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Carlota of Mexico
Charlotte of Belgium
In the early 1860s, the ambitious Napoleon III initiated the French intervention in Mexico. France, eager to turn Mexico into a satellite state, searched for a suitable figurehead to serve as the nominal emperor of Mexico.
Maximilian, former Archduke of Austria, (the idealistic younger brother of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria) accepted the Mexican crown and he and his wife sailed for the New World. The imperial couple were crowned at the Catedral Metropolitana in 1864 and chose as their seat Mexico City, making their home in the Neoclassical Castillo de Chapultepec. The Empress took the name of Carlota (Spanish for Charlotte). This was one of the most sensible things this Belgian princess could do. Originally, in all grandeur she was Marie-Charlotte-Amélie-Augustine-Victoire-Clémentine-Léopoldine (1840–1927).
Room, A. (1981), ‘How to Make a Name?’, Naming Names, p.29
‘Carlota of Mexico’, Wikipedia, retrieved 29 September 2013
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