What was the handwriting of Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg

Maximilian of Habsburg ruled Mexico from 1864 to 1867, he was a very controversial character; a facet that is not so much known about him is that he created poems and sent love correspondence from his own handwriting to Carlota when they were not together, which allows us to know how he wrote. I want to die at high altitude is the title of a poem written by the emperor in his youth, which was later fulfilled when he died shot in the Cerro de las Campanas.

The historian Konrad Katz began his research into Maximilian's life because from Mexico he was called to translate important documents from German into Spanish. This meant that unpublished documents of the emperor could be shown such as the 311 letters that held the couple together.

They are currently preserved by the University of Texas at Austin. Regarding the letters, he mentioned that: “language itself is cultured, but it is not as beautiful and literary as the one Maximilian used to write his travel stories because he stopped being literate”.

“Unlike telegrams, the letters were written in German and in the proper forms of their kind and the courtesy of that time,” he said. Thanks to these documents and other letters he sent, for example to President Benito Juárez, we can see what the handwriting of this important character was like for the history of Mexico.

Even Katz spoke about a telegram written by Maximilian himself in which he was determined to leave Mexico: “he wanted to embark and didn't do it, he was at a point where he was doubtful, he wrote this little paper in pencil,” he said.

The emperor's handwriting was typical of the time: handwritten, it is considered small but legible, in addition to the fact that it used strokes as was done at that time to drag the pen to make the so-called flourishes, that is, the spirals that are used in capital letters or letters that end downwards such as the y, q, g, j, etc.

In some documents you can see traces of erasures or words where the emperor reloaded the pen or pencil he used more. Something that is striking is that the lines of letters in the letters were not always straight and even Maximilian wrote above where he was wrong. But the spelling was generally impeccable, although in many words that are branded today, they are not seen with an accent in the documents.

One of the most important documents written by Maximiliano was the letter he sent to President Benito Juárez on June 18, 1867, in which he says:

“Mr. Don Benito Juárez:

Close to death, as a result of wanting to test whether new political institutions managed to end the bloody civil war that has torn apart this unfortunate country for so many years, I will gladly lose my life, if their sacrifice can contribute to the peace and prosperity of my new Homeland.

Intimately persuaded that nothing solid can be founded on a ground soaked in blood and agitated by violent shocks, I conjure you, in the most solemn way and with the sincerity proper to the moments in which I am, that my blood may be the last to be shed and that the same perseverance, I was pleased to recognize and appreciate in the midst of the prosperity with which you have defended the cause that has just triumphed, dedicate it to the noblest task of reconciling spirits and of establishing, in a stable and lasting way, the peace and tranquility of this unfortunate country.

Maximiliano”

This shows that despite being very contrary, letters were always written and addressed with respect, thus demonstrating how Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg wrote.

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