The monument to Archduke Maximilian in Trieste, postcard, current in 1912

Before he became Emperor of Mexico, Maximilian was in charge of the Austrian Navy. He was particularly attached to Trieste, and it was in the Gulf of Trieste that he had his residence, Miramare Palace, constructed. The monument stands as a metaphor for the Habsburg history of the city, which was at the heart of the Italian irredentist movement.