presidents, and 10 Soviet and Russian leaders. ![]() ![]() The reign of nonagenarian Queen Elizabeth II-who took the throne in 1952 and reigned until her death in 2022-saw 15 British prime ministers, 14 U.S. According to The New York Times, “Thais came to see this Buddhist king as a father figure wholly dedicated to their welfare, and as the embodiment of stability in a country where political leadership rose and fell through decades of military coups.” He reigned until his death in 2016 at the age of 88, making him Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch. Though he wasn’t formally crowned until 1950, King Bhumibol became the ninth king in Thailand’s Chakkri dynasty in 1946 after his brother, Ananda Mahidol, died (there was then an accession ceremony, but in Thailand the king doesn’t become full king until consecration). When he died after 70 years and 91 days on the throne, he was succeeded by his brother. He was a patron of the arts and of science, but unlike many other rulers, Johann II was decidedly not a social butterfly he largely avoided social events and never married. Johann IIīorn in 1840, Johann II, prince of Liechtenstein, ruled from 1858 until his death in 1929. He died in September 1715, and was succeeded by his great-grandson, Louis XV. The boy who would become known as the Sun King fled Paris during the civil war known as the Fronde, trained in ballet, turned Versailles from a hunting lodge into a palace, started a number of wars, and supported the arts. He was just 4 when he took the throne in May 1643. The son of France’s Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, Louis XIV was born in September 1638. In contrast, the Swazi saw him as their king ( Nkosi) and lion ( Ngwenyama), the bulwark of tradition and their chief protection against colonial rule.” As Lincoln notes, when the queen regent, Gwamile Mdluli, introduced Sobhuza II to the resident commissioner, she proclaimed he was “Sobhuza II, the paramount chief of Swaziland and king of the Swazi Nation.” In other words: paramount chief of the territory, but king of the people. The former regarded Sobhuza as paramount chief, a title that signified his loss of autonomous authority. According to historian Bruce Lincoln, “he occupied an office that was riddled with ambiguities and contradictions, being understood-indeed, constructed-quite differently by the British and the Swazi. But his record is complicated by Swaziland’s status as a British Protectorate for much of his reign. ![]() He was succeeded by his 4-month-old son, who would be given the royal name Sobhuza II and would continue to reign until his death in August 1982. In December 1899, the king of Swaziland (now Eswatini) Ngwane V died at the age of 23. From K'inich Janaab Pakal to Basil II to Elizabeth II, these are some of the longest-reigning monarchs in history. Heavy is the head that wears the crown-and no one wore that headpiece longer than the men and women on this list.
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