This week, we’re kicking off a two-part series on Charlotte of Belgium (sometimes known as Carlota of Mexico) while sipping on a Ranch Water. In Part One, we meet Charlotte as a beloved child turned purpose-driven young woman, then follow her whirlwind courtship with Archduke Maximilian of Austria and her arrival at the rigid Habsburg court.

If that court sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve been here before — this is the same world that made life miserable for Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), married to Emperor Franz Joseph. Charlotte, however, seems to understand the assignment, quickly becoming everything a Habsburg princess is supposed to be… even as her marriage quietly begins to unravel.

From whispered affairs in Italy to a voyage that breaks her marriage beyond repair, Charlotte’s story takes a sharp, devastating turn. And just when it seems like things couldn’t get worse, a knock at the door offers an unexpected — and dangerous — new role: Empress of Mexico.

Cheers 🥂

Time stamps:

00:00 – Disclaimer from Vulgar History
01:26 – Meet Charlotte of Belgium
04:25 – A Very Well-Connected Childhood
14:17 – From Happy Kid to Purpose-Driven Princess
17:08 – Marriage Season Has Entered the Chat
18:50 – Enter: Archduke Maximilian
24:59 – Love at First Sight (For Charlotte, Anyway)
29:15 – Thrown Into the Austrian Court
34:28 – Italy: The Honeymoon That Wasn’t
41:27 – The Voyage That Broke the Marriage
45:53 – Separate Bedrooms Forever
47:46 – So… Want to Be Emperor of Mexico?

Sources

Charlotte's Chart

History Tea Time

Thought co

Queens Podcast Empress of Austria aka Sisi series

Behind the Bastards: King Leopold II

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