Legend | EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX |
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Full text | EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA BRITTANNIARUM OMNIUM REX |
Translation | Translated from Latin: Edward the Seventh, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britains. |
This legend was displayed on some British coinage (silver and half crowns only) between 1902 and 1910 during the reign of King Edward VII. It is not the full text - the rest of the legend, FID: DEF: IND: IMP: (Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India) is on the reverse of the coin. By long-standing tradition, the legends of ruling British monarchs are rendered in Latin. On coinage, these are abbreviated because of the limited space available. Below, you can find a list of the individual coins that had it on their obverse. The "BRITT OMN" part is sometimes translated as "of all the Britons" (people), similar to how earlier monarchs were styled kings "of the English"; however, this can only be said of a title like "BRIT REX" - King of the British - which implies "all the British". In 1868, a book by C. W. Dilke popularised the phrase "Greater Britain" to mean Britain and all its colonies. This may have led to the proposal of the title "King of all Britains", in the last years of the 19th century, by the Earl of Rosebery. The Oxford English Dictionary provides two quotes: 1897 Earl of Rosebery in Daily News 5 July 4/5 : "`Regina Britanniarum' - the Queen of the Britains... She is sovereign, not of one or two, but of numberless Britains, all self-supporting." This style may have been influenced by the Russian style of "Czar of all the Russias". It appeared on coins abbreviated as Britt. Omn.: the double T in Britt is a mark of plural, a common abbreviation on Roman coins. |
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Year From | 1902 |
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Year To | 1910 |
Person | King Edward VII of the United Kingdom |
Image | Details |
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1902 Matt Proof Halfcrown
Copyright: JNCoins Notes: Silver coin. Source |