Maximiliano’s Remains Rest in Vienna

Why this is here: After being executed by firing squad, Maximilian of Habsburg received six bullet wounds to the chest, abdomen, and heart on June 19, 1867.

In Austria, the remains of Maximilian I of Mexico rest in the Imperial Crypt of Vienna, following his 1867 execution in Querétaro, Mexico. Napoleon III initially sent the Austrian archduke to Mexico to establish a monarchy aligned with France during a period of severe financial crisis for Mexico. However, Maximilian adopted liberal policies, upsetting his conservative supporters, and was ultimately overthrown by the republican forces of Benito Juárez led by General Mariano Escobedo.

Following his death, Juárez’s government publicly displayed and embalmed Maximilian’s body before sending it back to Austria. The initial embalming proved inadequate—the body briefly tumbled from its transport—requiring a second procedure at what is now the National Museum of Art in Mexico City.

Though Maximilian’s tomb is open to tourists for a fee of 15 euros, the execution itself did not represent a clear republican triumph, instead becoming a symbol of tragedy and royal legacy, with images of his embalmed body appearing on postcards. Research continues on the complex political implications surrounding his death and lasting image.