The House of Iturbide is a former Imperial House of Mexico. It was founded by the Sovereign Mexican Constituent Congress on 22 June 1822 when the newly independent Mexican congress confirmed Agustín I's title of Constitutional Emperor of Mexico. He was baptized with the names of Saints Augustine, Cosmas, and Damian at the cathedral there. The last name Iturbide was originally from the Basque Country, Spain. Emperor Agustín abdicated and lived in exile with the prohibition on returning to Mexico. Despite that ban, he returned, was captured, and executed. Grandchildren of Emperor Agustín were adopted by Maximilian I of Mexico (1864–67), who had no biological children, and granted some status in the ephemeral Second Mexican Empire.

History

Decree

The Sovereign Mexican Constituent Congress decreed on 22 June 1822 the following:

First Mexican Empire (1822–1823)

After Mexico was declared and recognized as an independent state, Iturbide was backed and influenced by Mexico's conservatives, who favored an independent Mexico with a monarch from one of the European royal families as head of state. When no European royalty accepted Mexico's offer (as Spain still had hopes of taking Mexico back), Iturbide was persuaded by his advisers to be named Emperor in the manner of Napoleon I. On 11 May 1823, the ex-emperor boarded the British ship Rawlins, en route to Livorno, Italy (then part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, accompanied by his wife, children and some servants. There, he rented a small country house and began to write his memoirs. However, Spain pressured Tuscany to expel Iturbide, which it did, and the Iturbide family moved to the United Kingdom. There, he published his autobiography, "Statement of Some of the Principal Events in the Public Life of Agustín de Iturbide". When he was exiled, Iturbide was given a government pension, but Congress also declared him a traitor and "outside of the law", to be killed if he ever returned to Mexico. Whether he was aware of this second part is in dispute. After his departure, the situation in Mexico continued to worsen. Reports of a probable Spanish attempt to retake Mexico reached Iturbide in the UK. He continued to receive reports from Mexico, as well as advice from supporters, that if he returned, he would be hailed as a liberator and a potential leader against the Spanish invasion. Iturbide sent word to congress in Mexico City on 13 February 1824 offering his services in the event of a Spanish attack. Congress never replied. More conservative political factions in Mexico finally convinced Iturbide to return." Iturbide returned to Mexico on 14 July 1824, accompanied by his wife, two children, and a chaplain (Joseph A. Lopez). He landed at the port of Soto la Marina on the coast of Nuevo Santander (the modern-day state of Tamaulipas). They were initially greeted enthusiastically, but soon they were arrested and escorted by General Felipe de la Garza, the local military commander, to the nearby village of Padilla. The local legislature held a trial and sentenced Iturbide to death. When a local priest administered last rites, Iturbide supposedly said, "Mexicans! I die with honor, not as a traitor; do not leave this stain on my children and my legacy. I am not a traitor, no." He was executed by firing squad on 19 July 1824.

Second Mexican Empire (1864–1867)

In 1863, the Mexican Conservative Party, with the support of Napoleon III of France, attempted to establish a new monarchy under Austrian Hapsburg Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian as Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. Maximilian, who had no natural offspring, adopted two grandsons of the first Mexican emperor, Agustín de Iturbide y Green and Salvador de Iturbide y Marzán. Agustín and Salvador were each granted the vitalicio (meaning non-hereditary) title of Prince de Iturbide and style of Highness by imperial decree and followed in rank after the reigning family. The forces of the Mexican Republic captured and executed Emperor Maximilian in 1867, ending monarchy in Mexico.

Decree

The Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg decreed on 16 September 1865 the following: In 1867, Maximilian was captured, tried, and executed by the Mexican Republic ruled by President Benito Juárez. After two short-lived attempts at monarchy in Mexico that ended with the execution of the monarchs, Mexico has remained a republic.

Genealogy

Genealogy of Agustín I

**Children: **

Heraldry

"# Azure, three bendlets argent