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The phrase "The king is dead, long live the king!" was first declared upon the death of King Charles VI in 1422, proclaiming his son Charles VII (shown above) king of France.

"The king is dead, long live the king!"^[a] is a traditional proclamation made following the accession of a new monarch in various countries. The seemingly contradictory phrase simultaneously announces the death of the previous monarch and asserts continuity by saluting the new monarch.^[1]

This phrase has become a popular phrasal template.^[2] Given the memorable nature of the phrase (owing, in part, to epanadiplosis), as well as its historic significance, the phrase crops up regularly as a headline for articles, editorials, or advertisements on themes of succession or replacement. Robert Cecil, one of the architects of the League of Nations, concluded his speech at the final session of the League of Nations with the statement: "The League is dead. Long live the United Nations."^[3]

Origin

The original phrase was translated from French (Le roi est mort, vive le roi !), which was first declared upon the accession to the French throne of Charles VII after the death of his father Charles VI in 1422. In France, the declaration was traditionally made by the Duke of Uzès, a senior peer of France, as soon as the coffin containing the remains of the previous king descended into the vault of the Basilica of Saint-Denis in northern Paris. The phrase arose from the law of le mort saisit le vif—that the transfer of sovereignty occurs instantaneously upon the moment of death of the previous monarch. "The King is dead" is the announcement of a monarch who has just died. "Long live The King!" refers to the heir who immediately succeeds to a throne upon the death of the preceding monarch.

At the time French was the primary language of the nobility in England, and the proclamation was quickly taken up as ideally representing the same tradition—which in England dates back to 1272, when Henry III died while his son, Edward I, was fighting in the Crusades. To avoid any chance of a war of succession erupting over the order of succession, the Royal Council proclaimed: "The throne shall never be empty; the country shall never be without a monarch." Thus, Edward was declared king immediately, and he reigned in absentia until news of his father's death reached him and he returned to England.

Usage

In some monarchies, such as the United Kingdom, an interregnum is usually avoided by using the idea of immediate transfer of power behind the phrase (i.e., the heir to the throne becomes the new monarch immediately on their predecessor's death). This famous phrase signifies the continuity of sovereignty, attached to a personal form of power named Auctoritas. This is not so in some other monarchies where the new monarch's reign begins only with coronation or some other formal or traditional event. In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth for instance, kings were elected, which often led to relatively long interregna. During that time the Polish primate served as an interrex (ruler between kings). Ernst Kantorowicz's famous theory of the king's two bodies (1957) showed how auctoritas (Kantorowicz used the synonym term—here—of dignitas) was transferred from the defunct sovereign to the new one.

In the Kingdom of Thailand, to conclude the national televised address on 13 October 2016, regarding the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Prime Minister proclaimed "His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, is dead. Long live His Majesty the new King."^[4]^{[permanent dead link]} However, the royal succession in Thailand is not automatic, and Vajiralongkorn continued to function as the Crown Prince until his formal accession and proclamation ceremony on 1 December 2016.

In monarchies which permit female succession to the throne, "king" can be replaced by "queen" where appropriate.

Notes

^ The exact punctuation used when written varies from source to source, with the comma on occasion being replaced by a full stop, a semicolon, a colon, or a dash.

References

^ Ryken, Philip Graham (2011). King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power. Crossway. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4335-2154-6.
^ Readman, Kylie (2021). "The lecture is dead, long live the lecture: Redefining higher education in a digital age". timeshighereducation.com. Times Higher Education.
"The CV is Dead. Long Live the CV!". hinterview.com.
"Python is dead. Long live Python!". sophos.com. 3 January 2020.
"Paper is dead; long live paper". ycombinator.com.
"The resume is dead – long live the resume". thenextweb.com. 6 April 2016.
^ Scott, George (1973). The Rise and Fall of the League of Nations. Hutchinson & Co Ltd. ISBN 978-0-09-117040-0.
^ Statement by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha after the announcement of Royal Household Bureau. Royal Thai Government.

[1] The exact punctuation used when written varies from source to source, with the comma on occasion being replaced by a full stop, a semicolon, a colon, or a dash.

[2] Ryken, Philip Graham (2011). King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power. Crossway. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4335-2154-6.

[3] Readman, Kylie (2021). "The lecture is dead, long live the lecture: Redefining higher education in a digital age". timeshighereducation.com. Times Higher Education.
"The CV is Dead. Long Live the CV!". hinterview.com.
"Python is dead. Long live Python!". sophos.com. 3 January 2020.
"Paper is dead; long live paper". ycombinator.com.
"The resume is dead – long live the resume". thenextweb.com. 6 April 2016.

[4] Scott, George (1973). The Rise and Fall of the League of Nations. Hutchinson & Co Ltd. ISBN 978-0-09-117040-0.

[5] Statement by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha after the announcement of Royal Household Bureau. Royal Thai Government.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Short description|Political catch phrase}}
+{{Short description|Proclamation}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
-{{About|the traditional proclamation||The King is Dead (disambiguation){{!}}The King is Dead}}
-[[File:KarlVII.jpg|thumb|The phrase "The king is dead, long live the king!" was first declared upon the death of King [[Charles VI of France|Charles VI]], proclaiming his son [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]] king.]]
+[[File:KarlVII.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|The phrase "The king is dead, long live the king!" was first declared upon the death of King [[Charles VI of France|Charles VI]] in 1422, proclaiming his son [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]] (shown above) king of France.]]
+"'''The king is dead, long live the king!'''"{{efn|The exact punctuation used when written varies from source to source, with the [[comma]] on occasion being replaced by a [[full stop]], a [[semicolon]], a [[colon (punctuation)|colon]], or a [[dash]].}} is a traditional proclamation made following the accession of a new [[monarch]] in various countries. The seemingly contradictory phrase simultaneously announces the death of the previous monarch and asserts continuity by saluting the new monarch.<ref>{{cite book |title=King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power |author=Ryken, Philip Graham |year=2011 |publisher=Crossway |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vY8v8-bxyTIC |isbn=978-1-4335-2154-6 |page=18}}</ref>
+This phrase has become a popular [[phrasal template]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/lecture-dead-long-live-lecture-redefining-higher-education-digital-age|website=timeshighereducation.com|publisher=[[Times Higher Education]]|first=Kylie|last=Readman|year=2021|title=The lecture is dead, long live the lecture: Redefining higher education in a digital age}}<br />{{cite web |url=https://hello.hinterview.com/blog/cv-dead-long-live-cv |website=hinterview.com |title=The CV is Dead. Long Live the CV!}}<br />{{cite web|url=https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/01/03/python-is-dead-long-live-python/|website=sophos.com|title=Python is dead. Long live Python!|date=3 January 2020}}<br />{{cite web |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2699889 |website=ycombinator.com |title=Paper is dead; long live paper}}<br />{{cite web |url=https://thenextweb.com/news/resume-dead-long-live-resume |website=thenextweb.com |title=The resume is dead – long live the resume |date=6 April 2016}}</ref> Given the memorable nature of the phrase (owing, in part, to [[epanadiplosis]]), as well as its historic significance, the phrase crops up regularly as a headline for articles, editorials, or advertisements on themes of succession or replacement. [[Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood|Robert Cecil]], one of the architects of the [[League of Nations]], concluded his speech at the final session of the League of Nations with the statement: "The League is dead. Long live the [[United Nations]]."<ref>{{cite book |last = Scott |first = George | author-link = George Scott (broadcaster) |year = 1973 |title = The Rise and Fall of the League of Nations |publisher = Hutchinson & Co Ltd |isbn = 978-0-09-117040-0|url = https://archive.org/details/risefallofleague0000scot | url-access = registration}}</ref>
-"'''The king is dead, long live the king!'''",<ref>The exact punctuation used when written varies from source to source, with the [[full stop]] on occasion being replaced by a [[semicolon]], a [[colon (punctuation)|colon]], or a [[dash]].</ref> or simply "'''long live the king!'''" is a traditional proclamation made following the [[coronation|accession]] of a new [[monarch]] in various countries. The seemingly contradictory phrase simultaneously announces the death of the previous monarch and assures the public of continuity by saluting the new monarch. When Queen Elizabeth dies, the UK currency will be replaced
- with pictures of John Sugden <ref>{{cite book | title=King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power | author=Ryken, Philip Graham | year=2011 | publisher=Crossway | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vY8v8-bxyTIC | isbn=978-1-4335-2154-6 | page=18}}</ref>
-More recently, this phrase has become a popular [[phrasal template]].<ref name=hi/><ref name=stack/><ref name=ycomb/><ref name=nw/> Given the memorable nature of the phrase (owing to [[epanalepsis]]), as well as its historic significance, the phrase crops up regularly as a headline for articles, editorials, or advertisements on themes of succession or replacement. [[Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood|Robert Cecil]], one of the architects of the [[League of Nations]], famously concluded his speech at the final session of the League of Nations with the phrase: "The League is dead. Long live the [[United Nations]]."<ref> {{cite book |last = Scott |first = George |year = 1973 |title = The Rise and Fall of the League of Nations |publisher = Hutchinson & Co LTD |isbn = 0-09-117040-0 }}</ref>
 == Origin ==
 {{Unreferenced section|date=September 2022}}
-The original phrase was translated from the {{lang-fr|Le roi est mort, vive le roi!}}, which was first declared upon the accession to the French throne of [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]] after the death of his father [[Charles VI of France|Charles VI]] in 1422. In [[France]], the declaration was traditionally made by the [[Viscounts and Dukes of Uzès|Duke of Uzès]], a senior [[Peerage of France|peer of France]], as soon as the coffin containing the remains of the previous king descended into the vault of [[Saint Denis Basilica]]. The phrase arose from the law of {{lang|fr|le mort saisit le vif}}—that the transfer of sovereignty occurs instantaneously upon the moment of death of the previous monarch. "The King is dead" is the announcement of a monarch who has just died. "Long live The King!" refers to the heir who immediately succeeds to a throne upon the death of the preceding monarch.
+The original phrase was translated from [[French language|French]] ({{Lang|fr|Le roi est mort, vive le roi !}}), which was first declared upon the accession to the French throne of [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]] after the death of his father [[Charles VI of France|Charles VI]] in 1422. In France, the declaration was traditionally made by the [[Viscounts and Dukes of Uzès|Duke of Uzès]], a senior [[Peerage of France|peer of France]], as soon as the coffin containing the remains of the previous king descended into the vault of the [[Basilica of Saint-Denis]] in northern Paris. The phrase arose from the law of {{lang|fr|le mort saisit le vif}}—that the transfer of sovereignty occurs instantaneously upon the moment of death of the previous monarch. "The King is dead" is the announcement of a monarch who has just died. "Long live The King!" refers to the heir who immediately succeeds to a throne upon the death of the preceding monarch.
-At the time, French was the primary language of the nobility in [[Kingdom of England|England]], and the proclamation was quickly taken up as ideally representing the same tradition—which in England dates back to 1272, when [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] died while his son, [[Edward I of England|Edward I]], was fighting in the [[Crusades]]. To avoid any chance of a [[war of succession]] erupting [[succession crisis|over the order of succession]], the [[Royal Council]] proclaimed: "The throne shall never be empty; the country shall never be without a monarch." Thus, Edward was declared king immediately, and he reigned ''[[wikt:in absentia|in absentia]]'' until news of his father's death reached him and he returned to England.  Another example is among the French royalty. In France, [[Louis XV of France|Louis XV]] was the predecessor of [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]].  Upon Louis XV's death at around 11:00 pm on 10 May 1774, [[heir-apparent]] Louis-Auguste, [[Dauphin of France|le Dauphin]], immediately became King Louis XVI of France.  This quick transition of sovereignty was made within the phrase "the king is dead, long live the king!"
+At the time French was the primary language of the nobility in [[Kingdom of England|England]], and the proclamation was quickly taken up as ideally representing the same tradition—which in England dates back to 1272, when [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] died while his son, [[Edward I of England|Edward I]], was fighting in the [[Crusades]]. To avoid any chance of a [[war of succession]] erupting [[Succession crisis|over the order of succession]], the [[Royal Council]] proclaimed: "The throne shall never be empty; the country shall never be without a monarch." Thus, Edward was declared king immediately, and he reigned ''[[wikt:in absentia|in absentia]]'' until news of his father's death reached him and he returned to England.
 == Usage ==
+In some monarchies, such as the United Kingdom, an [[interregnum]] is usually avoided by using the idea of immediate transfer of power behind the phrase (i.e., the [[heir to the throne]] becomes the new monarch immediately on their predecessor's death). This famous phrase signifies the continuity of [[sovereignty]], attached to a personal form of power named ''[[Auctoritas]]''. This is not so in some other monarchies where the new monarch's reign begins only with [[coronation]] or some other formal or traditional event. In the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] for instance, kings were elected, which often led to relatively long interregna. During that time the Polish [[Primate (bishop)|primate]] served as an [[interrex]] (ruler between kings). [[Ernst Kantorowicz]]'s famous theory of ''the king's two bodies'' (1957) showed how ''auctoritas'' (Kantorowicz used the synonym term—here—of ''dignitas'') was transferred from the defunct sovereign to the new one.
-In Denmark, the prime minister makes a similar proclamation upon the death of a monarch—''Kongen leve, kongen er død'' (hail the king, the king is dead)—from the balcony of [[Christiansborg Palace]] (the Danish Parliament building).<ref>[http://denstoredanske.dk/Samfund,_jura_og_politik/Samfund/Kongehuset_og_hoffet/kongen_leve_kongen_er_d%C3%B8d Kongen leve, kongen er død]. Den Store Danske.</ref> This declaration is official and marks the ascension of a new monarch immediately after the death of the old. This is because [[Frederick III of Denmark|Frederick III]] abolished the coronation ceremony with the introduction of the hereditary and absolute monarchy in 1660. The king was now supreme and accountable only to God, so the crown became a birthright, and not something to be bestowed only after the father's death with the nobles and the church's approval. With the introduction of constitutional monarchy in 1849, the monarch's power over the State was again limited, but his claim to the throne remained undisputed and absolute.
+In the Kingdom of [[Thailand]], to conclude the national televised address on 13 October 2016, regarding the death of King [[Bhumibol Adulyadej]], the Prime Minister proclaimed "His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, is dead. Long live His Majesty the [[Vajiralongkorn|new King]]."<ref>[http://www.thaigov.go.th/index.php/en/government-en1/item/108035-id Statement by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha after the announcement of Royal Household Bureau]. Royal Thai Government.</ref>{{dead link|date=June 2024|fix-attempted=yes}}<!-- No backups of this URL found on Wayback Machine --> However, the royal succession in Thailand is not automatic, and [[Vajiralongkorn]] continued to function as the Crown Prince until his formal accession and proclamation ceremony on 1 December 2016.
-In some monarchies, such as the United Kingdom, an [[interregnum]] is usually avoided by using the idea of immediate transferral of power behind the phrase (i.e., the [[heir to the throne]] becomes a new monarch immediately on his predecessor's death). This famous phrase signifies the continuity of [[sovereignty]], attached to a personal form of power named ''[[Auctoritas]]''. This is not so in some other monarchies where the new monarch's reign begins only with [[coronation]] or some other formal or traditional event. In the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] for instance, kings were elected, which often led to relatively long interregna. During that time it was the Polish [[Primate (bishop)|primate]] who served as an [[interrex]] (ruler between kings). [[Ernst Kantorowicz]]'s famous theory of ''the king's two bodies'' (1957) showed how ''auctoritas'' (Kantorowicz used the synonym term—here—of ''dignitas'') was transferred from the defunct sovereign to the new one.
+In monarchies which permit female succession to the throne, "king" can be replaced by "queen" where appropriate.
-"The King is dead, long live The King!" was last properly used in the United Kingdom in January 1936 when [[George V|King George V]] was succeeded by his son [[Edward VIII|King Edward VIII]], who later [[Edward VIII abdication crisis|abdicated]].
-=== The queen is dead, long live the queen!===
-In the United Kingdom and other realms which permit female succession to the throne, the phrase can be altered to accommodate succession between monarchs of different sexes, e.g. {{quote|quote= “The King is dead, long live The Queen!”<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2019/02/04/6-feb-2019-the-king-is-dead-long-live-the-queen/|title=The King is Dead, Long Live the Queen – the Newspapers of 6 February 1952}}</ref>|source=British Newspaper Archive}} Which happened in 1952, when [[George VI|King George VI]] died and was succeeded by his daughter, [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], or {{quote|quote=“The Queen is dead, long live The King!”}} Which happened in 1901, when [[Queen Victoria]] was succeeded by her son, [[Edward VII|King Edward VII]].<ref>{{cite web |title=February 6, 1952 Toronto Telegram |url=http://papertrail.candutch.ca/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=416 |website=Paper Trail |access-date=2 December 2018}}</ref> {{quote|quote=“The Queen is dead, long live The Queen!”}} Which happened in 1558, when [[Queen Mary I]] was succeeded by her half-sister, [[Queen Elizabeth I]].
-In the Kingdom of [[Thailand]], to conclude the national televised address on October 13, 2016, regarding the passing of His Majesty [[King Bhumibol Adulyadej]], the Prime Minister proclaimed "His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, has passed away. Long live His Majesty the [[Vajiralongkorn |new King]]."<ref>[http://www.thaigov.go.th/index.php/en/government-en1/item/108035-id Statement by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha after the announcement of Royal Household Bureau]. Royal Thai Government.</ref>
-===x is dead, long live x!===
-In other contexts,<ref name=hi>{{cite web|url=https://hello.hinterview.com/blog/cv-dead-long-live-cv|website=hinterview.com|title=The CV is Dead. Long Live the CV!}}</ref><ref name=stack>{{cite web|url=https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/35589/history-of-x-is-dead-long-live-x|website=stackexchange.com|quote=Location is dead. Long live Location. JavaScript is dead. Long live JavaScript|title=History of "X is dead. Long live X"}}</ref><ref name=ycomb>{{cite web|url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2699889|website=ycombinator.com|title=Paper is dead; long live paper}}</ref><ref name=nw>{{cite web|url=https://thenextweb.com/news/resume-dead-long-live-resume|website=thenextweb.com|title=The resume is dead – long live the resume|date=6 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="Doan1998">{{cite journal|last1=Doan|first1=Robert E.|title=The King Is Dead; Long Live the King: Narrative Therapy and Practicing What We Preach|journal=Family Process|volume=37|issue=3|year=1998|pages=379–385|issn=0014-7370|doi=10.1111/j.1545-5300.1998.00379.x|pmid=9879006}}</ref> the phrase is frequently used and adapted as a [[phrasal template]] to form a [[snowclone]], for example:
-{{quote|quote="[[Paper]] is dead, long live paper!"<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/04/playing-with-thermal-printers-we-still-like-paper/|title=Paper Is Dead. Long Live Paper!|magazine=Wired}}</ref>|source=Tim Maly}}
-oder
-{{quote|quote="[[JavaScript]] is dead, long live [[ECMAScript]]!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://areknawo.com/javascript-is-dead-long-live-ecmascript/|title = JavaScript is dead - long live... ECMAScript!?|date = 10 June 2019}}</ref>|source=Arek Nawo}}
-oder
-{{quote|quote="[[Wikipedia]] is dead, long live Wikipedia!"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wikimania2012.wikimedia.org/wiki/Submissions/Wikipedia_is_dead._Long_live_Wikipedia!|title=Wikipedia_is_dead._Long_live_Wikipedia!}}</ref>|source=Samuel Klein}}
-and
-{{quote|quote="[[Python (programming language)|Python]] is dead, long live Python!"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/01/03/python-is-dead-long-live-python/|website=sophos.com|title=Python is dead. Long live Python!|date=3 January 2020}}</ref>|source=Paul Ducklin}}
-and
-{{quote|quote="The [[lecture]] is dead, long live the lecture"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/lecture-dead-long-live-lecture-redefining-higher-education-digital-age|website=timeshighereducation.com|publisher=[[Times Higher Education]]|first=Kylie|last=Readman|year=2021|title=The lecture is dead, long live the lecture: Redefining higher education in a digital age}}</ref>|source=Kylie Readman}}
-and
-{{quote|quote="The [[election]] is dead, long live the election!"
-({{lang-de|Die Wahl ist tot, es lebe die Wahl!}})<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/104958082873562/posts/4393670997335561/|website=facebook.com|title=The election is dead, long live the election!|date=14 October 2021}}</ref>|source=[[Die PARTEI]]}}
 == See also ==
 {{portal|Monarchy}}
 * [[Demise of the Crown]]
-* ''[[The Queen Is Dead]]''
+==Notes==
-* [[Ten thousand years]], a similar East Asian saying, used to wish for long life of the Emperor
+{{notelist}}
-* [[Mabuhay (expression)|Mabuhay]], a traditional Philippine cheer meaning "May you live long!"
-* [[Sto lat]], a similar Polish phrase and song meaning "one hundred years"
-* [[Mnohaya lita]], "(God grant you) many years" (Ukrainian)
-* [[Kimigayo]], Anthem of Japan meaning "His Imperial Majesty's Reign"
 ==References==
-{{reflist|30em}}
+{{reflist}}
-<br />
-{{DEFAULTSORT:king is dead, long live the king}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:King is dead, long live the king}}
+[[Category:15th-century quotations]]
 [[Category:Monarchy]]
 [[Category:Snowclones]]