Defender of the Faith

American  

noun

1. a title conferred on Henry VIII by Pope Leo X in 1521, later withdrawn but restored by Parliament and used ever since by English sovereigns.

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Defender of the Faith British  

noun

1. Latin term: Fidei Defensor.  the title conferred upon Henry VIII by Pope Leo X in 1521 in recognition of the King's pamphlet attacking Luther's doctrines and retained by subsequent monarchs of England

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Etymology

Origin of Defender of the Faith

Translation of New Latin Fidēī dēfēnsor

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Defender of the Faith

I, Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury, will be faithful and true, and faith and truth I will bear unto you, our Sovereign Lord, Defender of the Faith; and unto your heirs and successors according to law.

From BBC ● May 5, 2023

He's talked in the past about not being the Head of State or the Defender of the Faith, but Defender of Faith.

From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2022

The image is surrounded by a Latin inscription which translates as "King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith".

From Reuters ● Sep. 29, 2022

Charles will also inherit the title of Defender of the Faith, a role he once questioned in a television interview.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 9, 2022

The trumpets blew, and the herald-at-arms came forward and proclaimed George, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith.

From Henry Esmond; The English Humourists; The Four Georges by Saintsbury, George