Metternich Vme-tar-.nikX (-Winneburg-Beilstein), Klemens (Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar), prince von (b. May 15, 1773, Coblenz, archbishopric of Trier—d. June 11, 1859, Vienna, Austria) Aus¬ trian statesman. He served in the diplomatic service as Austrian minister
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Metz ► Mexico I 1247
in Saxony (1801-03), Berlin (1 SOB- OS), and Paris (1806-09). In 1809 Francis I of Austria (see Emperor Francis II) appointed him minister of foreign affairs, a position he would retain until 1848. He helped promote the marriage of Napoleon and Fran¬ cis’s daughter Marie-Louise. By skill¬ ful diplomacy and deceit, he kept Austria neutral in the war between France and Russia (1812) and secured its position of power before finally allying with Prussia and Rus¬ sia (1813). In gratitude for his dip¬ lomatic achievements, the emperor created Mettemich a hereditary prince. As the organizer of the Con¬ gress of Vienna (1814-15), he was largely responsible for the policy of balance of power in Europe to ensure the stability of European govern¬ ments. After 1815 he remained firmly opposed to liberal ideas and revolutionary movements. He was forced to resign by the revolution of 1848. He is remembered for his role in restoring Austria as a leading European power.
Metz \'metz\ French Vmes\ City (pop., 1999 est.: 123,776), northeast¬ ern France. It derives its name from the Mediomatrici, a Gallic tribe who made the city their capital. Fortified by the Romans, it became a bishop¬ ric in the 4th century ad. It passed to Frankish rule in the 5th century and became the capital of Lorraine in 843. It prospered as a free town within the Holy Roman Empire. Taken by the French in 1552, it was formally ceded to France in 1648. It fell to German rule in 1871 but was returned to France after World War I. It is the birthplace of Paul Verlaine.
Porte des Allemands (Gate of the Germans), Metz, France.
P. SALOU-SHOSTAL
Meuse River \'mcez,\ English \'myiiz\ Dutch Maas \'mas\ River, western Europe. It rises in northeastern France and flows north into Bel¬ gium, where it forms part of the border between Belgium and The Neth¬ erlands. It divides at Venlo, Neth., one branch flowing into the Hollandsch Canal (an outlet of the North Sea) and another joining the Waal River to become the Merwede River, which eventually empties into the North Sea. The Meuse is 590 mi (950 km) long, and it is an important waterway in western Europe. Its valley was the scene of heavy fighting in World War I. The crossing of the Meuse was critical to Germany’s invasion of France in 1940 in World War II.
mews Row of stables and coach houses with living quarters above, built behind houses, especially in 17th-18th-century London. Most have been converted into modernized dwellings. The term originally referred to the royal stables in London, built where the king’s hawks once stayed at molting (“mew”) time.
Mexicali City (pop., 2000 est.: 550,000), capital of Baja California (Norte) state, northwestern Mexico. It lies in the Mexicali Valley, an extension of the Imperial Valley of the U.S., in northeastern Baja Califor¬ nia. It extends across the Mexico-U.S. border to Calexico, Calif. Its name, formed from the first two syllables of Mexico and California, was cho¬ sen as a gesture of international friendship. Its economy is chiefly based on tourism and the processing and distribution of cotton, fruits, veg¬ etables, and cereals. It is the seat of the Autonomous University of Baja California.
Mexican process See patio process
Mexican Revolution (1910-20) Lengthy struggle that began with the overthrow of Porfirio Diaz, whose elitist and oligarchic policies had caused widespread dissatisfaction. Francisco Madero, Pancho Villa, Pascual Orozco, and Emiliano Zapata amassed supporters, and in 1911 Madero was declared president, but his slow-paced reforms alienated both former allies and foes. He was deposed by Gen. Victoriano Huerta, whose own drunken and despotic dictatorship quickly fell to Villa, Venustiano Carranza, and Alvaro Obregon. Carranza declared himself president in 1914 over Villa’s objections and, after further bloodshed, prevailed. He oversaw the writing of the liberal constitution of 1917 but did little to implement its key pro¬ visions; in 1920 he was killed while fleeing a rebellion. With the election of the reform-minded Obregon, the revolutionary period ended, though spo¬ radic clashes continued until Lazaro CArdenas took office in 1934.
Mexican War or Mexican-American War (1846-48) War between the U.S. and Mexico. It grew from a border dispute after the U.S. annexed Texas in 1845; Mexico claimed that the southern border of Texas was the Nueces River, while the U.S. claimed it was the Rio Grande. A secret mission by John Slidell to negotiate the dispute and purchase New Mexico and California for up to $30 million was aborted when Mexico refused to receive him. In response to the snub, Pres. James Polk sent troops under Zachary Taylor to occupy the disputed land between the two rivers. In April 1846 Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and attacked Tay¬ lor’s troops; Congress approved a declaration of war in May. Ordered to invade Mexico, Taylor captured Monterrey and defeated a large Mexican force under Antonio Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847. Polk then ordered Gen. Winfield Scott to move his army by sea to Veracruz, capture the city, and march inland to Mexico City. Scott fol¬ lowed the plan, meeting resistance at Cerro Gordo and Contreras, and entered Mexico City in September. Under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico ceded to the U.S. nearly all of present New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas, and Colorado for $15,000,000 and U.S. assumption of its citizens’ claims against Mexico. Casualties included about 13,000 American deaths, all but 1,700 of which were caused by disease. The war, which made a national hero of Taylor, reopened the slavery-extension issue supposedly settled by the Missouri Compromise.
Mexico officially United Mexican States Country, southern North America. The Rio Grande forms part of its northeastern border with the U.S. Area: 758,449 sq mi (1,964,375 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 107,029,000. Capitaclass="underline" Mexico City. More than three-fifths of Mexico’s people are mestizos, about one-fifth are American Indians, and the bulk of the rest are of European ancestry. Languages: Spanish (official); more than 50 Indian languages are spoken. Religion: Christianity (predominantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant). Currency: Mexican peso. Mexico has two major peninsulas, the Yucatan in the southeast and Baja California in the northwest. The high Mexican Plateau forms the core of the country and is enclosed by mountain ranges: the Sierra Madre Occidental, the Sierra Madre Oriental, and the Cordillera Neo-Volcanica. The last has the country’s highest peak, the volcano Citlaltepetl, which reaches 18,406 ft (5,610 m). Mexico has a mixed economy based on agriculture, manufac¬ turing, and the extraction of petroleum and natural gas. About one-eighth of the land is arable; major crops include com, wheat, rice, beans, cof¬ fee, cotton, fruits, and vegetables. Mexico is the world’s largest producer of silver, bismuth, and celestite. It has significant reserves of oil and natu¬ ral gas. Manufactures include processed foods, chemicals, transport vehicles, and electrical machinery. It is a republic with two legislative houses; its head of state and government is the president. Humans may have inhabited Mexico for more than 20,000 years, and the area produced a string of great early civilizations, including the Olmec, Toltec, and Maya. The Aztec empire, another important civilization located in Mexico, was conquered in 1521 by Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes, who established Mexico City on the site of the Aztec capital, TenochtitlAn. Francisco de
Mettemich, black and white chalk drawing by Anton Graff, c. 1803-05; in the Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden, Ger.
COURTESY OF THE STAATUCHE KUNSTSAMMLUNGEN, DRESDEN, GER