Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy (1890)

FERT (sometimes tripled, ''FERT, FERT, FERT''), the

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...

of the royal house of Savoy-Sardinia and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

, was adopted by Duke

Vittorio Amedeo II Victor Amadeus II (Vittorio Amedeo Francesco; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of Prince of Piedmont, Duke of Montferrat, Marquis of Saluzzo and Count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice. Louis XIV o ...

(1666–1732). It appeared for the first time on the collar of the

Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation ( it, Ordine Supremo della Santissima Annunziata) is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry, originating in Duchy of Savoy, Savoy. It eventually was the pinnacle of the List of Italian orders of knighth ...

, or ''Ordine Supremo della Santissima Annunziata'', the primary dynastic order of the kingdom. This ceased to be a national order when Italy became a republic in 1946. The order remains under the jurisdiction of the head of the House of Savoy, however, as hereditary Sovereign and Grand Master. The meaning of the letters has been a matter of some controversy, to which a number of interpretations have been offered. The motto is believed an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in '' NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, a ...

of: * (Latin: 'Treaty and religion bind us'); * (Latin: 'His strength conquered Rhodes' or 'By his bravery he held

r occupied R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irel ...

Rhodes'), referring to the victory of

Amadeus V, Count of Savoy Amadeus V (1252/1253 – 16 October 1323) was Count of Savoy from 1285 to 1323. Biography Amadeus was the son of Thomas II of Savoy and Beatrice Fieschi. Through his mother he was a grandnephew of Pope Innocent IV. Following his marriage to Sy ...

(1249–1323), who fought against the

Saracens upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

at the

1315 siege of Rhodes Year 1315 (Roman numerals, MCCCXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * May 9 – Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy, Eudes IV succeeds Hugh V as Duke of ...

; or either * (Latin: 'His bravery r strengthpreserves

r defends R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irel ...

the state'); or * (Latin: 'Faith is the protector of urKingdom'). It has also been suggested that the letters are actually the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

word (third-person singular present active indicative of ), meaning ' e/she/itsuffers/bears', possibly referring to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

bearing the

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, ...

s of the world. A

French-language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in No ...

parody of FERT was said by Savoy's neighbors to mean (French: 'Strike, Enter, Break Everything'), from their penchant for . File:Vitrail aux armes d'Amédée VIII-h.jpg, Stained glass with the coat of

Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was the son of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy and Bonne of Berry. He was a claimant to the papac ...

File:Palazzo dei gran maestri di rodi, salone fert 04.JPG, The motto in the main hall of the

Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, also known as the Kastello ( gr, Καστέλο, from it, Castello, "castle"), is a medieval castle in the city of Rhodes, on the island of Rhodes in Greece. It is one of the few examples ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fert House of Savoy Initialisms National symbols of Italy National mottos Mottoes of orders of chivalry Duchy of Savoy Latin mottos

See also

References