Mexico and the Foreign Policy of Napoleon III

Michele Cunningham Visiting Research Fellow Department of History Adelaide University Australia © Michele Cunningham 2001

Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 978-0-333-79302-2 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2001 by PALGRAVE Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE is the new global academic imprint of St. Martin’s Press LLC Scholarly and Reference Division and Palgrave Publishers Ltd (formerly Macmillan Press Ltd).

ISBN 978-1-349-41959-3 ISBN 978-0-333-99263-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780333992630

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cunningham, Michele, 1948– Mexico and the foreign policy of Napoleon III / Michele Cunningham. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. France—Foreign relations—Mexico. 2. Mexico– –Foreign relations—France. 3. France—Foreign relations– –1852–1870. 4. Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808–1873. 5. Mexico—History—European intervention, 1861–1867. I. Title. DC59.8.M6 C86 2000 327.72044—dc21 00–066882

10987654321 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 For Dad and Mum

Contents

List of Maps viii

Preface ix

List of Abbreviations xi

Introduction 1

1 Prelude to Intervention 16

2 The Tripartite Convention 42

3The Venture under Way 59

4 A Life of its Own 78

5 ‘A Chaos of Difficulties’ 108

6 The Will of the People? 132

7 The Empire Does Mean Peace 155

8 ‘A Noble and Chimerical Utopia’ 174

9 La Plus Grande Pensée du Règne? 193

Appendix 1 213

Appendix 2 217

Notes and References 221

Bibliography 240

Index 248

vii List of Maps

1. General map of Mexico xii 2. Route from Vera Cruz to Mexico City 133

(Source: Pierre de la Gorce, Histoire du Second Empire, Vol. 4 (Librairie Plon, Paris, 1899).)

viii Preface

My interest in Napoleon III and the Second Empire was first encouraged by the late Professor Austin Gough with his enthusiasm and talent for making history come alive. My fascination with this period was further inspired by the writings of a contemporary journalist and former British diplomat, Grenville Murray, who wrote numerous satirical articles on the Second Empire, many of which appeared in Cornhill Magazine and were collected in a book, French Pictures in English Chalk. His early papers were so critical that they encouraged me to determine whether there was any substance to Napoleon III and his Empire. One of the interesting aspects of Murray’s writings is that his later articles move from undisguised ridicule of the Emperor to a very warm acceptance of the man and his work for France. I cannot help but feel this change occurred after he went to live in France in 1868 and perhaps met the Emperor himself. A chance discovery in the Archives Nationales of a letter from Murray to the Empress Eugenie confirmed that view. Murray wrote a week before the defeat at Sedan expressing his admiration for the Emperor and all he had tried to achieve, and offered his assistance in enlightening the English public in the face of anti-French propa- ganda being disseminated by the Prussians. His opinion of the Emperor was one of many that urged me to try and understand that enigmatic man who inspired so much criticism and even vitriol from republican opponents and historians. Although there are now many historical studies more favourable to Napoleon III, there is still much controversy over his achievements in France and his place in history. This volume, it is hoped, will contribute to an understanding of Napoelon III’s foreign policy, although, as James McMillan remarked, the definitive history of Napoleon III’s foreign policy is still to be written. I am extremely grateful for the assistance I received from staff in both the French and British archives. In the Archives Nationales I was directed to sources of which I had been unaware, and the guidance afforded to me both in the archives and by correspondence is appreciated. Similarly, the staff in the Service Historique de l’Armée de Terre at Vincennes, and in the Archives du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères made my limited time there very productive. My thanks go to the Research Branch at the University of Adelaide and the Department of History for travel grants to facilitate my research, and to staff in the Department of History for

ix x Preface their support and assistance. Special thanks go to Kerrie Round, Noelle Cochran and Vesna Drapac for their valuable comments and suggestions at various stages in the development of this work. I also acknowledge the helpful comments of William Echard and William H. C. Smith on my doctoral thesis, which formed the basis for this book. Their guidance has contributed to the many revisions undertaken. My grateful appreci- ation is extended to Professor Peter Mühlhäusler and Marie-Noelle Mirza for their assistance with the translation of French quotations throughout the text. Most importantly, without the support of my husband, John, and my family I would never have been able to do this. Readers will observe throughout the text that the terms ‘England’ and ‘Britain’ are both used to describe what we now call Britain. Today we refer to England only if we wish to differentiate it from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In the period of this narrative, however, Britain was referred to as England, both by the British and foreigners, perhaps more often than as Britain, although the government was generally called the British government. When correspondence has been directly quoted, or referred to, I have maintained the use of ‘England’ or ‘English’ if that was used. At times in my own narrative I have also used ‘England’ because it seemed more appropriate for the event being described. In the diplomatic correspondence Britain was generally referred to as ‘Angleterre’ or ‘Grande-Bretagne’, and French feelings were generally directed against the English!

M.K.C. List of Abbreviations

AD Archives Diplomatiques: Receuil de Diplomatie et d’Histoire AMAE Archives du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Paris AMG Archives du Ministre de la Guerre, held by the Service Historique de l’Armée de Terre, Chateau Vincennes AN Archives Nationales, Paris AP Archives privées. Private records in the Archives Nationales CP Correspondance politique in the Archives du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Paris FO Foreign Office records in the Public Record Office, London PA–AP Papiers d’agents – archives privées. Private papers in the Archives du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Paris PRO Public Record Office, London RDM La Revue des Deux Mondes SHAT Service Historique de l’Armée de Terre at Chateau Vincennes State Papers British and Foreign State Papers (Blue Books)

xi xii xiii

Map 1 General map of Mexico