Coronation oath

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The English Coronation Oath ( Coronation Oath ) is an oath of the British monarch and goes at least up to the coronation Edgar in Bath Abbey in 973 back.

In the UK, the monarch is not required to take a formal oath to ascend the throne. However, he or she must take an oath regarding the safety of the Church of Scotland . At a coronation , the monarch usually takes an oath, but since a coronation is immaterial, the monarchs do not have to take such an oath in order to perform their duties, as in the case of Edward VIII .

Coin with a portrait of Edward VIII , the uncrowned king ( Edward VIII, by the grace of God , king of all British )

history

Beginnings

At the time of Edgar the oath is said to have read as follows:

First, that the church of God and the whole Christian people shall have true peace at all time by our judgment; Second, that I will forbid extortion and all kinds of wrong-doing to all orders of men; Third, that I will enjoin equity and mercy in all judgments, so that God, who is kind and merciful, may vouchsafe his mercy to me and to you.

First, that the Church of God and all Christian people under my government should enjoy true peace. Second, that I want to forbid every kind of robbery and injustice to everyone regardless of class. Thirdly, that in all judgments I will combine impartiality with mercy, so that the all-good and gracious God may forgive me and you through his grace.

Under the Coronation Oath Act 1688

Changes were made to it over time, particularly in the 17th century . In 1689 a law was passed ( Coronation Oath Act 1688 ) declaring the oath as follows:

The Archbishop or bishop shall say, "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this Kingdom of England, and the dominions belonging, according to the statutes in Parliament agreed on, and the laws and customs of the same?"

The King and Queen shall say, "I solemnly promise so to do."

Archbishop or bishop, "Will you to your power cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all your judgments?"

King and Queen, "I will."

Archbishop or bishop, "Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the gospel and the Protestant reformed religion established by law, and will you preserve unto the bishops and clergy of this realm, and to the churches committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain unto them, or any of them? "

King and Queen, "All this I promise to do."

The Archbishop or Bishop says : "Will you vow and swear to rule the people of this Kingdom of England and the gentlemen belonging to it according to the statutes established in Parliament and according to the laws and customs of the same?

The King and Queen say :" I vow, to do this. "

Archbishop or Bishop :" Will you in your power carry out law and justice in all your judgments? "


King and Queen, " I will do that. "

Archbishop or Bishop :" You will become the laws of God, the true creed of the Gospel and the legally established Protestant Reformed religion to the utmost of your might, and you will receive all the rights and privileges as prescribed by law, or to them, to the bishops and clergy of this kingdom and to the churches given to their responsibility entitled, or to each of them? "

King and Queen :" I vow to do all this.

Then the king should put his hand and the queen their hand on the holy gospels and say: "The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep: So help me God." ( The things that I have promised here before, I will carry out and keep: So help me God! )

After the 17th century, the oath remained largely unchanged for a long time. In 1937 the words "according to the statutes in Parliament agreed on" were removed from the Cabinet (government).

Coronation oath of Elizabeth II

The oath that Queen Elizabeth II took at her coronation on June 2, 1953 , was taken here:

Archbishop . Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon, and of your Possessions and the other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?

Queen . I solemnly promise so to do.

Archbishop . Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?

Queen . I will.

Archbishop . Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?

Queen . All this I promise to do.

Archbishop . Will you pledge and swear to rule over the peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , Canada , Australia , New Zealand , the Union of South Africa , Pakistan and Ceylon and your possessions and the other territories belonging to them according to their laws and customs?

Queen . I vow to do so.

Archbishop . Will you do everything in your power to work right and justice by grace to be applied in all of our courts?

Queen . I will do that.

Archbishop : Will you with the greatest strength keep the laws of God and the true profession of the gospel? Will you do your best in the UK to uphold the Protestant Reformed religion by law? Will you protect and inviolably maintain the institution of the Church of England and its doctrine, worship, discipline and government as it is lawful in England? And will you protect the bishops and clergy of England and the churches who are entrusted to your responsibility with all the rights and privileges granted to them by law or due to them, or each and every one of them?

Queen . I vow to do all of this.

Then the queen rises from her chair, supported as before, with the state sword that is carried in front of her, to the altar and solemnly swears her oath in front of the people. With her hand on the Bible, she says: “What I have just promised, I will do and keep. So help me God! ”Then she kisses the Bible.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ churchofscotland.org.uk : to "maintain and preserve the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government".
  2. ^ J. Robert Wright (Ed.): They Still Speak: Readings for the Lesser Feasts. 1993, p.99 (in the section on Dunstan , then Archbishop of Canterbury )
  3. ^ German translation from: George Phillips : Kirchenrecht . Regensburg 1848, Volume 3, Page 73 (§ 120 Coronation of the Kings)
  4. ↑ Noel S. McFerran: Act Establishing the Coronation Oath, 1689
  5. ↑ cf. Norman Bonney: Monarchy, Religion and the State: Civil Religion in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the Commonwealth , p.25 f.
  6. ↑ “Madam,” said Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher (1887–1972) - the then incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of the Church of England - previously asked her in a serious voice, “is Your Majesty willing to take the oath?” - The Queen replied: "I am ready for it."
  7. ^ The Queen's Coronation Oath, 1953
  8. ↑ See the translation by Gerald Flurry: The Decline of the British Royal Family (August 4, 2017). - The close interweaving of state and church then and officially until today is evident from parts of the royal oath.

literature

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