Queen Victoria, who also bore the title of Empress of India, had a real and abiding interest in the British Empire, but other European monarchs also ruled over possessions 'beyond the seas'. This collection of original essays explores the connections between monarchy and colonialism, from the old regime empires down to the Commonwealth of today. With case studies drawn from Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, the chapters analyse constitutional questions about the role of the crown in overseas empires, the pomp and pageantry of the monarchy as it transferred to the colonies, and the fate of indigenous sovereigns under European colonial control. The volume, with chapters on North America, Asia, Africa and Australasia, provides new perspectives on colonial history, the governance of empire, and the transnational history of monarchies in modern Europe.

Reviews

'The contributors draw upon a wealth of written sources and material culture to provide a global portrait of the relationship between European monarchs and their overseas empires, bringing new perspectives to key themes in the history of imperialism.'
Carolyn Suzanne Harris, University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, Royal Studies Journal

'There are many strong essays in this collection, which certainly make it worth the price of admission.'
Elizabeth Elbourne, McGill University, Australian Historical Studies, February 2018

1 European sovereigns and their empires 'beyond the seas' - Robert Aldrich and Cindy McCreery
2 The British royal family and the colonial empire from the Georgians to Prince George - Miles Taylor
3 Two Victorias? Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria and Melbourne, 1867-68 - Cindy McCreery
4 Kaiser Wilhelm II and the limits of the royal prerogative in German South-West Africa - Matthew P. Fitzpatrick
5 Orangists in a red empire: salutations from a Dutch queen's supporters in a British South Africa - Susie Protschky
6 Sultans and the House of Orange-Nassau: Indonesian perceptions of power relationships with the Dutch - Jean Gelman Taylor
7 The return of the throne: the repatriation of the Kandyan regalia to Ceylon - Robert Aldrich
8 Kingitanga and Crown: New Zealand's Maori King movement and its relationship with the British monarchy - Vincent O'Malley
9 The Maharani of Kutch and courtly life before and after Indian independence - Jim Masselos
10 Colonies, monarchy, empire and the French ancien régime - François-Joseph Ruggiu
11 Napoleon III and France's colonial expansion: national grandeur, territorial conquests and colonial embellishment, 1852-70 - Emmanuelle Guenot
12 The British, the Hashemites and monarchies in the Middle East - Matthieu Rey
13 An empire for a kingdom: monarchy and Fascism in the Italian colonies - Alessandro Pes
14 'So brave Etruria grew': dividing the Crown in early colonial New South Wales, 1808-10 - Bruce Baskerville
15 A new monarchy for a new commonwealth? Monarchy and the consequences of republican India - Harshan Kumarasingham
16 Waiting to die? The British monarchy in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, 1991-2015 - Mark McKenna
Index

Editors

Robert Aldrich is Professor of European History at the University of Sydney

Cindy McCreery is Senior Lecturer in European History at the University of Sydney