 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: also had ongoing liver and respiratory issues, but it turned out, 533 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:13,520 Speaker 1: referencing back to that rumor that one or both of 534 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 1: them might not be able to have children. He also 535 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 1: welcomed a son while Carlotta was abroad. That was a 536 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: child he had with his mistress, Conception Sadano. In mid October, 537 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 1: Maximilian received both the information of Carlotta's mental deterioration and 538 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,640 Speaker 1: the news that she had been taken to Miramar Castle 539 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 1: in Trieste. She was under the care of doctors there, 540 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: and the press back home, Carlotta was reported as having meningitis. 541 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 1: Maximilian considered the possibility of using his wife's illness as 542 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 1: an opportunity to abdicate and kind of safe face, saying 543 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,440 Speaker 1: that he needed to go to her. Ultimately, though, he 544 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:55,280 Speaker 1: decided to stay in Mexico and fight Benito Warez his forces. 545 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,080 Speaker 1: That decision was a very bad one. Maximilian, only with 546 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,760 Speaker 1: a limited fighting force, was easily defeated. He was found 547 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:06,400 Speaker 1: guilty at his court martial and sentenced to death, and 548 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:09,680 Speaker 1: though many notable figures made the case with Benito Juarez 549 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:13,960 Speaker 1: to spare Maximilian's life, he was ultimately executed by firing 550 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:19,960 Speaker 1: squad on June nine, eighteen sixty seven. His last words were, Mexicans, 551 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: men of my class and origins are appointed by God 552 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:27,160 Speaker 1: to be the happiness of people or their martyrs, called 553 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:29,000 Speaker 1: by some of you. I came for the good of 554 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:32,719 Speaker 1: the country. I did not come for ambition, but animated 555 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,240 Speaker 1: by the best wishes for the future of my adoptive country, 556 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: for the brave who died in glorious sacrifice, Mexican people. 557 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: I hope that my blood will be the last to 558 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:46,280 Speaker 1: be spilled, and I pray that it regenerates this unhappy country. 559 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:51,640 Speaker 1: Viva Mexico, Viva la independencia. Charlotte lived the rest of 560 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 1: her life pretty much in isolation. After Maximilian's death, her 561 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,760 Speaker 1: family moved her back to her birthplace at the Castle 562 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:02,160 Speaker 1: of Lack in Belgium. She wasn't informed of Maximilian's execution 563 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 1: for fear of how she might react. It's unclear if 564 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:08,080 Speaker 1: she was ever given a truthful account of how the 565 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:12,440 Speaker 1: Second Empire of Mexico had fallen. She rent through some 566 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:15,760 Speaker 1: cycles of lucidity and psychosis throughout the years as their 567 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 1: condition worsened and she was moved to Castle trever In 568 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:23,120 Speaker 1: outside of Brussels. Castle Trevern burned in eighteen seventy nine, 569 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: and Carlotta was moved once again, this time to Boushoe 570 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:30,200 Speaker 1: Castle in Maze, Belgium. She would live there in seclusion 571 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:33,600 Speaker 1: for the next forty eight years of her life, including 572 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: through World War One, when the Austro Hungarian flag flying 573 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: over the castle saved it from attack by German troops. 574 00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:44,680 Speaker 1: In early nine seven, Carlotta developed pneumonia. She died on 575 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 1: January nineteenth of that year, the age of eighty six. 576 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:50,920 Speaker 1: She had lived her life really isolated since she was 577 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:54,400 Speaker 1: twenty seven years old. Her family had kept her out 578 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 1: of everyone else's view. Yeah, there are accounts like written 579 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 1: by nieces and nephews that went to visit her and 580 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:03,280 Speaker 1: like other family members, but we don't really have much 581 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:06,760 Speaker 1: about what was going on with Carlotta herself. And if 582 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:10,359 Speaker 1: we did, I don't there's no telling if it would 583 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: be terribly lucid or even like trustworthy, is a reflection 584 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:16,319 Speaker 1: of of really what she was going through. It's a 585 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 1: a bizarre thing. It was one of those things where 586 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: as I was researching this, I did not realize that 587 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 1: she had gone into isolation for decades. As we were 588 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:27,399 Speaker 1: having this isolation talk and what should we tell? Yeah, 589 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, maybe this wasn't quite as escapist 590 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,040 Speaker 1: as I had hoped. I also feel like it's um 591 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 1: one of the sadder Like some of the Mad Royal 592 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 1: episodes are really heartbreaking and awful, and some of them 593 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:48,160 Speaker 1: are more just like eccentric, right, hers smart heartbreak and 594 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 1: hers is more on the sad end of the spectrum 595 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:54,799 Speaker 1: for sure. Yeah, it absolutely is. She Um, you know, 596 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:58,040 Speaker 1: she was considered to be such a like smart, bright, 597 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:04,160 Speaker 1: really marvelously interesting person when she was younger, and if 598 00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 1: things had gone differently, like she could have lived a 599 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:10,400 Speaker 1: completely different life if they had stayed in Europe instead 600 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:12,120 Speaker 1: of going to Mexico. There's a lot of ifs that 601 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: we can never know, right, this is Milan Kandia's unbearable 602 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:17,760 Speaker 1: lightness of being. You only get one series of choices 603 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:19,480 Speaker 1: in life, and you can't see how the other ones 604 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:24,439 Speaker 1: play out. Um, it's one of those things where she 605 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:29,040 Speaker 1: kind of gets really sequestered away and they kind of 606 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:31,799 Speaker 1: like just pretend she's not there for the rest of 607 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:34,760 Speaker 1: the time. Some of her family visited, but not all 608 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:38,120 Speaker 1: so it is quite sad. Yeah, I'm sorry I unleashed 609 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:40,200 Speaker 1: a sad one on us. Do you have some less 610 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:43,920 Speaker 1: sad listener mail, I do it's cute. Um. This is 611 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,400 Speaker 1: from our listener Karen, who heard a reference to a 612 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:50,239 Speaker 1: topic we had talked about in a previous episode on 613 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:53,440 Speaker 1: another podcast. She writes, Hello, I was listening to the 614 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 1: Love It or Leave It podcast from March and they 615 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: had people calling in with weird new hobbies that they 616 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,839 Speaker 1: have started during this time of staying at home. About 617 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:03,880 Speaker 1: twenty four minutes into that episode, they talked to a 618 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:06,680 Speaker 1: high school student from Kentucky who had been told that 619 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:10,120 Speaker 1: Chester A. Arthur might be an ancestor, so she decided 620 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,160 Speaker 1: to do an ancestry deep dive, and they discussed the 621 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 1: question of his birth date and the claim that he 622 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:18,520 Speaker 1: was born in Canada, not Vermont. Then the next caller, 623 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:20,719 Speaker 1: who was a teacher from Missouri, was working on a 624 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:23,719 Speaker 1: Google doc with the horoscopes of all the US presidents, 625 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,400 Speaker 1: so they brought the previous collar back to share some 626 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,840 Speaker 1: facts about Chester A. Arthur. Sorry, your podcast was not mentioned, 627 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:33,680 Speaker 1: but I thought you would find this amusing. I do, um. 628 00:36:33,719 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 1: I haven't gotten a chance to listen to it yet, 629 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,560 Speaker 1: but now I want to just to hear what the 630 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 1: horoscope person says. You guys, President, because that sounds fascinating 631 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:45,880 Speaker 1: to me. Uh and you know, I'm always glad to 632 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:49,640 Speaker 1: shout out another podcast on the show. I thank you 633 00:36:49,719 --> 00:36:51,560 Speaker 1: Karen for pointing that out, because I will go check 634 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:53,680 Speaker 1: it out. If you would like to write to us, 635 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:55,919 Speaker 1: you can do so at History Podcast at i heart 636 00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,800 Speaker 1: radio dot com. You can find us everywhere on social 637 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:01,839 Speaker 1: media as missed in his Tree, And if you would 638 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:04,040 Speaker 1: like to subscribe to the podcast, you can do that 639 00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:07,000 Speaker 1: on the I heart Radio app, at Apple podcasts, or 640 00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:14,640 Speaker 1: wherever it is you prefer to listen. Stuff you missed 641 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:17,120 Speaker 1: in History Class is a production of I heart Radio. 642 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:20,040 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I 643 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:23,279 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 644 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.