!!!AEIOU

AEIOU, series of vowels which Emperor Friedrich III (1440-1493) 
commissioned as a decoration on many historical buildings (e.g. St. 
Ruprecht's Church in Vienna, the castle in Wiener Neustadt, western 
portal of the Graz Cathedral), on his state carriage, etc. 
Contemporaries and posterity interpreted it in various ways: "Austriae 
est imperare orbi universo" (Lat. = It is Austria's destiny to rule 
the world), "Austria erit in orbe ultima" (Lat. = Austria will exist 
eternally) or "Alles Erdreich ist Oesterreich untertan" (Ger. = All 
the earth is subordinate to Austria). This series of vowels may be an 
expression of the Emperor's magical and mystical formulaic beliefs; 
however, it mainly demonstrates his belief in the calling of the House 
of Austria.

!Further reading
A. Lhotsky, A.E.I.O.U. Die "Devise" Kaiser 
Friedrichs III., in: MIOeG 60, 1952.



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