You know how long I been waiting for this? Whoo, I’m aboutta make a name for myself here.

Context: On the tenth of may 1676 an (admittedly not so young) Louis XIV is busy dealing with the latest anti French coalition spearheaded by the HRE, Spain and the United Provinces. Now, our good old Louis is in Spanish Netherlands at the helm of a 40k strong army and in dire of a grand victory to remind everyone that he’s the sun king and that Europe better deal with it. 

Indeed, so far in his reign, the only W the Sun King won by himself were either sieges, which happen incredibly quickly because the French chief engineer Vauban is probably the greatest to have graced the world, or were led by someone else while he was frolicking in Versailles (the Grand Condé and Marshall Turenne notably). Therefore, when reports come around announcing that William of Orange army is growing nearer, it’s said that Louis proclaimed:

“Here’s a great day for me!” 

Spoiler alert… his generals advised he not engage because they were here to conduct a siege and everyone remembered the freak cannonball that had killed Turenne last year. Therefore, everyone withdrew. Leaving Louis as king of sieges and France for the times being. 

Source: John A. Lynn, The wars of Louis XIV (1667-1714) p.155