' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for ' ignedwith one's own hand'), abbreviated to ''m.p.'' or ''mppr.'' or ''mppria'' is a phrase sometimes used at the end of typewritten or printed documents when there is no handwritten

signature A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, Handwriting, handwritt ...

. It is typically found just after the name(s) of the person(s) who would have signed the document if it had not been printed or typewritten. It is also found in several ancient documents in front of or after the writer's signature at the end of the document.

History

Medieval period Richly decorated ''manu propria'' signs were frequently used by

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

dignitaries and literates to verify the authenticity of handwritten documents. 18th century ''mppria'' was commonly used in the 18th century. However, it was not only used for Latin documents. *Full autograph title-page of Symphony no.97 by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

which reads 'Sinfonia in C/di me giuseppe Haydn mppria.

\overline

' * Nobility Diploma André Falquet From the 19th century Later, official documents were routinely accompanied by this abbreviation, for example, the declaration of war on Serbia by Emperor

Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

from 1914 ends with ''m.p.''

Usage today

By country Some of the countries that still regularly use ''manu propria'' include: *

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

in official documents: ''d.v.'' (), *

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

: ''e. h.'' (), *the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

: ''v. r.'' () or occasionally the Latin abbreviation ''m.p.'', *

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

: ''gez.'' ()See ''Oxford Duden German Dictionary'', 1990, p.337 *

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

in official documents: ''s.k.'' (), *

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

: ''v. r.'' (), *

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

: ''l.r.'' (). *

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

: ''s.r.'' ()

References

{{Reflist Latin literary phrases Latin words and phrases Authentication methods Identity documents Writing

History

Usage today

See also

References