Charlotte of Belgium
A Belgian princess whose life became a tragic opera of ambition, love, and madness after a doomed reign as Empress of Mexico.
1840–1927 (age 87)·Empress of Mexico from 1864 to 1867·Birthday: June 7
Biography
Charlotte of Belgium, or Carlota, was born into the intricate web of European royalty, a niece of King Leopold I. Her marriage to the idealistic Archduke Maximilian of Austria seemed a storybook union, but it spiraled into catastrophe when they accepted the offer of the Mexican throne in 1864, a scheme orchestrated by French Emperor Napoleon III. As Empress of Mexico, she faced a nation in revolt against foreign rule. When the French withdrew support, a desperate Carlota traveled to Europe to plead for help, a mission that failed utterly. The shock of her husband's capture and execution by Mexican forces, coupled with her political failure, triggered a profound mental collapse. She spent the remaining six decades of her life in seclusion in Belgium, a haunting figure whose brilliance was eclipsed by profound tragedy.
#1 When Charlotte Was Born
The biggest hits of 1840
Charlotte's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1840Born
1845Started school
1853Became a teenager
1856Could drive
1858Could vote
1861Turned 21
President: Abraham Lincoln
1870Turned 30
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1880Turned 40
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1890Turned 50
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1900Turned 60
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1910Turned 70
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 80
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1927Died at 87
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
Key Achievements
- Served as the Empress Consort of Mexico from 1864 until the empire's collapse in 1867.
- Acted as regent of Mexico during Emperor Maximilian's absences from the capital.
- Made a dramatic, but ultimately futile, diplomatic tour of Europe in 1866 to rally support for the Mexican Empire.
Did You Know?
She was fluent in French, German, English, and later learned Spanish.
She was the only daughter of Leopold I of Belgium and a first cousin of Queen Victoria.
After her breakdown, she lived at the Castle of Bouchout in Belgium, where she was sometimes seen pretending to dine with long-dead relatives.
Her mental state was diagnosed at the time as a 'persecution complex,' likely what would now be called paranoid schizophrenia.
“They gave me a crown, but the republicans never gave me a country.”
