Plus ultra (motto)

Plus ultra (motto)
Coat of Arms of Spain

Plus ultra (Latin for further beyond; in Spanish, más allá; in German, darüber hinaus) is the national motto of Spain adopted from the personal motto of Charles I of Spain. Earl Rosenthal, author of The Palace of Charles V in Granada (1985), has researched the origin of the motto. It is closely associated with the Pillars of Hercules, which according to Greek mythology were built by Hercules, near the Straits of Gibraltar, marking the edge of the then known world. According to mythology the pillars bore the warning Nec plus ultra (also Non plus ultra, "nothing further beyond"), serving as a warning to sailors and navigators to go no further.

Contents

Charles V

Motto of the city of Binche (Belgium)

It is believed that the young Charles V adopted Plus ultra as his motto at the suggestion of his doctor and personal advisor Luigi Marliano. The idea was to encourage him to ignore the ancient warning and encourage him to take risks and go further beyond. Charles V was born in Ghent in Flanders and as a result the motto is also used in this region. It has also been interpreted[who?] as a phrase used to transcend nationality as Charles ruled over many different parts of Europe (particularly as being Holy Roman Emperor) and colonies all over the world.

Spanish Empire

Anachronous map of the Spanish Empire.

The motto became popular in Spain after Charles V became king of both Aragon and Castile in the early 16th century. It subsequently became the motto of Habsburg Spain and featured on the Spanish dollar. The motto was used to encourage Spanish explorers to go beyond the Pillars of Hercules and on to the New World. Today the inscription, along with the Pillars of Hercules, is featured on both the national flag and emblem of modern Spain. It was also featured on the shield of the Second Spanish Republic.


Air Force Squadron

"Plus Oultre" is the French equivalent of "Plus Ultra" and is the motto of the Air Force Academy's 15th squadron

In 1926 a crew of Spanish aviators, including Ramón Franco and Julio Ruiz de Alda Miqueleiz, completed a Trans-Atlantic flight on a seaplane named the Plus Ultra. 1930 saw the formation of a Madrid-based football team AD Plus Ultra, which eventually developed into Real Madrid Castilla. In more recent times, the Plus Ultra Brigade was a brigade of troops from five Spanish speaking countries including Spain, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador, which served in the Iraq War.

Other use

The motto has been adopted or used by a number of institutions around the world including UNAM in Mexico, Jurong Junior College in Singapore, Malden Catholic High School in Massachusetts, Newstead Girls College, the oldest existing public school in Sri Lanka ,the Colombian Navy and the secondary school in Trompsburg . It was used as Sir Francis Bacon's personal motto. In its Old French equivalent, Plus Oultre, it is also the motto of the Belgian municipality of Binche. It is also the motto of Cadet Squadron 15 at the United States Air Force Academy. It is also the motto of Immanuel College in South Australia and St Peters Lutheran College in Queensland.

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Plus Ultra — is Latin for further beyond and may refer to; *Plus Ultra (motto), the motto of, among others, Charles V and Spain *Plus Ultra (flying boat), a seaplane flown by a team of Spanish aviators, including Ramón Franco and Julio Ruiz de Alda Miqueleiz …   Wikipedia

  • Plus Ultra (девиз) — Современный герб Испании Эта статья, по большей части, является переводом аналогичной статьи английского раздела Википедии. Plus Ultra (в переводе с латыни «дальше предела» или «за пределы»)  офиц …   Википедия

  • Plus ultra (Novelle) — Plus ultra ist eine Novelle von Gertrud von le Fort, die 1950 im Insel Verlag erschien.[1] Plus ultra immer weiter war die Devise Kaiser Karls V., der in dem Roman das Ziel der unerfüllten Liebe der Protagonistin ist. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Inhalt… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Plus Ultra — Spanisches Wappen mit Spruchband Plus ultra Plus Ultra ist die Devise des Spanischen Wappens. Von alters her galten die Säulen des Herakles als Grenze der bewohnbaren Welt, dies war ein Non plus ultra (hier ging es nicht mehr weiter). Als die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Plus Ultra Brigade — The Plus Ultra Brigade, or Brigada Hispanoamericana , was a military contingent of mixed personnel from Spain (some 1,300 troops), the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua (about 1,200 troops between the four), which was… …   Wikipedia

  • AD Plus Ultra — Real Madrid Castilla Voller Name Real Madrid Castilla Gegründet 21. Juni 1972 (1947) Stadion …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Agrupación Deportiva Plus Ultra — Real Madrid Castilla Voller Name Real Madrid Castilla Gegründet 21. Juni 1972 (1947) Stadion …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ne plus ultra — utmost limit to which one can go, Latin, lit. no more beyond; the motto traditionally inscribed on the Pillars of Hercules …   Etymology dictionary

  • non plus ultra — Latino: non oltre. Si dice, nel discorso comune, del limite estremo, del più alto livello raggiungibile; e di ciò che si giudica a tale livello. Secondo la mitologia, tali parole furono incise da Ercole sulle famose colonne da lui erette sui… …   Dizionario dei Modi di Dire per ogni occasione

  • Flag of Spain — Infobox flag Name = Spain Article = Nickname = Rojigualda. Image size = 200px Use = 100100 Symbol = FIAV|normal Proportion = 2:3 Adoption = December 6, 1978 (current version, as established on the Spanish Constitution) Design = Three horizontal… …   Wikipedia

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