Fidei Defensor

Fidei defensor ( " Defender of the Faith ", feminine form of faith defensatrix ) is the Latin origin of the English title of Defender of the Faith and of the French title Defenseur de la Foi.

Defender of the Faith

Fidei defensor or Defender of the Faith is a subordinate title of the English (and later British, Canadian and New Zealand ) monarchs since he was King Henry VIII granted from the House of Tudor on 17 October 1521 by Pope Leo X.. Other great Catholic kingdoms were similar religious titles awarded, for example, Apostolic King.

The title was then awarded in recognition of the book Assertio September Sacramentorum ( "Defence of the Seven Sacraments " ), written by Heinrich and this unnamed Thomas More in defense of the sacramental nature of marriage, and the primacy of the Pope. This was seen as an important countermeasure to the beginnings of the Reformation and especially the ideas of Martin Luther.

When the Tudor king broke with Rome and made ​​himself head of the Church of England, Henry was given the title of Pope Paul III. again denied.

However, the Parliament of England in 1544 gave King Edward VI. and his successors the title " defender of the faith", in their capacity as defender of the Anglican faith, whose Supreme Governor ( Supreme Governor ) (with the exception of the Catholic " apostates " Mary Tudor ) are now ever since. You are here formally to the Archbishop of Canterbury as Primate. Above all, this ceremony took place against Catholicism, and thus in exact reversal of the original award by the Pope. Although the two Cromwells, who were 1653-1659 Lord Protectors of the Republican England, strict Protestant as were the monarchy, they did not take the title of Fidei Defensor, who therefore rested until the Stuart Restoration.

The Latin version of the title, Fidei Defensor, abbreviated as FD or FID DEF, is still available on all British coins. It was first coined in 1714 during the reign of George I on coins.

Most of the other Commonwealth realms that have the same monarch as head of state, can the title of " Defender of the Faith" from the official title, the monarch bears in the country, away, while maintaining the initial grace of God, such as Australia since 19 Oktober 1973.

However, the words are in some Commonwealth Realms or as part of the full title of the King / Queen in use:

• In the UK, the home realm, by May 29, 1953: " the grace of God Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith ". ( In English: "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, Defender of the Faith. " )
• In Canada, as per May 29, 1953: " By the Grace of God Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith ". ( In English: "By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith"; French: "Par la Grâce de Dieu, Reine du Royaume - university, du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et Territoires, Chef du Commonwealth de la Foi Defenseur " )
• In New Zealand and those areas where the Queen as Queen of New Zealand also head of state (Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency ): " By the Grace of God Queen of New Zealand and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith ". ( In English: "By the Grace of God, Queen of New Zealand and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. " )

Canada joined the title not because of a because the sovereign protector of the state religion would be ( Canada does not ), but because he is generally regarded as a defender of the faith. In a speech to the Canadian House of Commons Prime Minister Louis Saint -Laurent said in 1953:

Other countries in the Commonwealth left the title already eliminated before they chose their own head of state, such as Pakistan (which is a Muslim country is anyway ) between May 29, 1953 ( when it was still a Dominion ) to 23 March 1956 ( as it became a republic ): "Queen of the Unite Kingdom and of Her other Realms and Territories, head of the Commonwealth ". Other countries they retained until the creation of an independent Office of the Head of State, for example, Ireland.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, is considering a re-interpretation of the formula. In 1994, he remarked: ". Personally, I see her [ his future task ] rather than the defender of faith, not [ defense ] of faith" was meant to be a defense of any religious conviction. To change the title formally, but it would require the amendment of the Coronation Act of 1688 and the agreement of all Parliaments of the Commonwealth nations, as envisioned in the preamble of the Statute of Westminster in 1931. Although allowed the lack of articles in Latin alternative translation, these drafts to the question whether they still reflect the monarch's role as head of the state church of England, or on the other hand position against infidels, the quasi enjoy religious freedom concerns.

Defenseur de la Foi

Find the French literal counterpart or was used as a

• Official version in the French language in Canada (especially in the French-speaking province of Quebec ), see above;
• Even lent a second title of Henry I, the descendant of slaves king ( of the North) of Haiti ( 1811-1820 ) as part of his long and pompous for such a poor country title, which was translated from the ( grammatically dubious ) French: " From God graces and the constitutional law of the State King of Haiti, sovereign of Tortuga, Gonâve and other neighboring islands, Destroyer of tyranny, innovator and benefactor of the Haitian nation, creators of their moral, political and military institutions, the first crowned monarch of the new World, Defender of the faith, founder of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Henry. "