In May 1864, Archduke Maximilian of Austria arrived in Veracruz to assume the imperial throne of Mexico, a position established under the influence of French Emperor Napoleon III. Despite his fluency in Spanish and aristocratic background as former commander of the Austrian navy and viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia, Maximilian struggled to gain acceptance from Mexican political factions and the wider population. His reign, marked by a lack of political acumen and limited efforts to reconcile with regional elites, lasted less than three years.

During his brief rule, Maximilian, known for his passion for butterfly collecting, prioritized scientific pursuits over governance, a miscalculation that contributed to widespread resistance. In 1867, Mexican republican forces captured him in the city of Queretaro. On June 19 of that year, Maximilian was executed by firing squad, an event famously depicted by the French painter Édouard Manet. Before his death, he issued a final statement calling for forgiveness and peace, expressing hope that his death would end the violence plaguing Mexico.

Maximilian’s tenure is often contrasted with earlier English encounters with Mexico, notably the ill-fated expedition led by Sir John Hawkins in the late 16th century. Hawkins, an influential English seaman, administrator, and diplomat, was also a key figure in the early English involvement in the Atlantic slave trade. His third slaving expedition ended disastrously at the Battle of San Juan de Ulua in the Gulf of Mexico, where a Spanish fleet decimated the English contingent. Hawkins escaped with only two ships out of six, but 114 English sailors were left stranded near Veracruz.

According to the account of survivor Miles Philips, the stranded Englishmen endured significant hardships. Initially attacked by indigenous people, likely Totonacs, they were later imprisoned by Spanish authorities and transported to Mexico City. There, they were condemned to serve as common laborers. Philips’s narrative details years of enforced servitude, including positions as an overseer at a silver mine, and later suffering under the Mexican Inquisition, which targeted the English sailors as Protestant heretics. Some were executed or subjected to brutal punishments. Philips himself was sentenced to five years of service in a monastery, forced to wear a humiliating “fool’s coat” during his incarceration.

Following his release, Philips undertook various occupations such as silk-weaving and interpreting before eventually escaping to Havana, joining the military, and ultimately returning to England via Spain and Majorca. His story was chronicled by Richard Hakluyt, a prominent Anglican cleric and geographer known for promoting English colonization efforts. While the extent of Philips’s exaggerations remains unclear, his experience exemplifies the difficulties faced by early English visitors to Mexico.

The historical accounts underscore the complex and often fraught nature of foreign involvement in Mexico, spanning from 16th-century English ventures to 19th-century European imperial ambitions. As modern events unfold—such as England’s national football team preparing for a match in Mexico—the nation’s troubled past in the country serves as a reminder of the long and layered relationship between Mexico and foreign powers.