Interesting that the topic would appear today as I just read the book for the first time Sunday. Anyway, I do not think they are the same. Giles did not give the money to the king because he did not think the king deserved it. He thought it was more deserving to those who had been harmed by the dragon. Also his rise was I think mostly just a propmotion as he proved to be a good ruler. It said in the book that before he became a prince he sent taxes to the king. Besides that he did not usurp the kings place he mostly just declared that part of the country indepedent from the rest of the country.
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