Why is the British national anthem about the monarch and not the country?

[simon43]

When I look at the English translation of the words of national anthems for other countries, I see that they are all about that country, fighting and defending that country etc.

 

When I look at the words of the British national anthem, there is not one single word/phrase about the country - it is all about defending the monarch.

 

I'm not a republican, but that strikes me as downright weird.....

[discrete]

The UK is a monarchy - so it is all about the monarch

 

And the people are 'subjects' not 'citizens'    5555

 

Source: Me- a UK subject

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, discrete said:

The UK is a monarchy - so it is all about the monarch

 

And the people are 'subjects' not 'citizens'    5555

 

Source: Me- a UK subject

You beat me to it. Back in the day the monarch WAS the country. Defending the monarch was defending the country. A lot of brave boys died in WW1 for "King and country".

[herfiehandbag]

8 hours ago, simon43 said:

When I look at the English translation of the words of national anthems for other countries, I see that they are all about that country, fighting and defending that country etc.

 

When I look at the words of the British national anthem, there is not one single word/phrase about the country - it is all about defending the monarch.

 

I'm not a republican, but that strikes me as downright weird.....

It is a National Anthem - for a country which is specifically  an union under a monarch, and was adopted under that principle, when that was "the new thing"; that was what drove it initially I think.

 

The French sing about revolution and winning battles ( heaven knows why), the Germans idealise their engineering traditions by singing about their German overalls, and the Americans warble about flags, whilst anxiously checking their breast pockets to see that they have not forgotten their wallets!

 

Horses for courses I suppose...

[mokwit]

Because our Monarchs have been foreign so they emphasised personal loyalty.