There are a lot of idioms and terms out there to choose from. Some may be easier to understand that others, but there are some that are also very unique. Deus Vult \u00a0is one such phrase that is hard to forget, and also hard to use correctly.<\/p>\n
Circa 2016 social media memes reprised the Latin phrase \u201cDeus Vult\u201d, which was a battle cry first used by the Crusaders in the 10th Century.<\/p>\n
This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod wills it\u201d or the \u201ccry of the Crusaders\u201d is the distinction carried by the phrase \u201cDeus Vult\u201d. Roughly translated, \u201cDeus\u201d is Latin for \u201cGod\u201d, and \u201cVult\u201d means \u201cWilling\u201d in the third person. <\/strong><\/p>\n Medieval Europeans would cry \u201cDeus Vult\u201d in a crowd chant to embolden the Roman Catholic Crusaders during their battles for the Holy Land (Jerusalem). <\/strong><\/p>\n The chant was also used as a \u201ccharge\u201d command by the military factions that comprised the Crusaders.<\/p>\n The social media reprisal of the chant was led by masses of American \u201cWhite Nationalists\u201d leading up to the 2016 US Presidential race, which saw Donald Trump elected; becoming the most controversial candidate in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n American Conservatives believed they were on a similar crusade to retake the country they felt had been taken from them after an African-American president (Barack Obama) was elected to consecutive 4-year terms as the US President (2008-2016).<\/p>\n The chant has since been discontinued in mainstream usage due to its use in mainstream racist rhetoric.<\/p>\n