Defender of the Faith

The earliest use of the term appears in 1507, when King James IV of Scotland was granted the title of "Protector and Defender of the Christian Faith" by Pope Julius II.

The title was conferred on James IV by the papal legate Robert Bellenden in a lavish ceremony in Holyrood Abbey.

[1][2] "Defender of the Faith" has been one of the subsidiary titles of the English and later British monarchs since it was granted on 11 October 1521 by Pope Leo X to King Henry VIII.

[6][7] Following Henry's decision to break with Rome in 1530 and establish himself as head of the Church of England, the title was revoked by Pope Paul III and he was excommunicated.

The original Latin phrase Fidei Defensor is represented on all current British coins by the abbreviations F D or FID DEF.

The decision of the Royal Mint to omit this and certain other parts of the monarch's style from the "Godless Florin" in 1849 caused such a scandal that the coin was replaced.

In a speech to the House of Commons in 1953, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent stated: The rather more delicate question arose about the retention of the words, "Defender of the Faith".

King Charles III, when still heir apparent, expressed a preference to change the spirit of this role should he succeed to the throne as expected.

[14] The bill was approved by parliament and given royal assent on 22 June 2023;[15] however, the new style and title did not become operative until the King issued a proclamation on 8 January 2024.

"[18] In 1684, Pope Innocent XI granted the honorary title Defensor Fidei (Polish: Obrońca Wiary) to John III Sobieski, king of Poland, who took the supreme command of the Christian Coalition army during the Battle of Vienna, considered as a turning point in the history of Europe, preventing it from being conquered by the Ottoman Empire.