Dieu et mon droit

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Dieu et mon droit has generally been used as the motto of English, and later British, monarchs since it was adopted by Henry V (1413–1422). This French sentence means "God and my right".

Originally it was spelled Dieut et mon droict,[citation needed] the early Modern French spelling, but later the t in Dieut and the c in droict were taken out in accordance with present French orthography.

A French motto rather than English was chosen because the English language had only recently replaced French as the language of the English ruling classes.[citation needed] The motto of the Order of the Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense (shame upon him who thinks evil of it), is also in French, though the spelling does not match modern French.

Dieu et mon droit was allegedly first used as a password by King Richard I in 1198 at the Battle of Gisors, when he defeated the forces of Philip II of France.[citation needed] It meant that Richard owed his royalty to no power other than God and his own heredity, and was therefore subject to no earthly power or other monarch. This can be taken as a direct reference to the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings.

Dieu et mon droit was the inspiration for The Beatles' joke motto Duit on Mon Dei, later adopted as an album title by Harry Nilsson. The former phrase was also used on Hong Kong's bank notes from 1987.[citation needed]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Dieu et mon droit. MSN encarta. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  • Dieu et mon droit. Merriam-Webster OnLine. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  • What is the origin of the mottoes 'Dieu et mon droit' and 'Honi soit qui mal y pense'?. britain usa FAQ. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  • Magna Carta BL: ISBN 0712300147.
  • The Royal Arms: ISBN 0 904041 20 4.
  • Art of Heraldry: ISBN 0 906223 34 2.
  • Heraldry. Sources, Symbols and Meaning. ISBN 0 316641 41 3.
  • Order of the Garter. Ashmole. SBN: 584 10915 6.
  • Coquetdale Magistrates Court.
  • St. Albans Crown Court.