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Mint:
Paris
Ruler:
Napoleon III (1852-70)
Artist:
Barre, Albert-Désiré
Mint:
Colmar, Paris
The young state of Mexico relied heavily on foreign loans, but in 1861 President Benito Juárez suspended interest payments on loans from France, Spain and Great Britain. All three powers united in action to recover their money. Ordinarily European operations on the American coast would have been internationally impossible, but the ongoing United States Civil War gave the European powers scope for direct intervention.
The power most interested in the campaign was France, whose developing intentions of conquest caused the British and Spanish to withdraw in April 1862. Initial Mexican resistance soon faltered before the efficiency of the French army and by June 1863 Mexico City had fallen, President Juárez fleeing north. The French installed a Habsburg Archduke, Maximilian, as head of a new liberal and constitutional monarchy, but he enjoyed little support. Resistance continued and by 1865 the military tide had begun to turn, as the re-United States began to supply the Mexican Republicans with arms. The French finally began to withdraw in 1866, leaving King Maximilian to defend himself; he was captured and executed in June 1867.
Early in the campaign, Emperor Napoléon III instituted a campaign award for its soldiers, and this continued to be issued until 1869 to veterans of the episode. The medal is distinguished by the elaborate design of the suspension ribbon, which shows an eagle fighting a snake.
This medal is unnamed, and it cannot now be known to whom it was awarded. Although the medal is part of the Watson Collection, Lester Watson's own lists give no provenance for it.
History note: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, no provenance.
Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009
Diameter: 30.4 mm
Weight: 14.56 g
Method of acquisition: Given (2009) by Watson, Lester
1863 - 1869
Inscription present: Bust of Napoleon wreathed facing left, surrounded by laurel wreath
Inscription present: Bound wreath surrounding inscription and central inscription that reads "CUMBRES / CERRO BORREGO / SAN LORENZO / PUERLA / MEXICO"
Accession number: CM.1458-2009
Primary reference Number: 141552
Watson Catalogue: A
Ordering: M-0341
Previous object number: LW.0341
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Coins and Medals
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Médaille de Mexique" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141552 Accessed: 2024-11-21 17:49:20
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141552
|title=Médaille de Mexique
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-21 17:49:20|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-141552
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0341_281_29.jpg"
alt="Médaille de Mexique"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Médaille de Mexique</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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