Emperor of Mexico 186467. He accepted that title when the French emperor Napoleon III's troops occupied the country, but encountered resistance from the deposed president Benito Juárez. In 1866, after the French troops withdrew on the insistence of the USA, Maximilian was captured by Mexican republicans and shot.
The central band was originally red. It was changed to blue to express solidarity with the Allies during World War I. Effective date: 28 September 1917.