By the Grace of God
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By the Grace of God (
History and rationale
Originally, it had a literal meaning: the divine right of kings was invoked—notably by Christian monarchs—as legitimation (the only one above every sublunary power) for the absolutist authority the monarch wielded, that is, the endorsement of God for the monarch's reign.
By custom, the phrase "by the Grace of God" is restricted to sovereign rulers; in the feudal logic, a vassal held fief not by the grace of God, but by grant of a superior noble. Yet this did not stop kings using it, even when they did homage to the pope (as viceregent of God) or another ruler, such as the Kingdom of Bavaria, a state of the Holy Roman Empire.
Parallels exist in other civilizations, e.g. Mandate of Heaven of the Chinese empire, where for centuries the official decrees by the emperors of China invariably began with the phrase 「奉天承運皇帝,詔曰」 which is translated as "The Emperor, by the Grace of Heaven, decrees".
Contemporary usage
The traditional phrase "by the grace of God" is still included in the full titles and styles of the monarchs of Denmark, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Monaco and the United Kingdom.
In other
The phrase was used in Luxembourg until 2000, when
The phrase is not used in the monarchies of
Variant examples
In some cases, the formula was combined with a reference to another legitimation, especially such democratic notions as the social contract, e.g.
- Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was crowned Napoléon III, Emperor of the French, By the Grace of God and the Will of the Nation (Par la Grâce de Dieu, et la Volonté Nationale) after a plebiscite organised among the French people.
- Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector by the Grace of God, and the Republic, denoting that he was chosen by God to rule but he was put there by the people of the 'Commonwealth' (British republic).
- Agustín de Iturbide of Mexico was styled Agustín I, By the Providence of God, Constitutional Emperor of Mexico. Mexico's second emperor, Maximilian, used the style "By the Grace of God and Will of the People, Emperor of Mexico."
- By the Grace of God and the Will of the Nation (Per Grazia di Dio e Volontà della Nazione) in the Kingdom of Italy, as well as in the Italian Empire, where the king was styled By the Grace of God and the Will of the [Italian] Nation King of Italy, King of Albania, Emperor of Ethiopia which though omitted the titularity as King of Cyprus and Jerusalem which had instead styled the House of Savoypreviously and along with Duke of Savoia, King of Sardinia, Prince of Piedmont
- By the Grace of God and the Will of People in the Henryk Walezy and ending with King Stanisław August Poniatowski, the king was chosen by the noblemen in a free election.
- Sovereigns of the Kingdom of Hawai'iwere styled "By the Grace of God and under the Constitution of the Hawaiian Islands, King (or Queen)"
- Brazilian emperors used the style "By the Grace of God and Unanimous Acclamation of the Peoples, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil" ("Pela Graça de Deus e Unânime Aclamação dos Povos, Imperador Constitucional e Defensor Perpétuo do Brasil") in the constitutional Empire of Brazil.
See also
- Billah
- Dei Gratia Rex, discussing the use of the phrase on coins
- Mandate of Heaven