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Nemo me impune lacessit
Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin for 'No one provokes me with impunity') is the national motto of Scotland. It also served as the national motto of the historic Kingdom of Scotland prior to the Treaty of Union 1707.
The motto was the Latin motto of the Royal Stuart dynasty of Scotland from at least the reign of James VI when it appeared on the reverse side of merk coins minted in 1578 and 1580. It is the adopted motto of the Order of the Thistle and of three Scottish regiments of the British Army.
The motto also appears, in conjunction with the collar of the Order of the Thistle, in later versions of the royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland and subsequently in the version of the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom used in Scotland. It has been loosely rendered in Old Scots as Wha daur meddle wi' me?, ( Scots pronunciation: [ʍɑː dɔːɾ ˈmɛdɫ̩ wɪ miː]; in Scottish Gaelic: Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh, pronounced [xa ˈt̪ʰokəɾ ˈmɛɾak kuɲ ˈtʲiəl̪ˠəɣ] ⓘ). It more-or-less translates as: 'No one can harm me without (detrimental) consequence', or 'Whatever harm comes to me, shall be returned'.
According to legend, the "guardian thistle" (see Cirsium vulgare) played a vital part in Alexander III, King of Scots' defence of the Kingdom of Scotland against a night-time raiding party of Vikings under King Haakon IV of Norway, prior to the Battle of Largs (1263): one or more raiders let out a yell of pain when stepping on a prickly thistle, thus alerting the Scots. Another version of the legend tells the same story connected with a battle of King Kenneth II against the Danes near Luncarty in 980AD. The motto "No one harasses me with impunity" (Latin: Nemo me impune lacessit), "me" was therefore originally the thistle itself, but by extension now refers to the Scottish regiments which have adopted it.
The modern form of the motto was used by Francesco I, Duke of Milan and had been used in Britain on the colours of the Scottish Royalist officer John Urry during the English Civil War. It was also used by the Parliamentarian propagandist Marchamont Nedham as the motto for his newsletters.
Another traditional source appears in the form of a Scots proverb, "Ye maunna tramp on the Scotch thistle, laddie", this being immortalised in marble by Glasgow monumental sculptors James Gibson & Co. for the Kelvingrove International Exhibition of 1888. The phrase "Wha daur meddle wi' me?" also appears in a traditional border ballad entitled "Little Jock Elliot", which recalls the exploits of a 16th-century Border Reiver ("John Elliot of the Park"), with particular reference to an infamous encounter in the summer of 1566 with James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The French city of Nancy has a similar Latin motto: Non inultus premor ("I cannot be touched unavenged"), also a reference to the thistle, which is a symbol of the region of Lorraine.
The motto of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the Scottish chivalrous order, is also that of the British Army regiments The Royal Regiment of Scotland, Scots Guards and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. It was also the motto of several former units of the British Army, including the Royal Scots, Royal Scots Greys, Royal Highland Fusiliers and Black Watch, some of which went on to be amalgamated to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006. The motto is also that of the Royal Company of Archers and has been displayed upon the unit's second standard since 1713, following the grant of a Royal charter by Queen Anne.
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Nemo me impune lacessit
Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin for 'No one provokes me with impunity') is the national motto of Scotland. It also served as the national motto of the historic Kingdom of Scotland prior to the Treaty of Union 1707.
The motto was the Latin motto of the Royal Stuart dynasty of Scotland from at least the reign of James VI when it appeared on the reverse side of merk coins minted in 1578 and 1580. It is the adopted motto of the Order of the Thistle and of three Scottish regiments of the British Army.
The motto also appears, in conjunction with the collar of the Order of the Thistle, in later versions of the royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland and subsequently in the version of the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom used in Scotland. It has been loosely rendered in Old Scots as Wha daur meddle wi' me?, ( Scots pronunciation: [ʍɑː dɔːɾ ˈmɛdɫ̩ wɪ miː]; in Scottish Gaelic: Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh, pronounced [xa ˈt̪ʰokəɾ ˈmɛɾak kuɲ ˈtʲiəl̪ˠəɣ] ⓘ). It more-or-less translates as: 'No one can harm me without (detrimental) consequence', or 'Whatever harm comes to me, shall be returned'.
According to legend, the "guardian thistle" (see Cirsium vulgare) played a vital part in Alexander III, King of Scots' defence of the Kingdom of Scotland against a night-time raiding party of Vikings under King Haakon IV of Norway, prior to the Battle of Largs (1263): one or more raiders let out a yell of pain when stepping on a prickly thistle, thus alerting the Scots. Another version of the legend tells the same story connected with a battle of King Kenneth II against the Danes near Luncarty in 980AD. The motto "No one harasses me with impunity" (Latin: Nemo me impune lacessit), "me" was therefore originally the thistle itself, but by extension now refers to the Scottish regiments which have adopted it.
The modern form of the motto was used by Francesco I, Duke of Milan and had been used in Britain on the colours of the Scottish Royalist officer John Urry during the English Civil War. It was also used by the Parliamentarian propagandist Marchamont Nedham as the motto for his newsletters.
Another traditional source appears in the form of a Scots proverb, "Ye maunna tramp on the Scotch thistle, laddie", this being immortalised in marble by Glasgow monumental sculptors James Gibson & Co. for the Kelvingrove International Exhibition of 1888. The phrase "Wha daur meddle wi' me?" also appears in a traditional border ballad entitled "Little Jock Elliot", which recalls the exploits of a 16th-century Border Reiver ("John Elliot of the Park"), with particular reference to an infamous encounter in the summer of 1566 with James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The French city of Nancy has a similar Latin motto: Non inultus premor ("I cannot be touched unavenged"), also a reference to the thistle, which is a symbol of the region of Lorraine.
The motto of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the Scottish chivalrous order, is also that of the British Army regiments The Royal Regiment of Scotland, Scots Guards and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. It was also the motto of several former units of the British Army, including the Royal Scots, Royal Scots Greys, Royal Highland Fusiliers and Black Watch, some of which went on to be amalgamated to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006. The motto is also that of the Royal Company of Archers and has been displayed upon the unit's second standard since 1713, following the grant of a Royal charter by Queen Anne.