The Royal mottos or Valspråk of the Swedish monarchs has been a tradition since first used by Gustav I of Sweden, in the early 16th century. Every regent of Sweden since has had used their own motto during their periods of reign. The tradition of using a royal motto in other monarchies is that it most often stays the same within one dynasty, and here the Swedish tradition is different. In this respect they do however serve all the traditional purposes of a national or royal motto. One example is the imprint on all one Krona coins, the currency of Sweden.

Due to the dissolution of the Sweden-Norway Union in 1905, Oscar II had his motto changed.

Royal mottos

Regent	Reign	Royal motto (in Swedish)	English translation
The House of Vasa
Gustav Vasa	1521-1560	All makt är av Gud	All power is of God
Erik XIV	1560-1568	Gud giver åt vem Han vill	God gives to whom He wishes
Johan III	1568-1592	Gud vår beskyddare	God our protector
Sigismund	1592-1599	För rätten och folket	For the justice and the people
Karl IX	1599-1611	Gud min tröst	God my comfort
Gustav II Adolf	1611-1632	Med Gud och segrande vapen	With God and victorious arms
Kristina	1632-1654	Visheten är rikets stöd	Wisdom is the realm's support
The House of Pfalz - cadet branch to the House of Wittelsbach
Karl X Gustav	1654-1660	I Gud mitt öde - Han skall göra det	In God my destiny - He will do it
Karl XI	1660-1697	Herren är vorden min beskyddare	The Lord is become [sic] my protector
Karl XII	1697-1718	Med Guds hjälp	With the help of God
Ulrika Eleonora	1719-1720	I Gud mitt hopp	In God my hope
The House of Hesse
Fredrik I	1720-1751	I Gud mitt hopp	In God my hope
The House of Holstein-Gottorp
Adolf Fredrik	1751-1771	Statens välfärd, min välfärd	The welfare of the state, my welfare
Gustav III	1771-1792	Fäderneslandet	The fatherland
Gustav IV Adolf	1792-1809	Gud och folket	God and the people
Karl XIII	1809-1818	Folkets väl min högsta lag	The welfare of the people my highest law 1
The House of Bernadotte
Karl XIV Johan	1818-1844	Folkets kärlek min belöning	The love of the people my reward
Oskar I	1844-1859	Rätt och sanning	Right and truth
Karl XV	1859-1872	Land skall med lag byggas	Land is built by law
Oskar II	1872-1905	Brödrafolkens väl	The welfare of the brother peoples
	1905-1907	Sveriges väl	The welfare of Sweden
Gustaf V	1907-1950	Med folket för fosterlandet	With the people for the motherland
Gustaf VI Adolf	1950-1973	Plikten framför allt	Duty above all
Carl XVI Gustaf	1973-present	För Sverige i tiden	For Sweden - With the times

See also: List of Swedish monarchs

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Note: (1) Compare with the motto of the U.S. state of Missouri (1821): "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law". Originally from Cicero's De Legibus, Book III, Part III, Sub. VIII.