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By the Grace of God (Latin:Dei Gratia, abbreviatedD.G.) is a formulaic phrase used especially in Christian monarchies as an introductory part of the fullstyle of amonarch. In England and later the United Kingdom, the phrase was formally added to the royal style in 1521 and continues to be used.[1] It is also used by bishops.[2] For example, onUK coinage, the abbreviation DG appears today.
Originally, it had a literal meaning: thedivine right of kings was invoked—notably by Christian monarchs—as legitimation (the only one above every sublunary power) for theabsolutist authority the monarch wielded, that is, the endorsement ofGod for the monarch's reign.
By custom, the phrase "by the Grace of God" is restricted tosovereign rulers; in the feudal logic, avassal heldfief not by the grace of God, but by grant of a superior noble. Yet this did not stop kings using it, even when they didhomage to the pope (as vicegerent of God) or another ruler, such as theKingdom of Bavaria, a state of theHoly Roman Empire.
Parallels exist in other civilizations, e.g.Mandate of Heaven of the Chinese empire, where for centuries the official decrees by the emperors of China invariably began with the phrase 「奉天承運，皇帝詔曰」 which is translated as "The Emperor, by the Grace of Heaven, decrees".
The traditional phrase "by the grace of God" is still included in the full titles and styles of the monarchs ofDenmark,Liechtenstein, theNetherlands,Monaco and theUnited Kingdom.
In otherCommonwealth realms, who share the same monarch with the United Kingdom, the style is used inAntigua and Barbuda,Australia,The Bahamas,Belize,Canada,Grenada,Jamaica,New Zealand,Solomon Islands,St. Kitts and Nevis,St Lucia,St. Vincent and the Grenadines, andTuvalu.Papua New Guinea does not use the style.
The phrase was used in Luxembourg until 2000, whenGrand Duke Henri decided to drop it. During the 20th-century dictatorship ofFrancisco Franco inSpain, Spanish coins bore a legend identifying him asFrancisco FrancoCaudillo de España por la G de Dios ("Francisco Franco Caudillo of Spain by the G(race) of God").
The phrase is not used in the monarchy ofBelgium, which is explicitly apopular monarchy whose royal status is formally granted by the will of the people rather than by divine authority; the title is accordingly "King of the Belgians" rather than "King of Belgium". The phrase was previously used in three European monarchies that have since ceased to do so:Luxembourg (after the abdication of Grand Duke Jean in 2000),Norway (after the death of King Haakon VII, in 1957) andSweden (after the death of King Gustav VI Adolf in 1973). In Spain, article 56(2) of the1978 constitution, states that the title of theKing of Spain is simply "King of Spain" (Rey de España) but that he "can use the titles that correspond to the Crown". As a result, the King of Spain may use "by the grace of God", but this is not used on official documents.
In some cases, the formula was combined with a reference to anotherlegitimation, especially such democratic notions as thesocial contract, e.g.
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