Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph of Hapsburg, also known as Maximilian I of Mexico, was an Austrian archduke who briefly served as the Emperor of Mexico from 1864 to 1867. He was a member of the House of Hapsburg and was appointed as Emperor of Mexico by the French Emperor Napoleon III. Maximilian's reign in Mexico was marked by political instability and opposition from Mexican nationalists, and he was ultimately executed by firing squad after the collapse of the French intervention in Mexico.