Royal mottos of Swedish monarchs

The Royal mottos or Valspråk of the Swedish monarchs has been a tradition since first used by Gustav I of Sweden, in the early 16th century. Every regent of Sweden since has had used their own motto during their periods of reign. The tradition of using a royal motto in other monarchies is that it most often stays the same within one dynasty, and here the Swedish tradition is different. In this respect they do however serve all the traditional purposes of a national or royal motto. One example is the imprint on all one Krona coins, the currency of Sweden.

Due to the dissolution of the Sweden-Norway Union in 1905, Oscar II had his motto changed.

Royal mottos
Regent Reign
Royal motto (in Swedish)
English translation
The House of Vasa
Gustav Vasa 1521-1560 All makt är av Gud All power is of God
Erik XIV 1560-1568 Gud giver åt vem Han vill God gives to whom He wishes
Johan III 1568-1592 Gud vår beskyddare God our protector
Sigismund 1592-1599 För rätten och folket For the justice and the people
Karl IX 1599-1611 Gud min tröst God my comfort
Gustav II Adolf 1611-1632 Med Gud och segrande vapen With God and victorious arms
Kristina 1632-1654 Visheten är rikets stöd Wisdom is the realm's support
The House of Pfalz - cadet branch to the House of Wittelsbach
Karl X Gustav 1654-1660 I Gud mitt öde - Han skall göra det In God my destiny - He will do it
Karl XI 1660-1697 Herren är vorden min beskyddare The Lord is become [sic] my protector
Karl XII 1697-1718 Med Guds hjälp With the help of God
Ulrika Eleonora 1719-1720 I Gud mitt hopp In God my hope
The House of Hesse
Fredrik I 1720-1751 I Gud mitt hopp In God my hope
The House of Holstein-Gottorp
Adolf Fredrik 1751-1771 Statens välfärd, min välfärd The welfare of the state, my welfare
Gustav III 1771-1792 Fäderneslandet The fatherland
Gustav IV Adolf 1792-1809 Gud och folket God and the people
Karl XIII 1809-1818 Folkets väl min högsta lag The welfare of the people my highest law ¹
The House of Bernadotte
Karl XIV Johan 1818-1844 Folkets kärlek min belöning The love of the people my reward
Oskar I 1844-1859 Rätt och sanning Right and truth
Karl XV 1859-1872 Land skall med lag byggas Land is built by law
Oskar II 1872-1905 Brödrafolkens väl The welfare of the brother peoples
1905-1907 Sveriges väl The welfare of Sweden
Gustaf V 1907-1950 Med folket för fosterlandet With the people for the motherland
Gustaf VI Adolf 1950-1973 Plikten framför allt Duty above all
Carl XVI Gustaf 1973-present För Sverige i tiden For Sweden - With the times

See also: List of Swedish monarchs

Note: (1) Compare with the motto of the U.S. state of Missouri (1821): "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law". Originally from Cicero's De Legibus, Book III, Part III, Sub. VIII.

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