Fidei defensor

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Fidei defensor

"Defender of the Faith" redirects here. For the 1984 platinum album of British heavy metal group Judas Priest
Judas Priest

Judas Priest is an England Heavy metal music band formed in 1969 in Birmingham. Judas Priest's core line-up consists of bass player Ian Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K....
, see Defenders of the Faith
Defenders of the Faith

Defenders of the Faith is the 9th studio album by British Heavy metal music band Judas Priest. The album was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza and mixed from September to November 1983 at DB Recording Studios and Bayshore Recording Studios in Miami, Florida....
.

Fidei defensor is an originally Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
title which translates to Defender of the Faith in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
and Défenseur de la Foi in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
. The phrase has been used as part of the full style

Royal and noble styles

Styles represent the fashion by which monarchs and noblemen are properly addressed. Throughout history, many different styles were used, with little standardization....
of many monarchs since the early 16th century.

History "Defender of the Faith" has been one of the subsidiary titles of the English and later British and Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
monarchs since it was granted on October 17, 1521, by Pope Leo X

Pope Leo X

Pope Leo X, born Giovanni de' Medici was Pope from 1513 to his death. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known primarily for the sale of indulgences to reconstruct St....
to King Henry VIII

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lordship of Ireland and claimant to the Early Modern France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII of England....
of England

England

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Encyclopedia

Fidei defensor is an originally Latin

Latin

English language

French language

Royal and noble styles

English usage

History

"Defender of the Faith" has been one of the subsidiary titles of the English and later British and Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

Pope Leo X

Henry VIII of England

England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. The title was conferred in recognition of Henry's book, Assertio Septem Sacramentorum
Defence of the Seven Sacraments

The Defence of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church is a book, written by King Henry VIII of England in 1521.Henry started to write it in 1518, while he was reading Martin Luther's 95 thesis....
(Defence of the Seven Sacraments), which defended the sacramental nature of marriage

Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
and the supremacy of the Pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
. This was also known as the "Henrician Affirmation" and was seen as an important opposition to the early stages of the Protestant Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe. It is thought to have begun in 1517 with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses and may be considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648....
, especially the ideas of Martin Luther

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a Germans monk, theology, university professor, priest, father of Protestantism, and Protestant Reformers whose ideas started the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western culture....
.

Following Henry's decision to break with Rome

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
in 1530 and establish himself as head of the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
, the title was revoked by Pope Paul III

Pope Paul III

Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He also called the Council of Trent in 1545....
(since Henry's act was regarded as an attack on "the Faith") and Henry was excommunicated

Excommunication

Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. The word literally means putting [someone] out of full communion....
. However, in 1544, the Parliament of England

Parliament of England

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. Its roots can be traced back to the early medieval period. In a series of developments, it came increasingly to constrain the power of the King of England, and went on after the Act of Union 1707 to merge with the Parliament of Scotland and form the main basis of the Pa...
conferred the title, "Defender of the Faith", on King Edward VI

Edward VI of England

Edward VI became List of English monarchs and King of Ireland on 28 January 1547 and was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII of England and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first Protestantism ruler....
and his successors, now the defenders of the Anglican faith, of which they (except the Catholic 'renegade' Mary Tudor

Mary I of England

Mary I , was Queen of England and Monarchy of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived half brother, Edward VI of England, to the English throne....
) remain the Supreme Governors (formally above the Archbishop of Canterbury as Primate

Primate (religion)

Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christianity churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
).

From 1653 until 1659, Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English people Military history of the United Kingdom and Politics of England leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
and Richard Cromwell

Richard Cromwell

Richard Cromwell was the third son of Oliver Cromwell, and was the second Lord Protector#Cromwellian_republican_Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, for just under nine months, from 3 September 1658 until 25 May 1659....
, the republican

Republicanism

Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by other means than hereditary, often elections....
heads of state during the period known as The Protectorate

The Protectorate

In History of the British Isles, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector....
, although more clearly profiled as Protestant than the Monarchy, did not adopt the style

Royal and noble styles

Styles represent the fashion by which monarchs and noblemen are properly addressed. Throughout history, many different styles were used, with little standardization....
, "Defender of the Faith". However, the style was reintroduced after the restoration

English Restoration

The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored under Charles II of England after the Interregnum that followed the English Civil War....
of the monarchy and remains in use to this day.

Modern usage

In her capacity as queen of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
is style

Royal and noble styles

Styles represent the fashion by which monarchs and noblemen are properly addressed. Throughout history, many different styles were used, with little standardization....
d, "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
, Defender of the Faith". The title, "Defender of the Faith", reflects her position as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England

Supreme Governor of the Church of England

The Supreme Governor of the Church of England is a title held by the British Monarch which signifies their titular leadership over the Church of England....
and she is thus formally superior to the Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the Episcopal see that churches must be in communion with in order to be a part of the Anglican Communion....
. The original Latin phrase - Fidei Defensor - is referred to on all current British coin

British coinage

The standard circulating coinage of the United Kingdom is denominated in pound sterling , and, since the introduction of the two pound coin in 1998, ranges in value from one penny to two pounds....
s by the abbreviations, F D or FID DEF. This reference was first added to British coins in 1714, during the reign of King George I. The decision of the Royal Mint

Royal Mint

The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint , Coins of the pound sterling in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but has functioned since 1975 as a Trading Fund, operating in much the same way as a government-owned company....
to omit reference to the phrase (and other parts of the monarch's style) from the Florin (a pre-decimal British coin which has become the 10-pence piece) in 1849, caused such a scandal that the coin was replaced.

In most Commonwealth Realm

Commonwealth Realm

A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 Sovereignty states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as their monarch....
s the phrase does not appear in the Monarch's full style, while maintaining the initial By the Grace of God

By the Grace of God

By the Grace of God, as well as the various equivalent phrases in other languages thus rendered in English language,is not a title in its own right, but a common introductory part of the full styles of many Monarchs, preceding the actual princely styles in chief of the specific realm and/or other principalities ....
. For example, in Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
Queen Elizabeth is presently styled, "...by the Grace of God, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth"). She is only styled "Defender of the Faith" in Canada, New Zealand and the UK. Canada chose 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

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Canadian monarchy and the Senate of Canada. The House of Commons is a democracy elected body, consisting of 40th Canadian Parliament known as Members of Parliament ....
in 1953

1953 in Canada

See also:1952 in Canada,1953,1954 in Canada and theTimeline of Canadian history.----...
, Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Canada

The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet of Canada, and thus head of government of Canada. The office is not outlined in any of the documents that constitute the written portion of the constitution of Canada; executive authority is formally vested in the Monarchy of Canada and exercised on hi...
Louis St. Laurent

Louis St. Laurent

Louis Stephen St-Laurent, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of Canada, Queen's Counsel , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from November 15, 1948, to June 21, 1957....
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."

At various times, some countries of the Commonwealth retained the title until they formally became republics, e.g. South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
from 29 May 1953 and Ireland. Others dropped it even sooner, e.g. in 1953, while still a dominion of the Commonwealth (till 1956), Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
dropped the title in recognition of the contradiction between its overwhelmingly Muslim

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
population and having a monarch as the defender of the Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
faith.

Charles, Prince of Wales

Charles, Prince of Wales

The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the eldest child of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, making him heir apparent, equally and separately, to the thrones of Commonwealth realm....
, the present heir to the thrones of all the Commonwealth Realms, expressed a preference to change the style and the spirit should he succeed as expected. He commented in 1994, "I personally would rather see [my future role] as Defender of Faith, not the Faith".

French usage

In 1811, when he proclaimed himself king, Henri I

Henri Christophe

Henri Christophe was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution, winning independence from France in 1804. On 17 February 1807, after the creation of separate nation in the north Christophe was elected President of Ha?ti of the State of Haiti....
of Haiti

Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Haitian Creole language- and French language-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago....
awarded himself the title, "Défenseur de la Foi", and incorporated it into his long, full style

Royal and noble styles

Styles represent the fashion by which monarchs and noblemen are properly addressed. Throughout history, many different styles were used, with little standardization....
, which translates from the French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
original as: By the grace of God and the constitutional law of the state, King of Haiti, Sovereign of Tortuga

Tortuga

Tortuga is a Caribbean island that forms part of Haiti, off the northwest coast of Hispaniola. It constitutes the commune of ?le de la Tortue in the Port-de-Paix arrondissement of the Nord-Ouest Department of Haiti....
, 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.

Today, the French variant is used as part of the official version of the monarch's style in Canada ("...par la Grâce de Dieu, Reine du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et de ses autres Royaumes et Territoires, Chef du Commonwealth, Défenseur de la Foi" - mainly used in the francophone province of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
).

Fidei defensor

English usage

History

Modern usage

French usage

See also

Sources and References