New Canadian Encyclopedia Article: King Louis XIV

My latest article in the Historica Canada Canadian Encyclopedia is about King Louis XIV and his role in the development of New France. Click here to read my article about King Louis XIV.

King Louis XIV, king of France (born 5 September 1638 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France; died 1 September 1715 in Versailles, France). Louis XIV was the longest-reigning monarch in European and Canadian history, serving as the king of France for 72 years (from 1643 to 1715) — nearly two years longer than the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1663, Louis XIV assumed direct control of New France as a Crown Colony, sponsoring increased immigration, regulating the fur trade and creating a stronger French military presence in the region. Despite these efforts, Louis XIV’s military and diplomatic endeavours — including repeated wars with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), as well as the War of the Spanish Succession and the Treaty of Utrecht — shifted the balance of power in North America. This created the eventual conditions for the British conquest of New France with the support of the Iroquois during the Seven Years’ War of 1756–63.

Click here to read my article about King Louis XIV.

CBC News Interview: Royal diplomacy hits the world stage on 2 fronts — Charles in France and William in New York

I discussed the state visit to France by King Charles III and Queen Camilla as well as Prince William’s visit to New York with Janet Davison at CBC News. I also discussed the recent podcast episode about the royal family’s rugby patronages, featuring William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales and Princess Anne.

Click here to read “Royal diplomacy hits the world stage on 2 fronts — Charles in France and William in New York” in the CBC News Royal Fascinator newsletter.

Washington Post Interview: Realms eyeing a split from the monarchy are mostly ignoring coronation

I discussed the relationship between the monarchy and the Commonwealth realms in an interview with Amanda Coletta at the Washington Post.

Click here to read “Realms eyeing a split from the monarchy are mostly ignoring coronation” in the Washington Post

New Book Chapter: Royal Tours of Canada in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth II

A Resilient Crown: Canada’s Monarchy at the Platinum Jubilee, edited by D. Michael Jackson and Christopher McCreery (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2022) is now available for purchase. This book of essays about the Crown in Canada over the past seventy years includes a chapter that I wrote about Royal Tours of Canada in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Click here to purchase A Resilient Crown: Canada’s Monarchy at the Platinum Jubilee

New Canadian Encyclopedia Article: 10 Places in Canada Named After Royalty

My new article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is about 10 of the many places in Canada named after royalty. Click here to read 10 Places in Canada Named After Royalty in the Canadian Encyclopedia.

New Canadian Encyclopedia Article: Royals Who Lived in Canada

In my latest articles in the Canadian Encyclopedia, I discussed members of the royal family who made their home in Canada for months or years from Queen Victoria’s father, the Duke of Kent and Strathearn in the 1790s to Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2020.

Click here to read “Royals Who Lived in Canada” in the Canadian Encyclopedia

North Americana Podcast Interview: The 1939 Royal Tour of Canada and the USA

I discussed King George VI’s and Queen Elizabeth’s 1939 tour of Canada and the United States with Liz Beatty for latest episode of the North Americana podcast: “How a King, a President, a Railway Empire and a Hotdog Helped Save the Free World.”

Click here to listen to “How a King, a President, a Railway Empire and a Hotdog Helped Save the Free World” on the North Americana website. (My quotes are in the last third of the program).

New Reader’s Digest Canada Article: 10 of the Most Memorable Royal Tours of Canada

My new online article for Readers Digest Canada is about 10 Memorable Royal Tours of Canada from the past 100 Years. Although there have not been any Canadian royal tours portrayed in the Netflix series The Crown, the royal family has spent a lot of time in Canada over the past century.

Click here to read 10 of the Most Memorable Royal Tours of Canada at Reader’s Digest Canada

Huffington Post Interview: The Monarchy in Barbados

I discussed the recent announcement that Barbados, one of sixteen Commonwealth realms where Queen Elizabeth II is Head of State, intends to transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic in 2021, with Maija Kappler from the Huffington Post. We also discussed the monarchy in Canada and the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth.

Click here to read “Barbados Is Ditching The Queen As Head Of State. Could That Happen In Canada?” in the Huffington Post