Queen Victoria and General Gordon: Heroes in the Age of Empires

On October 29th at 7:30 pm I will be delivering a public lecture on the role of Queen Victoria and General Gordon in the formation of  attitudes to imperialism in general, and to the British Empire in particular.

Two of the larger-than-life figures within the British empire’s late-nineteenth century panoply of heroes were Major-General Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), often referred to as Chinese Gordon for his involvement in suppressing a rebellion in China, and Queen Victoria (1819-1901), who reigned from 1837 to her death in 1901.
 
Upon his death General Gordon was described as “the nearest approach to that one Man, Christ Jesus, of any man that ever lived.” Vying for accolades of divinity was Queen Victoria. Upon her death it was stated “were we in the habit of deifying monarchs, we would not, in Queen Victoria, have the worst example of history for such exaltation.”
 
Both Gordon and Queen Victoria were heroic figures in the age of empires, a period coinciding with the New Imperialism, and it is that link with empire that is the focus of this research. More specifically, what role did those two heroes play in the imagination and discourse of Baptists living in the age of empires? The focus is on Baptists within the empire – with special attention to Canada.
 
The event is free of charge, and everyone in welcome. However, you do need to register in advance. Here is the link:  https://discoverheritage.ca/afc2021/