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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.
