A.E.I.O.U.

For other uses, see AEIOU (disambiguation).
Illumination from the records of King Frederick, dated 1446

"A.E.I.O.U." (sometimes A.E.I.O.V.) was a symbolic device coined by Emperor Frederick III (1415–1493) and historically used as a motto by the Habsburgs. One note in his notebook (discovered in 1666), though not in the same hand, explains it in German and Latin as "All the world is subject to Austria" (Alles Erdreich ist Österreich untertan or Austriae est imperare orbi universo).[1] Frederick habitually signed buildings such as Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome,[2] Burg Wiener Neustadt, or Graz Cathedral as well as his tableware and other objects with the vowel graphemes.[3] A.E.I.O.U. is also the motto of the Theresian Military Academy, established in 1751.[4] It can also be found on the wall of the Chancellor's office in the Federal Chancellery of Austria. The famous device is probably the most known motto of premodern times, because it has repeatedly been given new interpretations. Unraveling the mystery of what the AEIOU means is part of a centuries-long debate that is still ongoing today.[5]

Recent[when?] research has shown that the Roman chancellery of Frederick III used the interpretation En amor electis iniustis ordinor ultor. Sic Fridericus ego mea iura rego as the official motto. This interpretation has also been shown to be the most commonly used variant in the 15th century. It was also supposed that the Austriae est imperare variants probably go back to Frederick's proto-notary Heinrich Leubing.[6]

  1. ^ "AEIOU". Die Welt der Habsburger. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  2. ^ Romedio Schmitz-Esser: Friedrich III. und die Präsenthaltung des abwesenden Herrschers. In: Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung 46, 2019, 592.
  3. ^ Brewer, E. Cobham (1978) [reprint of 1894 version], The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Edwinstowe, England: Avenel Books, p. 1, ISBN 0-517-25921-4
  4. ^ GmbH, Typoheads. "Emblem of the Theresan Military Academy". www.milak.at. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  5. ^ Romedio Schmitz-Esser: Friedrich III. und die Präsenthaltung des abwesenden Herrschers. In: Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung 46, 2019, 575.
  6. ^ Konstantin M. Langmaier, Zur Devise Kaiser Friedrichs III. (1415–1493). In: Zeitschrift des Historischen Vereins für Steiermark 113 (2022), 7-32.