Nihil sine Deo, Latin for "Nothing without God" (German: Nichts ohne Gott; Romanian: Nimic fără Dumnezeu), is used as a motto of the German Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen royal family and was the motto of both the former Principality of Romania and the former Kingdom of Romania.
History[edit]
Nihil sine Deo was introduced as the motto of the Principality of Romania by the King Carol I of Romania in 1866 and was used in the Kingdom of Romania since its establishment in 1881.[1] It replaced the first motto of modern Romania, Toți în unu ("One for All"), which had been in use since 1862.[2] Romania was a monarchy until 1947, when the People's Republic of Romania was established.[3] Today, the motto is displayed in rooms of the Peleș Castle.[1]
In 2009, the Royal Decoration of Nihil Sine Deo, named after the motto, was created by the former King of Romania Michael I.[4]
Proposed return as the motto of Romania[edit]
It has been proposed that Nihil sine Deo should be adopted again as the official motto of Romania. A vote by the Constitution Revision Commission was made in 2013 to decide this. The proposal received 11 votes in favor and 8 votes against it, meaning that it did not get more than the two thirds of the votes necessary for a proposal to get adopted, so it was rejected.[5]
See also[edit]
- Monarchism in Romania
- National symbols of Romania
- Nil sine numine, "nothing without divine providence"; a similar phrase used as the state motto of Colorado
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Cine a spus "Nihil sine Deo"? Ce înseamnă acest lucru pentru România?". Shtiu (in Romanian). 6 October 2020.
- ^ "De ce roșu, galben și albastru? O scurtă istorie a tricolorului (partea I)". Adevărul (in Romanian). 1 December 2015.
- ^ Hitchins, Keith (2014). A concise history of Romania. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139033954. ISBN 978-0-521-87238-6.
- ^ "Decorația Regala Nihil Sine Deo" (in Romanian). Royal House of Romania.
- ^ Dadacus, Liviu (6 June 2013). "NOUA CONSTITUȚIE: Propunerea ca "Nihil sine Deo" să fie deviza României nu a întrunit voturile necesare adoptării". Mediafax (in Romanian).