Lecture - The Canadian Nobility After the Cession (1774–1815)

A Changing Nobility: Between European Heritage and a New Canadian Reality.

Between 1774 and 1815, the Canadian nobility sought to maintain its status in a society now under British rule. To achieve this, it redefined its cultural and social reference points in order to adapt.

This lecture explores the construction of an identity that is both colonial and transatlantic: an identity that gradually distances itself from “old Europe,” while retaining some of its codes. It highlights a constant tension: on one hand, a desire to distinguish itself from the mother country, and on the other, an attachment to the values and models of the European elite.

Through the study of five prominent families, the lecture examines how the French-speaking nobility transformed and evolved as a distinct group within the imperial elites during this period.

This lecture is presented by the Société historique de Montréal.