''Nec pluribus impar'' (literally: "Not unequal to many") is a

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 ...

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 ...

adopted by

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...

from 1658. It was often inscribed together with the symbol of the "Sun King": a head within rays of sunlight.

Meaning

While the motto relates to the allegory of the "Sun King", its precise meaning is obscure. Philip F. Riley calls it "almost untranslatable". Historian Henri Martin called it "very pompous and, above all, obscure and perplexing". Louvois, Louis'

War Secretary The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

, interpreted it as ''seul contre tous'' — "alone against all"; lexicographer

Pierre Larousse Pierre Athanase Larousse (23 October 18173 January 1875) was a French grammarian, lexicographer and encyclopaedist. He published many of the outstanding educational and reference works of 19th-century France, including the 15-volume '' Grand di ...

suggested ''au-dessus de tous (comme le soleil)'' — "above all (like the sun)". John Martin says " ouis'matchless splendour was expressed by the motto Nec Pluribus Impar - not unequal to many suns.".

Yves-Marie Bercé Yves-Marie Bercé (30 August 1936, Mesterrieux, Gironde), is a French historian known for his work on popular revolts of the modern era. He is a member of the Institut de France. Biography A student at the École Nationale des Chartes and for ...

gives ''Suffisant (seul) a tant de choses'' ("Sufficient (alone) for so many things") or ''Tout lui est possible'' ("Everything is possible for him"), ''i.e.'', " not unequal to many asks. Louis himself wrote: ; quoted in Berger.

Origin and use

The first use of the motto and symbol is usually given as the great ''Carrousel'' of 1662, in what is now the

Place du Carrousel The Place du Carrousel () is a public square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, located at the open end of the courtyard of the Louvre Palace, a space occupied, prior to 1883, by the Tuileries Palace. Sitting directly between the museum and the Tu ...

, to celebrate the birth of his son Louis, the Dauphin. However, the motto appeared as early as 1658 on a

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

attributes the motto and emblem to Louis Douvrier, who derived them from a device of Philip II of Spain, of whom it was said the sun never set on his dominions. Polemicists in the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the H ...

pointed out the unoriginal nature of the symbol. Louis XIV himself was not enamoured of them, but they proved popular with the public and so he tolerated them. The motto and sun-king device appeared on many buildings, as well as on

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s. The classical de Vallière guns in particular bear the motto and the symbol, even for those founded long after Louis XIV's death. Many of Louis' subordinates adopted emblems and mottos playing off those of the sovereign. César de Beaufort,

Admiral of France Admiral of France (french: Amiral de France) is a French title of honour. It is the naval equivalent of Marshal of France and was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. History The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, dur ...

, adopted a moon with motto ''Elle obéit au soleil et commande aux flots'' ("It obeys the sun and commands the waves"); Duc de Sully adopted a burning-mirror with motto ''Je brûle sous son regard'' ("I burn nder its gaze / at his command". It is the motto of Ribét Academy, a private preparatory school in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment of the 6th light armored

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

and

Muir College Muir College is a semi-private English medium high school for boys situated in the suburb of Vanes Estate in Kariega (Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality) in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Muir caters for pupils from Grades ...

a public, English medium school for boys located in

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, South Africa. It is also found on the coat of arms of

Zvishavane Zvishavane (known until 1982 as Shabani) is a mining town in Midlands Province, Zimbabwe. Surrounded by low hills, it lies west of Masvingo, on the main Bulawayo-Masvingo road. Other roads lead from Zvishavane to Gweru, north, and Mberengwa, ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

References

{{reflist Louis XIV Latin mottos Latin political words and phrases

Meaning

Origin and use

See also

References