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[[File:Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter_Napoleon_III.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|Franz Xaver Winterhalter, French Emperor Napoleon III]]__NOTOC__
In 1862, French Emperor Napoleon III maneuvered to establish a French client state in Mexico, and eventually installed Maximilian of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, as Emperor of Mexico. Stiff Mexican resistance caused Napoleon III to order French withdrawal in 1867, a decision strongly encouraged by a the United States as it recovered from its Civil War weakness in foreign affairs.
Earlier, during the Civil War, U.S. Secretary of State William Henry Seward followed a more cautious policy that attempted to keep relations with France harmonious and prevent French willingness to assist the Confederacy. Consequently, Maximilian’s government rebuffed Confederate diplomatic overtures.
====Conclusion====
Throughout the period of French intervention, the overall U.S. policy was to avoid direct conflict with France, and voice displeasure at French interference in Mexican affairs, but ultimately to remain neutral in the conflict. After 1866, Seward provided more direct support for Juárez, while French willingness to withdraw de-escalated Franco-American tensions. Although U.S. support for Juárez improved U.S.-Mexican relations temporarily, disputes over policing of the border under Secretary of State William Evarts would erode the goodwill built during Seward’s tenure.
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* Republished from [https://history.state.gov/| Office of the Historian, United States Department of State]
* Article: [https://history.state.gov/milestones/1861-1865/french-intervention| French Intervention in Mexico and the American Civil War, 1862–1867]
[[Category:US State Department]] [[Category:Wikis]][[Category:United States History]] [[Category: Civil War]] [[Category:19th Century History]] [[Category:Political History]] [[Category:Diplomatic History]][[Category:Mexican History]]
