A.E.I.O.U.

At school, we learned the famous motto A.E.I.O.U. and what it supposedly meant for Austria: Alles Erdreich ist Österreich Untertan (“All the earth is subject to Austria”). The five letters were said to proclaim Austria’s glory to the world. But many other interpretations have survived.

The Holy Roman Empire’s Master of Slogans

The best-known motto of an Austrian monarch was coined by Emperor Frederick III. He may have earned the mocking nickname des Reiches Erzschlafmütze (“the Holy Roman Empire’s arch-sleepyhead”) for his lack of political drive, but he clearly knew a thing or two about making himself known. His A.E.I.O.U. appeared on so many buildings and objects that it became something like a logo, a motto and a personal brand—all in the 15th century, long before the word marketing existed. The letters spread throughout the empire and helped keep the emperor’s name in view.

It probably helped that Frederick had plenty of time to put his favourite letters everywhere. His 53-year reign was the longest of any monarch of the Holy Roman Empire. Time seemed to work in his favour in other ways, too: he outlived all three of his greatest enemies. He did not defeat them by marching into battle. He waited. Eventually, time took care of his rivals, and Frederick was the last one standing.

A.E.I.O.U.—Austria’s Most Famous Magic Spell?

Frederick developed an early interest in the occult, alchemy and astronomy. His treasury held numerous gemstones, which people in the Middle Ages believed had magical powers. His personal notebook also shows that he experimented with secret scripts, number symbolism and codes. At the time, the vowels of the alphabet were thought to possess special mystical powers. This has led to the theory that Frederick used A.E.I.O.U. as a kind of protective spell for his possessions. Could the emperor have seen himself as a magician?

To us, that idea may sound far-fetched. But mysticism and superstition were common in the Middle Ages, when people understood the world very differently. Take the discovery of a mammoth bone outside St. Stephen’s Cathedral in 1443. The people who found it had never heard of a mammoth. To them, a giant seemed the more plausible explanation.

Frederick had the “giant’s bone” mounted at the entrance to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Perhaps that is why its main entrance is still called the Riesentor (“Giant’s Gate”). And what was written on the mammoth bone? You guessed it: A.E.I.O.U.

Austriae est imperare orbi universo (“Austria is destined to rule the whole world”)

In the 17th century, a notebook containing texts handwritten by Frederick III was found in the Habsburg archives. Alongside his instruction to place A.E.I.O.U. on all his possessions, it contained the phrase Austriae est imperare orbi universo (“Austria is destined to rule the whole world”).

That grand interpretation of the letters might seem fitting for a world-famous emperor. But when Frederick first began using A.E.I.O.U. in 1437, he was neither emperor nor king, let alone famous throughout the world. He rose to the top of the ruling house only after two deaths in his family changed the line of succession. Once there, he may have reinterpreted his letters as a statement of imperial ambition. The notebook also contains other expansions of A.E.I.O.U. written by Frederick himself. All of them glorify him and his realm.

A.E.I.O.U.—Am Ende ist alles umsonst (“In the End, It’s All for Nothing”)

There are more interpretations of these five letters than I want to list here. Which raises the obvious question: Which one is right? None of them—or all of them?

If we could ask Frederick III, he might well answer: None—or all. One plausible theory is that he chose A.E.I.O.U. precisely because it left room for interpretation. People discussed what the letters meant, adding to the mystery surrounding the emperor and spreading his fame. Frederick may have been a sleepyhead in politics, but he knew how to get people talking about him.

After 53 years on the throne, outliving his enemies and collecting objects he believed to be magical, Frederick fell seriously ill. He may have had diabetes, which led to the amputation of his leg. He survived the operation but died two months later, aged 77. Work was already under way on an elaborate tomb for the emperor in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. And, of course, A.E.I.O.U. appears there too.

The letters have many possible meanings. But here, I think the Viennese version is the most fitting:

Am End ist ois umasonst. (“In the end, it’s all for nothing.”)