Peso of Maximilian l, emperor of Mexico 2nd empire ending with his death by firing squad in 1867..my bro from another mo @Alegandron has one of a different year. Post you coins n comments.
Gregorius the Grand (@ominus1 the First) dispatched this Peso into my hands some time ago! Empire of Mexico - Maximilian AR 1 Peso 1867 - Executed 19-Jun-1867
Wow! From having your face on the coins of your nation, to facing a firing squad . . . that had to be a disappointing turn of events for him.
Even during the Revolution, I discovered recently! 1793 - the year of the terror and his own execution!
Maximilian was intelligent (he spoke at least 7 languages), outgoing,and an enlightened individual.Brother of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria (also he was cousin of Napoleon II, Duke of Reichstadt, son of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Louise). He was actually trying to improve the lives of the people of Mexico, and enacted significant reforms. He had the opportunity to leave, but would not desert his followers. A very sad and unnecessary death... His wife, Carlota, had a breakdown after his death, and was forever changed
Don't have any coins of Maximilian I, but I do have a coin of his brother Franz Joseph. And here's a random Louis XVI because of AG76.
This coin is on my wish list. Most of my students are unaware of Mexico's history, geography, and culture. Putting history into their hands helps them relate to the struggles that occured and how US and French history are intertwined in Mexico.
I've been to his parent's modest little 1,441 room "home" in Vienna... Schönbrunn Palace. Worth a visit if you get the chance.
If I am allowed to follow up on the Louis XVI diversion, how about Charles I, who was executed by the Roundheads on 30 January 1649 after losing the English Civil War ? ENGLAND Charles I Sixpence 1643 Oxford mint
Pushing this diversion a bit further, how about Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII' s second wife ? She did not get her portrait on a coin but she did get a crowned A to go with her husband's crowned h on the reverse of this Irish coin. Henry and Anne formally married on 25 January 1533, after a secret wedding on 14 November 1532. She was crowned Queen of England on 1 June 1533. She was arrested on 2 May 1536, found guilty on 15 May and beheaded on 19 May. IRELAND Henry VIII (with Anne Boleyn) 1/2 Groat n.d.( 1534-36) London mint