Queen Mary I’s Motto – ‘Truth, the Daughter of Time’




"Coat of Arms of England (1554-1558)" by SodacanThis vector image was created with Inkscape. - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

Mary had to associate herself with masculine actions and virtues during her reign, but she was also known for her female virtues as well. These were often represented allegorically, and she is linked to the female personification of Truth, which shows in the motto she adopted. She took on the motto ‘Veritas Temporis Filia’ or ‘Truth, the daughter of time’. When she became Queen in 1553, the motto was placed upon her great seal.

During her reign, her motto symbolised the revival and return of Catholicism in England. In the play, ‘Respublica’, which was apparently performed at court during Christmas 1553 Truth made an appearance as Veritas, and she was joined by Misericordia, Justicia and Pax to rescue the widow Respublica from the vices Avarice, Oppression, Adulation and Insolence, who were disguised as Policie, Reformation, Honesty and Authority. The play was dedicated to Mary herself, who had been sent by God ‘to reforme thabasus which hithertho hath been, and that yls whiche long tyme have reigned uncorrected, shall nowe forever bee redressed with effecte’. She was represented in the play as Nemesis or ‘the mooste highe goddesse of coreccion, newlie sent downte to redresse all owtrages in cite and in Towne. she hathe power from godde all practise to repeale, which might bring Annoyaunce to ladie comonweale’.1

  1. Duncan, Sarah (2012) Mary I: Gender, Power, and Ceremony in the Reign of England’s First Queen (US & UK)






About Moniek Bloks 2680 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

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