“Beneath a Rich Blaze of Golden Sunlight”: The Travels of Archduke Maximilian through Brazil, 1860

Abstract

In early 1860, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria arrived in Bahia on a short, but ultimately illuminating, visit to his cousin, Brazilian Emperor Pedro II. Published posthumously in English as Recollections of My Life (1868), this underused narrative recounts just eight days of a two-month journey. Despite the brevity of the trip, it nevertheless provides an insightful and oftentimes unexpected perspective, especially for a European aristocrat. Offering a detailed commentary on everything from science to slavery, food to fashion, the account also brings to light a colonial discourse rooted in Eurocentric notions of culture and race. Although repeating the well-worn verbiage common to those traveling in nineteenth century Brazil, this soon-to-be emperor of Mexico underscores the importance of individual agency in travel accounts. More than a simple travelogue or an “imaginative” construct, this essay will reveal how the travel experience itself can have a real-world impact on future events.