History Atlas

How The Past Is Known
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Historical Figure

Benito Juárez

Also Known As Benito Pablo Juárez García
Statesmen and Political Leaders

Benito Juarez (1806-1872) was a Mexican lawyer and statesman of Zapotec Indigenous descent who served as President of Mexico for much of the period from 1858 to his death in 1872. He rose from a poor rural background to become a leading figure of Mexican liberalism, championing reforms that curtailed the power of the Catholic Church and the military and promoted a secular constitutional state. During the 1860s he led the resistance to the French intervention in Mexico and the imposed rule of Emperor Maximilian, and after Maximilian's defeat and execution in 1867 continued to preside over the restored republic. He is remembered as a central figure of Mexican nation-building and a symbol of resistance to foreign intervention.

Facts
Birth Year
1806 1
Death Year
1872 1
Role
26th president of Mexico; Mexican politician, military officer and lawyer 1
Birth Date
1806-03-21 1
Death Date
1872-07-18 1
Birthplace
Oaxaca 1
Role
Role (category)
Politician / Statesman 1
Role (category)
Military Leader 1
Classification
Gender
Male 1
FAQs

Why did Benito Juárez order the execution of Emperor Maximilian?

The Encyclopedia of World Biography says Juárez, a strict legalist, upheld the court-martial and saw the execution as a warning to other foreign conquerors.

Encyclopedia.com's reprint of the Encyclopedia of World Biography says that Liberal forces captured Maximilian and his main Mexican adherents in Querétaro, and that in June 1867 Juárez ordered the emperor's execution despite worldwide pleas for clemency. It describes Juárez as a strict legalist who would not countermand the court-martial, and says he saw the execution as a firm warning to other foreign conquerors.
Connections

In Era

Source Wikipedia: Benito Juárez

Participant In

Source Reform War - Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikidata: Benito Juarez
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Benito Juárez
Wikipedia
  • Lead paragraph, opening parenthetical (birth date)
    21 March 1806-18 July 1872
  • Lead paragraph, opening parenthetical (death date)
    21 March 1806-18 July 1872
  • Lead paragraph, opening parenthetical (birth year)
    21 March 1806-18 July 1872
  • Lead paragraph, opening parenthetical (death year)
    21 March 1806-18 July 1872
  • Lead paragraph, occupation and office clause
    was a Mexican politician, military officer, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in 1872.
  • Second paragraph, opening sentence
    Born in Oaxaca to a poor rural Indigenous family and orphaned as a child, Juárez passed into the care of his uncle, eventually moving to Oaxaca City at the age of 12, where he found work as a domestic servant.
  • Lead paragraph, full name clause
    Benito Pablo Juárez García
  • Benito Juarez: Gender
    Benito Juarez (1806-1872) was a Mexican lawyer and statesman of Zapotec Indigenous descent who served as President of Mexico for much of the period from 1858 to his death in 1872.
  • In Era: The Late Modern Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
    Infobox: born 1806-3-21; died 1872-7-18
View the Source
Wikidata: Benito Juarez
Wikidata Q98058128, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Reform War - Wikipedia
Participant In: Mexican Reform War, Infobox: commander1
Quote, Participant In: Mexican Reform War, Infobox: commander1
Benito Juárez Santos Degollado Ignacio Zaragoza Santiago Vidaurri Jesús González Ortega Emilio Langberg
View the Source

Take a Related Quiz

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.