Exile

Exile or banishment means being sent away from one's own country, often as a punishment. It can also refer to living far from one's home for other reasons, such as danger or a special purpose. People, groups, and even important organizations like governments can be forced to leave their homes.

In ancient Roman law, exile could be a way to punish someone instead of putting them to death. Some types of exile took away a person's rights and property forever, while others were softer and allowed them to keep these things.

The word diaspora describes when many people from a group are forced or choose to live far from their homeland. Sometimes a government moves to another country but still claims to be the rightful leader of their original nation. Voluntary exile can also happen when someone leaves their home to protest unfair treatment, to show remorse, or to focus on an important goal. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that no one should be exiled without a fair reason.

Internal exile

Internal exile is a type of banishment where a person is sent away from their home but still remains within their own country. This means they cannot return to their normal life or family. One example of this was the Katorga system in Russia.

For individuals

History

See also: Penal transportation and Penal colony

Long ago, banishment was a common way to punish people in places like Babylon, Greece, and Rome. In some old laws, it was the punishment for serious crimes. In Athens, there was a special way to banish someone called ostracism, where people could vote to send a citizen away for ten years. The person could return after that time without losing anything.

In medieval Europe, banishment was also used a lot. In England, people could sometimes choose to go into exile instead of facing punishment if they promised to leave and never come back. Later, many people were sent far away to places like the Americas as a punishment. This continued for many years in Britain and also happened in other countries, like France.

International law and contemporary use

Main article: Denaturalization

Today, taking away someone's citizenship is sometimes seen as a modern type of banishment. International rules now make it hard to take away someone's citizenship unless it is for very serious reasons.

Exiled heads of state

Main article: List of heads of state and government who have been in exile

Sometimes, when a leader is removed from power, they are allowed to leave the country to make things calmer or to avoid trouble.

Avoiding tax or legal matters

Main articles: Tax exile and Fugitive

Some wealthy people move to other countries where taxes are lower. Others might leave to avoid legal problems, like lawsuits or criminal charges.

Avoiding violence or persecution, or in the aftermath of war

People sometimes have to leave their homes to escape danger or unfair treatment. For example, after big changes in government, some people were sent away to safer places.

Euphemism for convict

Exile, government man and assigned servant were all names used in the 19th century for people who were sent from Britain to Australia as punishment.

For groups, nations, and governments

Nation in exile

Main articles: Diaspora and Refugee

When a large group or even an entire nation is forced to leave their home, we say that nation is in exile, or "diaspora". Some nations have been in exile for many years. This includes the Israelites by the Assyrian king Sargon II in 720 BCE, the Judeans who were moved by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 BC, and the Jews after the second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. Jewish prayers often include wishes to return to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel, such as "Next Year in Jerusalem".

After the Partitions of Poland in the late 1700s, many Poles were forced or chose to leave their country, forming large groups of people living abroad, known as Polonia, especially in France and the United States. Since the Cuban Revolution, many Cubans have left their country for political reasons. Their children, born outside Cuba, often still see themselves as connected to Cuba.

Government in exile

Main article: Government in exile

Sometimes, when a country is taken over by a foreign power or after a sudden change in leadership, a government in exile may be set up in another country. One famous example is the Polish government-in-exile during WWII. Another example is the Central Tibetan Administration, often called the Tibetan government-in-exile, led by the 14th Dalai Lama.

For inanimate objects

Ivan the Terrible once sent an object — a bell — far away as a punishment. When people in the town of Uglich used the bell to call for a protest against him, Ivan punished many and sent the bell to Siberia, where it stayed for two hundred years.

In popular culture

Drama

Exile is an important idea in old stories from ancient Greece. It was thought to be a very sad fate. One famous story is Medea by Euripides, written over 2,400 years ago. This play has been performed often over the years.

Art

After Medea was left by her husband Jason, she fled to Athens and married a king there. Later, because of problems with the king's son, she had to leave and go into exile. An artist named John William Waterhouse painted a picture called Jason and Medea showing a moment when Medea tried to harm the king's son.

Literature

In ancient Rome, leaders could force people to leave their homes. The poet Ovid was sent away from Rome to a city far away. He wrote about his sadness in a book called Tristia. Another famous writer, Dante, also spent time away from his home.

The writer Franz Kafka wrote about a character named Karl Rossmann who was forced to leave his home.

During a difficult time in Germany, many people, including writers and artists, had to leave their country. Writers like Klaus Mann and Anna Seghers wrote about their experiences in exile. Their books are still read and enjoyed today.

In more recent times, writers from places like the Caribbean have also written about leaving their homes for new opportunities in other countries. Some of these writers have won important prizes for their work.