Individual oath to a state
An
oath of allegiance
is an
oath
whereby a
subject
or
citizen
acknowledges a duty of
allegiance
and swears
loyalty
to a
monarch
or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's
constitution
. For example, officials in the
United States
, take an oath of office that includes swearing allegiance to the
United States Constitution
. However, typically in a constitutional monarchy, such as in the
United Kingdom
,
Australia
, and other
Commonwealth realms
, oaths are sworn to the
monarch
. Armed forces typically require a
military oath
.
In
feudal
times, a person would also swear allegiance to their feudal superiors. To this day the oath sworn by freemen of the
City of London
contains an oath of obedience to the
Lord Mayor of the City of London
.
Oaths of allegiance are commonly required of newly naturalised citizens (see
oath of citizenship
), members of the armed forces, and those assuming public (particularly parliamentary and judicial) offices. Clergy in the
Church of England
are required to take an
Oath of Supremacy
acknowledging the authority of the
British monarch
.
A typical example of an oath of allegiance is that sworn by members of
Parliament
in the
Netherlands
:
I swear (affirm) allegiance to the King, to the
Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands
, and to the Constitution. I swear (affirm) that I will faithfully perform the duties my office lays upon me. So help me God almighty! (This I declare and affirm)
[1]
In many Commonwealth realms, all that is required is an oath to the monarch, and not the constitution or state. There have been moves in some of the realms to make the oath of citizenship sworn by new citizens refer to the country rather than the monarch. However, the oaths sworn by judges, members of parliament, etc., have not been changed. All of these moves have not succeeded as the King or Queen is the personification of the Canadian, British, or Australian state (or that of any other Commonwealth realm). Allegiance sworn to the monarch is the same as to the country, its constitution or flag. The
European Court of Human Rights
ruled in 1999 that the oath of allegiance to a reigning monarch is "reasonably viewed as an affirmation of loyalty to the constitutional principles supporting the workings of representative democracy."
[2]
See also
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References
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External links
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