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

Scottish, English and British usage

History

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.

"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 Pope Leo X to King Henry VIII. His wife Catherine of Aragon also used the title. The title was conferred in recognition of Henry's book Assertio Septem Sacramentorum (Defence of the Seven Sacraments), which defended the sacramental nature of marriage and the supremacy of the pope. This was also known as the "Henrician Affirmation" and was seen as an important opposition to the early stages of the Protestant Reformation, especially the ideas of Martin Luther.

Following Henry's decision to break with Rome in 1530 and establish himself as head of the Church of England, the title was revoked by Pope Paul III and he was excommunicated. However in 1543 the Parliament of England conferred (by a bill entitled "The Bill for the Kinges Stile") on King Henry VIII and his successors, now the defenders of the Anglican faith, the style "Henry the Eighth by the Grace of God King of England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith and of the Church of England and also of Ireland in Earth the Supreme Head". All subsequent monarchs (except the Catholic Queen Mary I) became supreme governors.

King James V of Scotland was granted the title of "Defender of the Faith" by Pope Paul III on 19 January 1537, symbolizing the hopes of the papacy that the King of Scots would resist the path that his uncle Henry VIII had followed. Neither this title nor James IV's title of "Protector and Defender of the Christian Faith" became part of the full style of the monarch of Scotland.

During The Protectorate (1653–59), the republican heads of state Oliver Cromwell and Richard Cromwell, more clearly profiled as Protestant than the monarchy, although claiming divine sanction, did not adopt the style "Defender of the Faith". The style was reintroduced after the restoration of the monarchy and remains in use to this day.

Modern usage

In his capacity as King of the United Kingdom, Charles III is styled "Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith". The title "Defender of the Faith" reflects the Sovereign's position as the supreme governor of the Church of England. The original Latin phrase Fidei Defensor is represented on all current 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.

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 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

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.)

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 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".

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". The bill was approved by parliament and given royal assent on 22 June 2023; however, the new style and title did not become operative until the King issued a proclamation on 8 January 2024. 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 Commonwealth./Charles Trois, par la grâce de Dieu, Roi du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth.

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:

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."

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.

One of the titles of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, was Defender of the Faith.

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

In Sunni Islam, the historical leader of the faith was a secular ruler, rather than a spiritual one. The title of this leader was Caliph, deriving from the Arabic Khalifah, which can be loosely translated to "steward", "deputy", or "successor" (as the Caliph was the successor to the Prophet Muhammad, and the steward of his community on Earth). An additional title used by Caliphs was Amir al-Mu'minin, meaning "Commander (Emir) of the Faithful". This title is still used by leaders who have historically claimed the Caliphate but officially do so no longer, like the King of Morocco and the Sultan of Sokoto. The secular ruler responsible for the maintenance and stewardship of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the 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.

In Thailand, five religious groups are legally recognized: Buddhists, Muslims, Brahmin-Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians. There is no official state religion, but the constitution provides (section 7): "The King is a Buddhist and Upholder of religions".

Similar titles

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

• Hungary: Apostolic Majesty (awarded c. 1000)
• France: Most Christian Majesty (awarded c. 1380)
• Spain: Most Catholic Majesty (awarded in 1493)
• Germany: Defensor Ecclesiae (Protector of the Church; awarded to Holy Roman Emperors)
• Poland: Orthodox Majesty (awarded in 1661)
• Portugal: Most Faithful Majesty (awarded in 1748)

See also

• By the Grace of God
• Dieu et mon droit
• Style of the British sovereign
• Defensor Perpétuo do Império do Brasil
• Amir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) in Islam

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. O'Donovan, Louis (5 November 2019). The Defence of the Seven Sacraments. Dalcassian Publishing Company. ISBN 9781538092026.
7. "Defender of the Faith" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. VII (9th ed.). 1878. p. 25.
8. 35 Hen. 8. c. 3, The Bill for the Kinges Stile. 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. Loi sur les titres royaux, L.R.C. (1985), ch. R-12
19. "Jan III Sobieski – A Polish King in Vienna" (PDF).
20. Loon, Gerard Van (1995). Contemporary Numismatics. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-10487-7.
21. Belay, Tigist; Astill, James (2 November 1998). "Lion of Judah controversial to the last". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
22. "Defender of Faith". The Sunday Mail. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
23. Satish Chandra (1982). Medieval India: Society, the Jagirdari Crisis, and the Village. Macmillan. p. 140. ISBN 9780333903964.
24. "Proposed constitution (unofficial translation)". Thai National Assembly. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
25. "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Thailand". www.state.gov. United States Department of State. Retrieved 3 June 2024.

• Latin religious words and phrases
• History of the Church of England
• Monarchy of Canada
• Monarchy in Haiti
• 16th-century Christianity
• Style of the British sovereign