ITURBIDE, Agustín
Emperor of Mexico, b. 27 Sept. 1783 at Valladolid (now Morelia), d. 19 July 1824 at Padilla. Having entered the army, he rose to the rank of general. After 1820 he became one of the leaders of the independence movement, and, after the occupation of Mexico City on 23 Sept. 1821, he became first president of the governing junta and then of the Regency. On 18 May 1822 he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico under the name of Agustín I. In the following months, however, Colonel Santa Anna fomented an uprising against the new Empire, and, after the republic was proclaimed in Dec. 1822, even the generals who had previously aided Iturbide went over to the rebels. Iturbide was therefore forced to abdicate on 20 March 1823 and had to leave the country, having always shown respect and devotion toward the Church.
Congress designated Italy as his place of exile. Arriving at Livorno on 20 Aug. 1823, Iturbide, after visiting Florence, intended to settle in Rome. After the death of Pius VII, he turned to the College of Cardinals to obtain permission to reside in the Eternal City, but he was refused by Monsignor Mazio, secretary of the Conclave, allegedly under pressure from the Marquis Vargas, the Spanish ambassador to the Holy See, who accused Iturbide of being chiefly responsible for Mexico’s separation from Spain. He then went to London, where he learned of the dire conditions in his homeland. He therefore decided to return and informed Congress of his intention to offer his arm and his wealth for the good of the country. Upon landing, however, he was taken prisoner and executed by firing squad under a law that declared him a traitor and which had meanwhile been enacted. His eldest son, of the same name, served as a volunteer in the dragoons regiment of the Papal army between 1860 and 1870 and was particularly dear to Pius IX.