Royal mottos of Swedish monarchs
The
Royal mottos or
Valspråk of the
Swedish monarchs has been a tradition since first used by
Gustav I of Sweden, in the early
16th century. Every regent of
Sweden since has had used their own motto during their periods of reign. The tradition of using a royal motto in other monarchies is that it most often stays the same within one dynasty, and here the Swedish tradition is different. In this respect they do however serve all the traditional purposes of a national or royal motto. One example is the imprint on all one
Krona coins, the currency of Sweden.
Due to the dissolution of the Sweden-Norway Union in
1905,
Oscar II had his motto changed.
\nRoyal mottos\n\n| Regent | Reign\n | Royal motto (in Swedish)\n | English translation\n |
| \nThe House of Vasa\n |
| Gustav Vasa | 1521-1560 | All makt är av Gud | All power is of God\n |
| Erik XIV | 1560-1568 | Gud giver åt vem Han vill | God gives to whom He wishes\n |
| Johan III | 1568-1592 | Gud vår beskyddare | God our protector\n |
| Sigismund | 1592-1599 | För rätten och folket | For the justice and the people\n |
| Karl IX | 1599-1611 | Gud min tröst | God my comfort\n |
| Gustav II Adolf | 1611-1632 | Med Gud och segrande vapen | With God and victorious arms\n |
| Kristina | 1632-1654 | Visheten är rikets stöd | Wisdom is the realm's support\n |
| \nThe House of Pfalz - cadet branch to the House of Wittelsbach\n |
| Karl X Gustav | 1654-1660 | I Gud mitt öde - Han skall göra det | In God my destiny - He will do it\n |
| Karl XI | 1660-1697 | Herren är vorden min beskyddare | The Lord is become [sic] my protector\n |
| Karl XII | 1697-1718 | Med Guds hjälp | With the help of God\n |
| Ulrika Eleonora | 1719-1720 | I Gud mitt hopp | In God my hope\n |
| \nThe House of Hesse\n |
| Fredrik I | 1720-1751 | I Gud mitt hopp | In God my hope\n |
| \nThe House of Holstein-Gottorp\n |
| Adolf Fredrik | 1751-1771 | Statens välfärd, min välfärd | The welfare of the state, my welfare\n |
| Gustav III | 1771-1792 | Fäderneslandet | The fatherland\n |
| Gustav IV Adolf | 1792-1809 | Gud och folket | God and the people\n |
| Karl XIII | 1809-1818 | Folkets väl min högsta lag | The welfare of the people my highest law 1\n |
| \nThe House of Bernadotte\n |
| Karl XIV Johan\n | 1818-1844 | Folkets kärlek min belöning | The love of the people my reward\n |
| Oskar I | 1844-1859 | Rätt och sanning | Right and truth\n |
| Karl XV | 1859-1872 | Land skall med lag byggas | Land is built by law\n |
| Oskar II | 1872-1905 | Brödrafolkens väl | The welfare of the brother peoples\n |
| 1905-1907 | Sveriges väl | The welfare of Sweden\n |
| Gustaf V | 1907-1950 | Med folket för fosterlandet | With the people for the motherland\n |
| Gustaf VI Adolf | 1950-1973 | Plikten framför allt | Duty above all\n |
| Carl XVI Gustaf | 1973-present | För Sverige i tiden | For Sweden - With the times\n |
See also: List of Swedish monarchs
Note: (1) Compare with the motto of the
U.S. state of
Missouri (
1821): "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law". Originally from
Cicero's
De Legibus, Book III, Part III, Sub. VIII.
Category:Swedish monarchy\n
