Louis XIV vs Elizabeth II: Cocorico, why Twitter claims victory

This evening, after the announcement of the death of Elizabeth II, a new 'trending topic' invades twitter: 'Louis XIV'. But what does the 17th century French king have to do with the Queen of England? A story of length of reign...

'Tonight France won'. 'I was shocked. I thought Louis XIV was dead', 'Louis XIV: 'the GOAT [greatest of all time, ndlr] it's me' '... tonight, Twitter is on fire ! As Britain mourns the death of Elizabeth II , a number of Internet users are quick to check the figures: with 72 years between his coronation and his death , the French monarch continues to hold the record for the longest reign.

Louis XIV, a reign record still to be beaten

Indeed, Louis XIV was declared king at... 4 years old! Even if his mother Anne of Austria unofficially exercises the direction of the kingdom with the support of Cardinal Mazarin, his reign therefore begins in 1643, until his death in 1715. Elizabeth II, she reigned 'only' 70 years , from his accession at the age of 25 (or his official coronation, at 26, depending on the methods of counting...) to his death at the age of 96... Internet users have therefore jumped at the chance to point out that the record for longest reign remained French!

Louis XIV remains the King who has reigned the most: 72 years, 3 months, 18 days #Elizabeth II , who died this evening, will have reigned 70 years, 7 months, 2 days.

France wins. pic.twitter.com/NJY2dRjLm8

— Civis_France (@S_B_Fr) September 8, 2022

Louis XIV on learning that his reign as king has not been beaten: pic.twitter.com/eIue5O4atk

— Thomas (@Thomas_arnx) September 8, 2022

'God save the Queen': the secret story of the British anthem...composed for Louis XIV!

Another often misunderstood link unites Elizabeth II of England and the Sun King: the national anthem, 'God save the Queen' (or 'King', when a king is on the throne)! Indeed, the origin of this song is French. The original text says 'Great God, save the king', and it was set to music by Lully, in 1686, to pray to God to save France Louis XIV, then seriously ill and who had to undergo surgery, a decision always very risky at that time, to hope for a cure. It took place successfully and this music became famous. Handel, composer to the English court, heard it during a visit to Versailles and ended up adapting it to the British court, with the success that we know. For the record, the king suffered from a anal fistula ... even the greats of this world have unsavory health problems!