Projecting Imperial Power

Book excerpt: The nineteenth century is notable for its newly proclaimed emperors, from Franz I of Austria and Napoleon I in 1804 through Agustin and Pedro, the emperors of Mexico and Brazil in 1822 to Victoria, empress of India in 1876. Monarchs such as Napoleon III, Maximilian of Mexico, and Wilhelm Iprojected an imperial aura with coronations, courts, medals, costumes, portraits, monuments, international exhibitions, festivals, architecture, and town planning. They relied on ancient history for legitimacy whilst partially espousing modernity. Projecting Imperial Power is the first book toconsider newly proclaimed emperors in six territories across three continents across the whole range of the nineteenth century.The first emperors' successors - Pedro II of Brazil, Franz Joseph of Austria, and Wilhelm II of Germany - expanded their panoply of power, until Pedro was forced to abdicate in 1889 and World War I brought the Austrian and German empires to an end. Britain invented an imperial myth for its Indianempire in the 20th century, until George VI relinquished the title of emperor in 1947. The imperial cities of Berlin, Paris, Vienna, and New Delhi bear witness to vanished empires.Using a wide range of source Projecting Imperial Power explains the imperial ambition behind these imperial cities. It discusses how the empires and their rulers are remembered today by examining how the imperial statues that were erected in huge numbers in the second part of the period are treatedtoday, and how this demonstrates the contested place of emperors in national cultural memory.