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 a title conferred on Henry VIII by Pope Leo X in 1521, later withdrawn but restored by Parliament and used ever since by English sovereigns.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

British monarchs serve as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and hold the title Defender of the Faith.

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

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

This is what makes Charles’s stated ambivalence of his title Defender of the Faith, instead saying he sees himself more as “Defender of Faith,” consequential.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 19, 2022

It was for the volume then presented and for the declaration then made that Henry received the title of "Defender of the Faith" from the Pope.

From Breaking with the Past Catholic Principles Abandoned at the Reformation by John Cardinal Farley