Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/108

88 After this pronunciamiento — to use a favorite Mexican word — arrangements were made to obtain adherence thereto by cities and towns not occupied by republican forces. The acts of acceptance were duly forwarded to the monarch elect in Europe. The asamblea de notables then addressed a communication to Forey, congratulating him on the series of victories which had brought him and his army to the capital, and assuring him Mexico would ever remember his name with respect and gratitude. The notables wished his name to be accompanied in history with the unanimous testimony of their warm acknowledgment.

Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Hapsburg, or Fernando Maximiliano, as he was known in Mexico, second son of Archduke Franz Karl and Archduchess Sophie, and a brother of Franz Joseph, emperor of Austria, was born in Schoenbrunn on the 6th of July, 1832. After completing a classical education and mastering six languages, he devoted himself to the study of branches required for the naval profession which he had adopted, and with the view of acquiring a practical knowledge of its duties, he made several voyages. He also visited some of the most prominent countries in Europe and the Orient. In 1854 he was summoned to Vienna to assume the command in chief of the Austrian navy. In 1856 he travelled in northern Germany, France, and Holland, and was in Paris a fortnight as the honored guest of Napoleon III., who placed at his disposal the palace of Saint Cloud. It was then that the most friendly relations were established between Napoleon and Maximilian, destined to be subsequently interrupted by events in Mexico. The latter paid a visit in 1857