(Latin for '[signed] with one's own hand'; abbreviated m.p., mpp, mppr.,Pufendorf, Samuel. Sam. L.B. a Pufendorf De jure naturæ et gentium, libri octo. Francofurti & Lipsiæ : Ex Officina Knochiana, MDCCXLIV. v. 1, page . https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/010431595 or mppria) is a phrase sometimes used at the end of typewritten or printed documents when there is no handwritten signature. It is typically found just after the name(s) of the person(s) who would have signed the document if it had not been printed or typewritten.
It is also found in several ancient documents in front of or after the writer's signature at the end of the document.
History Medieval period
Richly decorated manu propria signs were frequently used by medieval dignitaries and literates to verify the authenticity of handwritten documents.
18th century
mppria was commonly used in the 18th century. However, it was not only used for Latin documents.
Full autograph title-page of Symphony no.97 by Joseph Haydn which reads 'Sinfonia in C/di me giuseppe Haydn mppria. 'Early Music, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Oct., 1982), pp. 496 and footnote nr. 5: 5The contraction of manu propria and of the date is usual Nobility Diploma André FalquetDiploma Nobilitatis Andrea Falquet
From the 19th century
Later, official documents were routinely accompanied by this abbreviation, for example, the declaration of war on Serbia by Emperor Franz Joseph from 1914 ends with m.p.
Usage today
By country
Some of the countries that still regularly use manu propria include: Albania in official documents: d.v. (), Austria: e. h. (), the Czech Republic: v. r. ()See e.g. Czech Technical Norm ČSN 01 6910 6910:2007 Úprava písemností zpracovaných textovými editory. Online Language Handbook in Czech or occasionally the Latin abbreviation m.p., Germany: gez. ()See Oxford Duden German Dictionary, 1990, p.337 Hungary in official documents: s.k. (), Slovakia: v. r. (), Slovenia: l.r. (). Serbia: s.r. ()
See also
List of Latin phrases Seal Tughra Autopen
References