Carlota, Empress, consort of Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, 1840-1927

Charlotte (Coburg) of Belgium (1840-1927), daughter of Leopold of Belgium (1790-1865), and Louise of France (1812-1850) married Maximilian, Archduke of Austria in 1857. Carlota, as she was known in Mexico, was eager to establish European rule in Mexico after her father rejected the Mexican throne in her youth. She accompanied Maximilian to Mexico in 1864. During her years in Mexico, the first signs of mental illness emerged. In 1866, she left Mexico to solicit the financial support of Napoleon III and never returned. Her mental illness worsened and she eventually was committed to a mental hospital in Austria where she died in 1927.

From the guide to the Charlotte and Maximilian Collection MS 356., 1846-1927, (Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX)