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Blessed Canadian republicanism.First published in 1952, Stoke’s “In Distant Exile” is considered one of the most authoritative works on George V, the last King of the United Kingdom, exiled in Canada from 1859 to 1872.
In his work, he paints a complete picture of the reign of King George and the British Revolution. He starts from the initial exodus of the British aristocrats to Canada who would effectively set up an United Kingdom in exile, but with the original monarch having abdicated the throne, it was a king without a kingdom. Pressured by them, the second eldest son of George IV, was crowned in a small ceremony on June 19th 1859 as George V, King of Great Britain and Ireland.
His reign would be defined by his Great Defection; his abdication and backing of the Patriot cause in 1866 before his sudden assassination by his former defenders. Historians had long argued at the time that King George was simply a pawn of the ruling class, unable and unwilling act without thier direction. His reign was marked by his various philanthropic activities for the common settlers which made attempts did little to relieve tensions. Historians had argued that King George did it simply to appease the poor and switched sides when it appeared that his Kingdom was at an end. However, drawing upon newly discovered private letters and government documents, Stokes argues that the King did these activities out of his own volition; at first mainly to spite the oligarchs’ poor rule but soon out of a concern for his citizens. Thus Stoke asserts that King George’s abdication and later support of the Patriots, occurred not to save his own life, but out of genuine support that had to be kept hidden.
Like many of his contemporaries at the time, Stokes agrees that the Canadian Revolution was inevitable due to the power struggles between the existing political cliques of Canada and the exiled aristocrats and the poor governance as a result of it. However unlike his fellow historians, Stokes claims that the complete Anglo-Québécois cooperation seen during the Revolution was not inevitable. Instead he argues that without the leadership of James Storrow and Louis Bourdages standing grievances between the Anglo settlers and the Québécois could have easily boiled over, causing a fracture in the Alliance of Patriots. While he doubts that the British Remnant would survive a revolution, Stokes contends that any overthrow would be much more bloody and result in a more contentious, anglo-dominated post war regime. He goes so far to contend that amiosity could easily spill over into ethnic violence, easily the book’s most controversial sentiment at the time.
Since its publication “In Distant Exile” has become one of the most widely read books on the subject. While his view of Anglo-Québécois relations is still disputed, his arguments over King George’s ‘Great Defection” have since become part of the historical mainstream. Today, his research has proved invaluable in changing the historical view of King George from an opportunistic turncoat to a prominent sympathizer of the Patriot cause and a tragic figure.
Also take your time, quarantine is indeed stressful
