''Pro Fide, Lege et Rege'' (

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 "For Faith, Law and King") was an 18th-century motto of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

and then of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It superseded the earlier ''Si Deus Nobiscum quis contra nos'' (Latin for "If God is with us, then who is against us") and was featured on a variety of buildings, military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 Polish political phrases {{Poland-hist-stub

See also

References