Defender of the Faith

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Fidei defensor
)

Defender of the Faith (

Latin: Fidei Defensor or, specifically feminine, Fidei Defensatrix; French: Défenseur de la Foi) is a phrase that has been used as part of the full style
of many English, Scottish, and later British monarchs since the early 16th century. It has also been used by some other monarchs and heads of state.

Scottish, English and British usage

History

Medal of Queen Mary I with the legend "Maria I Reg. Angl. Franc. et Hib. Fidei Defensatrix"

The earliest use of the term appears in 1507, when King James IV of Scotland was granted the title of "Protector and Defender of the Christian Faith" by Pope Julius II. The title was conferred on James IV by the papal legate Robert Bellenden in a lavish ceremony in Holyrood Abbey.[1][2]

"Defender of the Faith" has been one of the subsidiary titles of the English and later British monarchs since it was granted on 11 October 1521 by

Protestant Reformation, especially the ideas of Martin Luther.[6][7]

Following Henry's decision to break with

supreme governors
.

King

monarch of Scotland
.

During

restoration
of the monarchy and remains in use to this day.

Modern usage

Church decorations in Vulture Street, South Brisbane for the royal visit, 1954

In his capacity as

British coins by the abbreviations F D or FID DEF. This notation was first added to British coins in 1714, during the reign of King George I. The decision of the Royal Mint to omit this and certain other parts of the monarch's style from the "Godless Florin" in 1849 caused such a scandal that the coin was replaced.[11]

In most Commonwealth realms, the phrase does not appear in the Monarch's full style, though the initial "By the Grace of God" is maintained. For example, in Australia, King Charles is currently styled "by the Grace of God, King of Australia and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth". He is additionally styled "Defender of the Faith" only in New Zealand and the UK. Canada had initially chosen to include the phrase, not because the sovereign is regarded as the protector of the state religion (Canada has none), but as a defender of faith in general. In a speech to the House of Commons in 1953, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent stated:

The rather more delicate question arose about the retention of the words, "Defender of the Faith". In England there is an established church. In our countries [the other monarchies of the Commonwealth] there are no established churches, but in our countries there are people who have faith in the direction of human affairs by an all-wise providence, and we felt that it was a good thing that the civil authorities would proclaim that their organisation is such that it is a defence of the continued beliefs in a supreme power that orders the affairs of mere men, and that there could be no reasonable objection from anyone who believed in the Supreme Being in having the sovereign, the head of the civil authority, described as a believer in and a defender of the faith in a supreme ruler.

— Louis St. Laurent

[citation needed]

However, the style used on Canadian coinage is simply D.G. Rex (Dei Gratia Rex, "By the Grace of God, King").

In Australia, the monarch held the title "Defender of the Faith" until 1973, when it was formally removed. (The words "by the Grace of God" were retained, however.)[12]

At various times, some countries of the Commonwealth retained the title until they formally became republics, e.g. South Africa from 29 May 1953. Others dropped it while still a dominion of the Commonwealth: e.g. Pakistan dropped the title in 1953 in recognition of the contradiction between its population being overwhelmingly Muslim and having a monarch who was a defender of the Christian faith.

King Charles III, when still heir apparent, expressed a preference to change the spirit of this role should he succeed to the throne as expected. He commented in 1994: "I personally would rather see [my future role] as Defender of Faith, not the Faith"; however, he clarified in 2015 that "while at the same time being Defender of the Faith you can also be protector of faiths".[13]

In the spring of 2023, the Canadian government introduced a bill to change the title of the Canadian sovereign by dropping the reference to the United Kingdom and the phrase "Defender of the Faith".[14] The bill was approved by parliament and given royal assent on 22 June 2023;[15] however, the new style and title did not become operative until the King issued a proclamation on 8 January 2024.[16] The Canadian title is now:

Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Canada and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonnweath./Charles Trois, par la grâce de Dieu, Roi du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth.[17]

Usage in the French language

Haiti

In 1811 when he proclaimed himself king, Henri I of Haiti awarded himself the title "le défenseur de la foi" and incorporated it into his full style:[18] [note 1]

par la grâce de Dieu et la loi constitutionnelle de l'état, roi du Haïti, souverains de Tortuga, Gonâve et d'autres îles adjacentes, destroyer de tyrannie, régénérateur et bienfaiteur de la nation de Haitian, créateur de ses établissements moraux, politiques et de Martial, le premier a couronné le monarque du nouveau monde, le défenseur de la foi, fondateur de la commande royale et militaire de Saint-Henry

which translates to English as:

by the Grace of God and the Constitutional Law of the State, King of Haiti, Sovereign of Tortuga, Gonâve and other adjacent Islands, Destroyer of Tyranny, Regenerator and Benefactor of the Haitian Nation, Creator of her Moral, Political and Martial Institutions, First Crowned Monarch of the New World, Defender of the Faith, founder of the Royal and Military Order of Saint-Henry

Canada

The French variant was used until 2024 as part of the official French-language version of the monarch's style in Canada: "Charles Trois, par la grâce de Dieu Roi du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth, Défenseur de la Foi."[19]

Elsewhere

In 1684, Pope Innocent XI granted the honorary title Defensor Fidei (Polish: Obrońca Wiary) to John III Sobieski, king of Poland, who took the supreme command of the Christian Coalition army during the Battle of Vienna, considered as a turning point in the history of Europe, preventing it from being conquered by the Ottoman Empire.[20][21]

One of the titles of

Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, was Defender of the Faith.[22][23]

One of the titles bestowed to Shivaji, the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, was Haindava Dharmoddharaka, which means Defender of Hinduism.[24]

In

Mosque of the Prophet in Medina, as well as protecting the Hajj pilgrimage and its rituals, is called the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. This title is currently held by the King of Saudi Arabia
.

Similar titles

The monarchs of other countries have received similar titles from the pope:

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Kingdom of Haiti's constitution only gave the introductory legitimation and first title: par la grâce de Dieu et la loi constitutionnelle de l'état, roi d'Haïti.

References

  1. ^ Grant's "Old and New Edinburgh"
  2. ^ Macdougall, Norman, James IV, Tuckwell (1997); pp. 22.
  3. ^ "defender of the faith – English royal title".
  4. ^ "Defender of the Faith". Medieval Manuscripts Blog. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  5. ^ Antonia Fraser, The Wives of Henry VIII, page 95
  6. .
  7. ^ "Defender of the Faith" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. VII (9th ed.). 1878. p. 25.
  8. . Dawsons of Pall Mall. 1963. establishing the English title "Henry the Eight by the grace of God Kyng of Englonde Fraunce and Irelande Defendor of the faithe, and of the Churche of Englonde, and also of Irelande in earthe the supreme Hedde"
  9. ^ Cameron, Jamie, James V, Tuckwell (1998), 288.
  10. ^ Hay, Denys, ed., Letters of James V, HMSO (1954), 328.
  11. ^ Stephen Appleton (September 2001). "Agnostic Coinage". Queensland Numismatic Society. Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  12. ^ Williams, Roy (2013). In God They Trust?. p. 168. Canberra: Bible Society Australia.
  13. ^ "Faith". The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. princeofwales.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  14. ^ Woolf, Marie (19 April 2023). "King's Canadian title – dropping defender of the faith – is break with tradition: Church figures, constitutional experts". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Royal Style and Titles Act, 2023 (Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1, Part 4, Division 31—section 510)". LEGISinfo. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Proclamation Establishing for Canada the Royal Style and Titles: SI/2024-4, dated January 8, 2024".
  17. ^ Royal Style and Titles Act, 2023, section 2.
  18. ^ Cahoon, Ben M. (2019). "Haiti". worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  19. ^ Loi sur les titres royaux, L.R.C. (1985), ch. R-12
  20. ^ "Jan III Sobieski – A Polish King in Vienna" (PDF).
  21. .
  22. ^ Belay, Tigist; Astill, James (2 November 1998). "Lion of Judah controversial to the last". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Defender of Faith". The Sunday Mail. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  24. .