What's a Monarch Anyways? The Origin of ODU's Name

By David Asbury

The Old Dominion is not that old and the Monarchs are not butterflies. Last season, the Monarchists and other fans adopted a fun new nickname for S. B. Ballard Stadium, dubbing it the “Castle.” The Castle fits ODU’s theme. Castles are fortified military positions meant to house and defend a king or lord. They have often been the location for many historic battles in medieval Europe. Simply put, castles are where monarchs reign. In a podcast with the Monarchists, Coach Rahne said he approved of the nickname.  Indeed many players on social media adopted it as well, including quarterback Grant Wilson.  The debate over the stadium nickname appears to be over.

But as with any movement, there is some pushback. Some have argued that the Old Dominion Monarchs are not kings but are lions and that the stadium should have a more lion-based theme such as the “Jungle” or “Pride Rock.” ODU’s mascot is a lion and ODU soccer’s stadium is already nicknamed “the Den.” But we should also not ignore the crown on the lion’s head and the nickname is not the “Lions” but the “Monarchs.”  But that begs the question: What is a Monarch anyways? Where did the nickname come from? The short answer is that it comes from King Charles II of England (pictured).   

There is a much longer answer. In 1930, ODU began as the Norfolk Division of William & Mary (Queen Mary was Charles II’s niece). But in 1962, it broke off as a cadet branch and renamed itself Old Dominion College. Virginia had long been nicknamed the “Old Dominion.” No sources are definitive in its origin, but legend has it that Charles II “the Merry Monarch” dubbed Virginia the “Old Dominion” for its loyalty in the English Civil War. Supporters of Charles II and his father before him were known as the “cavaliers” and Virginia was filled with such cavaliers (hence UVA’s nickname). It is also worth noting that “old” likely does not mean old age. In this context, it most likely means “favorite” or “cherished.” Virginia was much younger than England but Charles cherished Virginia's support during a time where many in England did not.  He also named Virginia “En Dat Virginia Quintam” indicating that Virginia was the fifth of the realms, or domains, of the Crown.  At that time, the kings and queens of England also claimed the thrones of Scotland, Ireland, and France (even though France had its own king, thank you very much).

Okay, so Old Dominion University is really just Virginia’s nickname university in the same way that New York could have an Empire State University or Florida could have a Sunshine State University.  But does that mean Charles II is also where we get the Monarch nickname from? Well, it actually probably comes from William III & Mary II, whose patronage helped found the College of William & Mary in 1693, and ruled England at the invitation of Parliament as "joint monarchs." But Charles was also nicknamed the “Merry Monarch” and for good reason.  He had a party-boy reputation.  In the words of his contemporary John Evelyn, "a prince of many virtues and many great imperfections, debonair, easy of access, not bloody or cruel".  John Wilmot, the "Libertine," wrote more lewdly of Charles:

Restless he rolls from whore to whore
A merry monarch, scandalous and poor

During much of Virginia’s colonial period, the monarchs of England belonged to the Stuart dynasty and many places in the Hampton Roads region come from them. Jamestown is named after James I, the first Stuart King of England.  The Elizabeth River in Norfolk is named after the Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart (Charles’ aunt). And of course, we already went over William & Mary College. Mary’s sister Anne eventually inherited and was the last Stuart monarch. Princess Anne High School is named after Princess Anne County which in turn was named after Queen Anne before she was crowned and long before the county was incorporated into modern Virginia Beach.

As a cadet branch of William & Mary, ODU invoking this Stuart history makes for a fun and relevant nickname.  Indeed, ODU’s seal is based on the Stuart's coat of arms. It contains the arms of England and France quartered in the first and fourth quarters, Scotland in the second, Ireland in the third, and William & Mary College’s coat of arms in the center, giving five arms for the Fifth Realm.  The modern coat of arms for the United Kingdom is similar but does not claim France as the Stuarts did.

Okay but what about the lion? Where is it from? And why does it have a crown? Well, Lions have been a symbol for royalty for the English and Scottish thrones for nearly a millennium.  Even the current monarch of the United Kingdom, Charles III still uses many lions in his heraldry.  But more specifically, so did Charles II and the rest of the Stuart Dynasty.  Just like the University Seal, the lion with a crown mascot comes from the Stuart Dynasty’s coat of arms.  

All of this is not to say the Old Dominion Monarchs are always kings and fans should never use any lion imagery either. The mascot and the nickname are flexible and fun either way. 

I've been training for it since I visited Dover Castle while studying abroad with ODU.  Those rebellious Dukes better watch out when they visit the Castle.

We can have both the "Den" for a soccer stadium and the "Castle" for a football stadium.  This is all supposed to be fun and not taken very seriously.  If you do not want to call S.B. Ballard Stadium the “Castle” and rather lean into the lion motif, go for it. Roar your little heart out.  But for me and mine, we will grab our sword, don our armor, and prep our boiling oil to defend the Castle from hostile invaders every Saturday this Fall.   

David is a Monarchist member and lawyer located in Norfolk. He first became an ODU fan in 2009 when he attended the first ever Monarchs football game his sophomore year. He is proud of his degree from ODU, as well as his law degree from Wake Forest University. When he is not blogging for the Monarchists or watching ODU sports, he is spending time with his wife and children, practicing law in Virginia and West Virginia, and occasionally blogging about consumer protection law for his firm.