''Pro Fide, Lege et Rege'' (

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 of the ...

for "For Faith, Law and King") was an 18th-century

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. Mot ...

of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

and then of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. It superseded the earlier ''Si Deus Nobiscum quis contra nos'' (Latin for "If God is with us, then who is against us") and was featured on a variety of buildings, military decorations and equipment. It remains the motto of the Order of the White Eagle. The slogan of the order was that of the king's ''pro fide lege et grege'' (Latin for "For Faith, Justice, and the Nation"). The device of the cavaliers was ''pro fide lege et rege'' (Latin for "For Faith, Justice, and the King"). The slogan is used as the title of the Polish scientific journal of the Institute of Genealogy.

References

National symbols of Poland 18th century in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Latin mottos National mottos {{Poland-hist-stub

See also

References