Le bon roi Dagobert (song)

"Le roi Dagobert", a faience plate from Choisy-le-Roi (late 19th century)

"Le bon roi Dagobert" (French for "The good king Dagobert") is a French satirical anti-monarchical and anti-clerical song written around 1787.[1] It references two historical figures: the Merovingian king Dagobert I (c. 600–639) and his chief advisor, Saint Eligius (Éloi) (c. 588–660), the bishop of Noyon. The song is directed against Louis XVI and the ties maintained by the Catholic Church with the ancien régime, but it was used more broadly against monarchies in French history.

In current times, it is a popular children's song.[2]

  1. ^ "Le bon roi Dagobert". Jean-Marie Borghino (in French). 2021-04-20. Archived from the original on 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  2. ^ Cousin, Bernard (1988). L'enfant et la chanson: une histoire de la chanson d'enfant. Paris: Messidor. ISBN 978-2-209-06009-2.