France Invaded Mexico Over a Bakery Bill

France sent a fleet across the Atlantic, blew up Mexico's greatest fortress and started a war over a pastry chef's unpaid bill. This is the Pastry War. In 1838, a French baker named Remontel claimed Mexican army officers had wrecked his shop. He asked for 60,000 pesos, sixty times what the shop was worth. Mexico said no. So France bundled up every complaint it had, sent Mexico a bill for 600,000 pesos, and when that didn't work, sent the navy. What followed was a blockade, a bombardment, a prince who saluted the cannonball that smashed his dinner plate, and a general named Santa Anna whose leg went on to have a stranger life than most people. It got buried, dug up, given a state funeral, dragged through the streets, and captured by soldiers from Illinois. It still hasn't been given back. It's all true. Unfortunately. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 The war named after pastries 0:37 Mexico: 20 years, 20 presidents 1:30 Monsieur Remontel's bakery bill 2:45 France sends one big bill 4:13 Admiral Baudin and the blockade 5:58 The bombardment of San Juan de Ulúa 7:45 Santa Anna comes out of retirement 8:46 The Veracruz raid (and the leg) 10:31 Britain steps in and the peace treaty 12:00 The leg's afterlife 13:41 Recap and what's next Next time on Pawns of History: France comes back. For seconds. ♟️ ABOUT THE CHANNEL Pawns of History tells the true stories of history's most ridiculous moments, animated. They're the wars, schemes and disasters where the people in charge made terrible decisions and everyone else got pushed around the board. 🔔 Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode, and tell us in the comments which absurd moment in history we should cover next. #History #PastryWar #AnimatedHistory