When Emperor Norton Became Protector of Mexico
A certain conventional wisdom holds that Emperor Norton adopted the title "Protector of Mexico" around the time French emperor Napoleon III invaded Mexico in 1862 and installed his puppet ruler Maximilian I in 1864 — and that the Emperor dropped his "Protector" title a few years later.
The documentary record says otherwise.
Evidence suggests that Emperor Norton did not start using "Protector of Mexico" until early 1866, more than halfway into Maximilian’s tenure, but makes clear that he kept using the title — both to advocate for Mexico and for general purposes — for the rest of his life.
A surprising find: Norton I expanded his title to "Emperor of the United States and Mexico" in 1861.
By the time the Emperor assumed his protectorship of Mexico, he had relinquished his emperorship of that country.