Mottos of Denmark Monarchs

Each Denmark Monarch since King Christian I has had a official motto to mark their reign.

Denmark was the first Scandinavian Monarchy to begin this tradition. When King Christian II of Denmark, became King of Norway, be brought this tradition to Norway. Shortly after, Sweden we begin this tradition.

Monarchs before 1839

Before 1839, the Monarch’s motto was often shown in Latin, but there was a Danish version as well. From Christian II to Frederik VI, the Monarch of Denmark was also Monarch of Norway. The Motto used by the two countries was usually the same.

Monarch	Reign	Danish	Latin	English Translation
Christian I	1448 – 1481	Dyden viser vejen	VIRTUTI MONSTRANTE VIAM	Virtue leads the way
Hans (John)	1481 – 1513	For lov og flok	PRO LEGE ET GREGE	For law and herd
Christian II	1513 – 1523	Så var det beskikket	SIC ERAT IN FATIS	Thus it was ordained
Frederick I	1523 – 1533	Intet uden Gud	NIHIL SINE NUMINE	Nothing without God
Christian III	1536 – 1559	Ske Herrens vilje	SPES MEA SOLUS DEUS	The Lord’s will be done
Frederick II	1559 – 1588	Mit håb er Gud alene	DEUS REFUGIUM ET FIDUCIA MEA	My hope is God alone
Christian IV	1588 – 1648	Fromhed styrker rigerne	REGNA FIRMAT PIETAS	Piety strengthens the realms
Frederick III	1648 – 1670	Herren være mit forsyn	DOMINUS PROVIDEBIT	The Lord will be my guide
Christian V	1670 – 1699	Med fromhed og retfærdighed	PIETATE ET IUSTITIA	With piety and justice
Frederick IV	1699 – 1730	Herren være min hjælper	DOMINUS MIHI ADIUTOR	The Lord be my helper
Christian VI	1730 – 1746	For Gud og folket	DEO ET POPULO	For God and the people
Frederick V	1746 – 1766	Med klogskab og standhaftighed	PRUDENTIA ET CONSTANTIA	By prudence and steadfastness
Christian VII	1766 – 1808	Fædrelandets kærlighed er min berømmelse	GLORIA EX AMORE PATRIÆ	The love of the fatherland is my reward
Frederick VI	1808 – 1839	Gud og den retfærdige sag	DEO ET JUSTAE CAUSAE	God and the just cause

Monarchs After 1839

Since 1839, the Monarch’s motto has just appeared in Danish.

Monarch	Reign	Danish	English Translation
Christian VIII	1839 – 1848	Gud og fædrelandet	God and the fatherland
Frederick VII	1848 – 1863	Folkets kærlighed, min styrke	The people’s love, my strength
Christian IX	1863 – 1906	Med Gud for ære og ret	With God for honour and justice
Frederik VIII	1906 – 1912	Herren er min hjælper	The Lord is my helper
Christian X	1912 – 1947	Min Gud, mit land, min ære	My God, my country, my honour
Frederik IX	1947 – 1972	Med Gud for Danmark	With God for Denmark
Margrethe II	1972 – 2024	Guds hjælp, folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke	God’s help, the people’s love, Denmark’s strength
Frederik X	2024 – Present	Forbundet, forpligtet – for kongeriget Danmark.	Bound, committed – for the Kingdom of Denmark.

Note:

With Frederik X’s motto, I have seen some different English translations. When I emailed the Denmark Palace after the accession to inquire. They said they did not have an official English Translation at this time. In documents in English, the Palace normally just keeps the motto in Danish.