The Royal motto of the Swedish monarch is a Swedish royal tradition stemming from the early 16th century. All regents of Sweden, beginning with Gustav Vasa, have had their own motto during their respective periods of reign. The Swedish royal motto is in many ways equivalent to a national motto. The tradition among Swedish regents is different to that of some other monarchies in that the motto is not the same for one dynasty, but is personal to the monarch. Historically the royal motto has been used in connection with the Swedish coat of arms, and today can be seen printed on the 1 krona coin.
Gustav III was the first king to have his motto only in Swedish. Up until Adolf Frederick, the motto for every regent had been in Latin and Swedish (or, as in the case of Gustav II Adolf, in German). Due to the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, Oscar II had to change his motto.
| Regent | Reign | Royal motto (in Swedish) | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
House of Vasa |
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| Gustav Vasa | 1521-1560 | All makt är av Gud | All power is of God |
| Erik XIV | 1560-1568 | Gud giver åt vem Han vill | God gives to whom He wishes |
| Johan III | 1568-1592 | Gud vår beskyddare | God our protector |
| Sigismund | 1592-1599 | För rätten och folket | For the justice and the people |
| Karl IX | 1599-1611 | Gud min tröst | God my comfort |
| Gustav II Adolf | 1611-1632 | Med Gud och segrande vapen | With God and victorious arms |
| Kristina | 1632-1654 | Visheten är rikets stöd | Wisdom is the realm's support |
|
House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (Pfalz) - cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach |
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| Karl X Gustav | 1654-1660 | I Gud mitt öde - Han skall göra det | In God my destiny - He shall do it |
| Karl XI | 1660-1697 | Herren är vorden min beskyddare | The Lord is become my protector |
| Karl XII | 1697-1718 | Med Guds hjälp | With the help of God |
| Ulrika Eleonora | 1719-1720 | I Gud mitt hopp | In God my hope |
|
House of Hesse |
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| Fredrik I | 1720-1751 | I Gud mitt hopp | In God my hope |
|
House of Holstein-Gottorp - cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg |
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| Adolf Fredrik | 1751-1771 | Statens välfärd, min välfärd | The welfare of the state, my welfare |
| Gustav III | 1771-1792 | Fäderneslandet | The fatherland |
| Gustav IV Adolf | 1792-1809 | Gud och folket | God and the people |
| Karl XIII | 1809-1818 | Folkets väl min högsta lag | The welfare of the people my highest law |
|
House of Bernadotte |
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| Karl XIV Johan | 1818-1844 | Folkets kärlek min belöning | The love of the people my reward |
| Oscar I | 1844-1859 | Rätt och sanning | Right and truth |
| Karl XV | 1859-1872 | Land skall med lag byggas | By law the land shall be built |
| Oscar II | 1872-1905 | Brödrafolkens väl | The welfare of the brother peoples |
| 1905-1907 | Sveriges väl | The welfare of Sweden | |
| Gustaf V | 1907-1950 | Med folket för fosterlandet | With the people for the Fatherland |
| Gustaf VI Adolf | 1950-1973 | Plikten framför allt | Duty above all |
| Carl XVI Gustaf | 1973-present | För Sverige i tiden | For Sweden – With the Times |
Famous quotes containing the words royal and/or monarchs:
“When other helpers fail and comforts flee, when the senses decay and the mind moves in a narrower and narrower circle, when the grasshopper is a burden and the postman brings no letters, and even the Royal Family is no longer quite what it was, an obituary column stands fast.”
—Sylvia Townsend Warner (1893–1978)
“There was about all the Romans a heroic tone peculiar to ancient life. Their virtues were great and noble, and these virtues made them great and noble. They possessed a natural majesty that was not put on and taken off at pleasure, as was that of certain eastern monarchs when they put on or took off their garments of Tyrian dye. It is hoped that this is not wholly lost from the world, although the sense of earthly vanity inculcated by Christianity may have swallowed it up in humility.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)