Iturbide, Agustín de, << `ee` toor BEE thay, `ah` goos TEEN day >> (1783-1824) ruled Mexico from May 1822 to March 1823 as Emperor Agustín I. In 1821, Iturbide helped create the Plan of Iguala, which proposed that Mexico, then a colony of Spain, become an independent kingdom under a Spanish Bourbon prince. The Bourbons were a French royal family that ruled in Europe. The Plan of Iguala persuaded many conservatives to support independence.
Iturbide was born on Sept. 27, 1783, in Valladolid (now Morelia), Mexico. When Mexico’s fight for independence began in 1810, he became an officer in the Spanish army. By 1820, he commanded Spain’s northern army. But Iturbide became a supporter of Mexican freedom and sought a peaceful solution to the struggle through the Plan of Iguala. Mexico became independent in 1821. Despite opposition, Iturbide became emperor. No suitable European monarch had been willing to accept the crown. A military rebellion soon broke out, and Iturbide was forced to give up his title. He was allowed to go to Europe. A year later, he tried to return and fight for his throne, but he was arrested and shot on July 19, 1824.
