Father of the Nation

The Father of the Nation is an honorific title given to a person considered the driving force behind the establishment of a country, state, or nation. Pater Patriae (plural Patres Patriae), also seen as Parens Patriae, was a Roman honorific meaning the "Father of the Fatherland", bestowed by the Senate on heroes, and later on emperors. In monarchies, the monarch is often considered the "father/mother of the nation" or as a patriarch to guide his family. This concept is expressed in the divine right of kings espoused in some monarchies, while in others it is codified into constitutional law.

In Spain, the monarch is considered the personification and embodiment, the symbol of unity and permanence of the nation. In Thailand, the monarch is given the same recognition, and any person who expresses disrespect toward the reigning monarch faces severe criminal penalties.

Many dictators bestow titles upon themselves, which rarely survive the end of their regime. Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo's titles included "father of the nation", "older brother", and "Guide of the People".[1] Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire's included "Father of the nation", "the Guide", "the Messiah", "the Leopard", "the Sun-President", and "the Cock who Jumps on Anything That Moves".[2] In postcolonial Africa, "father of the nation" was a title used by many leaders both to refer to their role in the independence movement as a source of legitimacy, and to use paternalist symbolism as a source of continued popularity.[3] On Joseph Stalin's seventieth birthday in 1949, he was bestowed with the title "Father of Nations" for his establishment of "people's democracies" in countries occupied by the USSR after World War II.[4]

The title "Father of the Nation" is sometimes politically contested. The 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh declared Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to be "father of the nation".[5] A motion in the Parliament of Slovakia to proclaim controversial pre-war leader Andrej Hlinka "father of the nation" barely failed in September 2007.[6]

List

The following people are still often called the "Father" or "Mother" of their respective nations.

NameNationTitle (native)Title (translation)Notes
Ahmad Shah Durrani  AfghanistanAhmad Shah BabaAhmad Shah the Father[7][8][9]Founder of the Afghan Durrani Empire.
Ismail Kemal  AlbaniaBabai KombitFather of the NationLed the Albanian national movement against the Ottoman Empire
V. C. Bird  Antigua and BarbudaFather of the NationFirst prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
José de San Martín  Argentina
Peru
Padre de la Patria /
Fundador de la República y Protector del Perú[10]
Father of the Fatherland /
Founder of the Republic and Protector of Peru
Primary leader of the Argentine War of Independence and the Spanish American wars of independence in southern South America.
María Remedios del Valle  ArgentinaMadre de la PatriaMother of the HomelandImportant officer in the Argentine Army during the War of Independence, referred to as the "Mother of the Homeland" since her lifetime. In 1829, the Chamber of Representatives of the province of Buenos Aires named her "Mother of the Homeland" and granted her the position of sergeant major.[11][12]
Hayk (Հայկ)  ArmeniaNahapet (Նահապետ)Head of the Family
Patriarch
Legendary founder of the Armenian nation.
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG  AustraliaFather of FederationGave the Tenterfield Oration, which is believed to be pivotal in the process of the Federation of Australia.
Sir Lynden Pindling  The BahamasFather of the NationLeader at independence in 1973.[13]
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman  BangladeshJatir Janak (জাতির জনক)
Bangabandhu (বঙ্গবন্ধু)
Father of the Nation
Friend of Bengal
Founder of Bangladesh, leader during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Errol Barrow  BarbadosFather of IndependenceThe third and final premier of Barbados, serving from 1961 to 1966, who lead Barbados to independence from the British Empire in 1966. He became the first prime minister and served three terms (1966–76, 1986–87) dying in office of illness during his third.
Konstanty Kalinowski  BelarusStvaralnik bielaruskaha narodu (Стваральнік беларускага народу)Creator of the Belarusian NationUsed among other titles. Military and political leader during the January Uprising.[14][15] Usage opposed by those who view Kalinowski's nationality as Polish, rather than Belarusian.[16]
George Cadle Price  BelizeFather of the NationFormer Chief Minister, Premier and two-term Prime Minister before retiring in 1997.[17][18]
Seretse Khama  BotswanaFather of IndependenceLeader of the independence movement and first President of Botswana. Creator of democracy in Botswana
Dom Pedro I, Maria Leopoldina of Austria and José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva  BrazilPai da Nação e Patriarca da IndependênciaFather of the Nation and Patriarch of IndependenceFounder and the first Emperor of Brazil (1822) during the independence of Brazil. Maria Leopoldina was the first Empress of Brazil. Bonifácio was the advisor of Pedro I.
Omar Ali Saifuddien III  BruneiArchitect of Modern Brunei. Builder of the Modern Nation and Father of Independence28th Sultan of Brunei and First Minister of Defence (1914–1986).
Asparuh  BulgariaKanasubigi (Кан)Founder and first ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire.
Norodom Sihanouk  Cambodiaសម្តេចឪ (Sâmdéch Âu)King FatherSecured independence from France.
John A. Macdonald and the other Fathers of Confederation  CanadaFather of Confederation
Pères de la Confédération
Father of ConfederationThe 36 Canadian politicians who negotiated Canadian Confederation
Bernardo O'Higgins  ChilePadre de la patriaFather of the fatherlandPrincipal leader of the Chilean War of Independence.
Sun Yat-sen  Republic of China國父 (Guófù)Father of the NationSun played an instrumental role in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty during the Xinhai Revolution. The Nationalist government decreed the title in 1940.[19] Sun is more widely known in the People's Republic of China as the "Forerunner of the Revolution".[20]
José María Castro Madriz  Costa RicaFundador de la RepúblicaFounder of the RepublicFirst President of the Republic of Costa Rica.[21]
Ante Starčević  CroatiaOtac domovineFather of the HomelandHis diverse activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state.[22]
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes  CubaPadre de la PatriaFather of the Fatherland[23]Leader of the first Cuban independence movement which fought the Ten Years' War.
Archbishop Makarios III  CyprusΕθνάρχηςLeader of the NationFirst and longest President of Cyprus, leader of Greek Cypriot nationalist movement during Cypriot intercommunal violence
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor  Czech RepublicOtec vlastiFather of the HomelandKing of Bohemia. Title coined by the rector of the Charles University of Prague at the emperor's funeral.[24]
František PalackýOtec národaFather of the NationPolitician and historian, influential in Czech National Revival movement.[24] Whereas vlast "homeland" included all inhabitants, národ "nation" comprised only Czech people.[25]
Tomáš MasarykTatíček /
Prezident Osvoboditel
Father of the Fatherland / President LiberatorFirst President of Czechoslovakia, helped negotiate establishment of Czechoslovakia with the Allies of World War I.[24][26]
Juan Pablo Duarte  Dominican RepublicPadre de la patriaFather of the FatherlandDefeated Haiti during Dominican War of Independence.
Ilia Chavchavadze  Georgiaუგვირგვინო მეფე / ერის მამაThe Crownless King / Father of the Nation
Members of the Parlamentarischer Rat  GermanyVäter und Mütter des GrundgesetzesFathers and mothers of the Basic LawDrafted the Basic Law, the constitution of (then West) Germany
Kwame Nkrumah  GhanaOsagyefoFather of the nationFirst president and prime minister of Ghana during decolonization, the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve full independence.
Alexander the Great  GreeceΠατέρας των ΕλλήνωνFather of the GreeksFounder of the Macedonian Empire responsible for spreading Greek culture during the Hellenistic period.
Cheddi Jagan  GuyanaFather of the NationPresident of Guyana from 1992 to 1997.
Jean-Jacques Dessalines  HaitiPère de la patrieFather of the FatherlandPrimary leader of the Haitian Revolution.
Dionisio de Herrera  HondurasFirst Head of State of Honduras within the Federal Republic of Central America
Árpád  HungaryHonalapítóFounder of the HomelandSecond Grand Prince of the Hungarians, leader of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian basin.
Mahatma Gandhi  Indiaराष्ट्रपिता (Rashtrapita)
Bapu (Father)
Father of the Nation[27][28]Leader of the Indian independence movement from British Raj.
Sukarno
Mohammad Hatta
 IndonesiaBapak Bangsa
Sang Proklamator
Dwitunggal
Father(s) of the Nation
The Proclamators
Duumvirate
Main leaders of the Indonesian National Revolution, wrote and signed the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, as well as served as the first President and Vice President of Indonesia, respectively.
Cyrus the Great  Iran (Persia)ShahanshahKing of KingsThe founder of the first Persian Empire
David Ben-Gurion  IsraelIsrael's founding father[29]Father of the Nationformally proclaimed the establishment of Israel and served as its first prime minister.
Camillo Benso
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Mazzini
Vittorio Emanuele II di Savoia
 ItalyPadre della PatriaFather of the FatherlandAuthors of Italian unification[30][31][32]
Emperor Jimmu  Japan神武天皇 (Jinmu Ten-noh)Legendary first Emperor of Japan
Kerei Khan and Janibek Khan  KazakhstanНегізін қалаушылар (Negızın qalauşylar)FoundersFounders and first rulers of the Kazakh Khanate, who led the Kazakh War of Independence against the Uzbek Khanate and established the first independent Kazakh state.[33]
Members of the AlashKazakh intellectuals who took part in the national liberation movement and formed the Alash Orda provisional government during the Russian Revolution.
Jomo Kenyatta  KenyaBaba wa TaifaFather of the Nation/Freedom FighterFirst President of Kenya from 1963 to his death in 1978 who helped create the Kenyan Constitution.
Ibrahim Rugova  KosovoAti i KombitFather of the NationFirst president of the First Republic of Kosovo. President of Serbian Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metochia under UN after the Kosovo War.
Jonas Basanavičius  LithuaniaTautos patriarchasPatriarch of the NationVarious cultural activities during the Lithuanian National Revival.[34]
Tunku Abdul Rahman  MalaysiaBapa Kemerdekaan

Bapa Malaysia

Father of Independence

Father of Malaysia

The first Prime Minister of Malaysia. A prince from the Kedah Sultanate, the Cambridge-educated Tunku led the negotiated independence of Federation of Malaya from the British Empire in 1957. Later formed Malaysia through the union of Peninsular Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak in 1963.
Muhammad Fareed Didi  MaldivesFounder of modern Maldives and last sultan of Maldives.
Giorgio Borġ Olivier  MaltaMissier Malta IndipendentiFather of Independent MaltaFirst post-independence Prime Minister of Malta between 1950–1955 and 1962–1971.
Dom MintoffMissier Malta Repubblika,

Missier Malta Hielsa

Father of Republican Malta,

Father of Free Malta

A Maltese statesman and leading politician. He twice served as Prime Minister of Malta (from 1955 to 1958, and from 1974 to 1984) as the Leader of the Labour Party, a position he held from 1949 to 1984. In 1974, with him as Prime Minister, Malta negotiated a series of constitutional reforms leading to the establishment of the Maltese Republic and the removal of the British monarch as head of state. In 1979, the last Royal Navy ships left Malta, marking the country's transformation into a fully independent nation. Mintoff is also credited with the establishment of the Maltese welfare state and the socialist-style nationalisation and collectivisation of various key industries.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam  MauritiusFather of the Nation[35]First post-independence Prime Minister, in 1968.
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla  MexicoPadre de la patria mexicana[36]Father of the Mexican Nation[37]First revolutionary leader in the Mexican War of Independence.
Genghis Khan  MongoliaМонголчуудын эцэгFather of the Mongols, Founding Father of Mongolia[38]After unifying the many nomadic tribes of northeastern Asian steppe peoples, Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire and became the first Great Khan and Emperor. He eventually led a conquest of the majority of Eurasia, and his unified homeland would become Mongolia.
Mohammed V  Moroccoأب الوطن المغربي / ⵉⴱⴱⴰ ⵏ ⵜⴰⵎⵜⵜⵉ ⴰⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱⵉFather of the Moroccan Nation[39]King of Morocco during its independence in 1956, seen by most Moroccans as Father of the Nation.[40]
Aung San  Myanmarနိုင်ငံ‌တော်၏ဖခင်၊
လွတ်လပ်ရေးဖခင်၊
တပ်မတော်၏ဖခင်
Father of Nation,[41][42]
Father of Independence,
Father of Tatmadaw (Burmese Army)
He was the founder of Tatmadaw (Burmese Army) and he was the 5th Prime Minister of Burma in British Era from 1946 to 1947. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he was assassinated just six months before his goal was realized.
Sam Nujoma  NamibiaFounding Father of the Namibian NationPrimary leader of SWAPO during the South African Border War and first President of Namibia, 1990–2005; title conferred by Act of Parliament in 2005.[43]
Prithvi Narayan Shah    Nepalश्री ५ बडामहाराजधिराज पृथ्वी नारायण शाहFather of the NationKing of Nepal during the Unification of Nepal.
William the Silent  NetherlandsVader des VaderlandsFather of the FatherlandLeader of the successful Dutch Revolt against the Spanish Empire, which led to the Dutch Republic, the first independent Dutch state.[44]
Diriangén[45]  NicaraguaPadre de la Patria NicaragüenseFather of the Nicaraguan FatherlandNative Nicaraguan tribal leader
Nnamdi Azikiwe  NigeriaFather of Nigerian NationalismFirst president of Nigeria when it became a republic on 1 October 1963, and was the last governor general of Nigeria.
Krste Misirkov  North MacedoniaТатко на нацијатаFather of the NationProminent linguist, writer and activist.
Einar Gerhardsen  NorwayLandsfaderenFather of the NationFirst post–World War II prime minister of Norway.[46]
Muhammad Ali Jinnah  PakistanBaba-e-Qaum[47]/Quaid-e-Azam[48]Father of the Nation/Great LeaderLed the Pakistan Movement and served as first governor-general of Pakistan.
Yasser Arafat  PalestineThe Father of Palestine[49]Father of the NationLed the Palestinian liberation movement and served as president of the State of Palestine from 1994 to 2004.
Sir Michael Somare  Papua New GuineaPapa Blo Kantri[50]Father of the NationLeader at independence in 1975; also known as "the chief" and "the old man".[51]
Emilio Aguinaldo  PhilippinesKauna-unahang Pangulo ng PilipinasFirst President of the PhilippinesMilitary Leader of the Philippine Revolution and the First President of the Philippines through the 1899 Malolos Congress, which oversaw the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution. His birthday, 22 March 1869, is celebrated as Emilio Aguinaldo Day.
Andrés BonifacioAmá ng HimagsikanFather of the RevolutionPolitical Leader of the Philippine Revolution, which saw armed resistance against the Spanish Empire. His birthday, 30 November 1863, is a national holiday.
José RizalPambansáng BayaniNational HeroColloquially known as the "National Hero". Rizal's works and writings–which helped start the Philippine Revolution–are part of the national curriculum as mandated by Republic Act No. 1425. The anniversary of his 30 December 1896 execution by the Spanish colonial government is a national holiday.[52]
Ignacy Daszyński, Roman Dmowski, Wojciech Korfanty, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Józef Piłsudski, Wincenty Witos  PolandOjcowie Niepodległości, Ojcowie Polski OdrodzonejFathers of Independence, Fathers of Reborn PolandAfter World War I six fathers of independence jointly took advantage of the favorable conditions and led to the birth of the Second Polish Republic.[53]
Mieszko ITwórca państwa polskiegoFounder of the Polish stateMieszko I united slavic tribes of Poland, baptized the country and became the first historical ruler of Poland.
D. Afonso Henriques  PortugalFundador da NaçãoFather of the Nation
a.k.a. The Conqueror
Founder and first King of Portugal (1139), recognized by the Holy See in 1179.
Peter I of Russia  RussiaОтец Отечества (Otets Otechestva)Father of the FatherlandWas granted the title in 1721 by the Governing Senate, along with "Emperor of Russia" and "The Great".[54]
El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed  Western SaharaFather of the NationLeader of the Polisario Front, First President of the SADR. Fought against Spanish colonial army & against the invasion of the Moroccan and Mauritanian armies in the Western Sahara conflict.
Sir John Compton  Saint LuciaFather of the NationPrime Minister at independence in 1979. Also known as "Daddy Compton".[55]
Saint Marinus  San MarinoFounder of a chapel and monastery in central Italy, in 301 (traditional date: 3 September). From this initial community the state of San Marino later grew.[56]
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia  Saudi Arabiaوالد الأمة (Waalid Al Ummah)/ المؤسس (Al-Moa'sis)Father of the Nation/ The FounderUnified the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and established the modern Saudi state. He descended from the noble House of Saud, the dynasty which had ruled most of Arabia in the 18th century. His son King Salman is the current head of state of Saudi Arabia. Five other older sons – Saud, Faisal, Khalid, Fahd and Abdullah – served as former heads of state.
Donald Dewar  ScotlandFather of the NationFirst First Minister of Scotland following the reconvening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.[57]
Dobrica Ćosić  SerbiaОтац нације[58][59]Father of the NationYugoslav and Serbian politician, writer, and political theorist.
Karađorđe and Miloš the GreatОтац нације[60][61]Father of the NationLeaders of the First and Second Serbian Uprising during the Serbian Revolution.
Saint SavaОтац отаџбине[62]Father of the FatherlandFounder of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Lee Kuan Yew  SingaporeFather of SingaporeFirst Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for over 30 years. Leading figure throughout Singapore's time as a part of Malaysia and its later independence.
Primož Trubar  SloveniaOče narodaFather of the NationA consolidator of Slovene and the author of the first Slovene printed book.
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan  SomaliaFather of the fatherlandThe emir of Dervish and Diiriye Guure.[63]
Nelson Mandela  South AfricaTata wethuFather of the NationPrimary leader of internal resistance to apartheid as chairman of the African National Congress, and President of post-apartheid South Africa.[64]
Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabella)  SpainReyes Católicos de los reinos de Castilla y AragónCatholic Monarchs of the Kingdoms of Castille and AragonThe unifiers of Spain. They unified the territories of Castille, Aragon and Al-Andalus, all the territories of the Iberian Peninsula, except Portugal. During their reign America was discovered and started the Spanish Empire.
Don Stephen Senanayake  Sri Lankaජාතියේ පියා (Jathiyay Piya)Father of the NationFirst Prime Minister, from 1947 to 1952.[65]
Johan Ferrier  SurinameVader des VaderlandsFather of the NationFirst president after the independence of the country in 1975 (the term Vader des Vaderlands has its roots in the Netherlands).
Gustav I of Sweden  SwedenLandsfaderFather of the NationBroke Sweden from Danish rule under Christian II.
Per Albin Hansson[citation needed]LandsfaderFather of the NationPrime Minister 1932–1946 and founder of The People's Home.
Julius Nyerere  TanzaniaBaba wa TaifaFather of the NationFirst President of Tanzania.[66]
Henry Alcazar, Victor Bryan, Tubal Uriah Butler, Rudranath Capildeo, Simbhoonath Capildeo, Arthur Andrew Cipriani, Albert Gomes, Solomon Hochoy, A. P. T. James, Audrey Jeffers, Ranjit Kumar, Emmanuel Mzumbo Lazare, Chanka Maharaj, Bhadase Sagan Maraj, Quintin O'Connor, Michael Pocock, Adrian Cola Rienzi (Krishna Deonarine), Alfred Richards, Harold Robinson, Timothy Roodal, Lionel Seukeran, Ashford Sinanan, Mitra Sinanan, Sarran Teelucksingh, Louis de Verteuil, Gerald Wight, Eric Williams, Hugh Wooding[67]  Trinidad and TobagoMoulders of the Nation[67]They helped shape the country's future as an independent nation and laid the foundation of democracy.[67]
Eric WilliamsFather of the NationFirst and three-term Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1956 to his death in 1981, first Premier of Trinidad and Tobago from 1961 to 1966, second Chief Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1956 to 1961, founder of the People's National Movement (PNM) and was instrumental in writing the Trinidad and Tobago constitution and gaining the country independence and republicanism from British rule.[68][69]
Habib Bourguiba  Tunisiaالمجاهد الاكبر(Al mujehed al akbar)The Supreme WarriorFather of the independence of Tunisia and first President of Tunisia. He led the Tunisian national movement against the French colonial empire. After Tunisian independence, he founded a modern state, built schools and hospitals and gave the Tunisian women rights that are still unique in the Arab World today.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk  TurkeyAtatürkFather of the Turks (always used as a last name and not a title proper)Founder of the Republic of Turkey and first President of Turkey. He led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence, and enacted the reforms that made Turkey a democratic nation-state. Granted in accordance with the 1934 Surname Law establishing surnames in Turkey.[70]
Bohdan Khmelnytsky  UkraineFather of the NationLeader of the Khmelnytsky Uprising against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and founder of the Cossack Hetmanate, the first independent Ukrainian state.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan  United Arab Emiratesوالد الأمة (Waalid Al Ummah)Father of the NationPresident of the UAE for its first 33 years (1971–2004).[71][72]
George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and other Signers and Framers  United StatesFounding Fathers[73][74]The Signers signed the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Framers were delegates to the Constitutional Convention and took part in framing or drafting the proposed United States Constitution.
George WashingtonFather of his country[75][76]George Washington is particularly highlighted out of the Founding Fathers of the United States as being the "father of his country"[75][76] for his role as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, his resignation of command at the end of the war, the presidency of the Constitutional Convention and for his tenure (and voluntary retirement) as the first President of the United States.
José Gervasio Artigas  UruguayPadre de la independencia uruguaya, Protector de los Pueblos Libres y Jefe de los orientales[77]Father of Uruguayan independence, Defender of the Free and Chief of the eastern people[78]Fought against the Spanish Royalists for independence in the Río de la Plata.
Ho Chi Minh  VietnamCha già dân tộcFather of the peopleLeader of the Viet Minh, who fought for independence from France in the First Indochina War and decisively defeated them at the bloody Battle of Dien Bien Phu, resulting in the establishment of an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north of the country in 1954. Vietnam would eventually be united under Communist Party of Vietnam rule after his death with the Fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
Kenneth Kaunda  ZambiaTataFather of the nationFirst president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He founded the Zambian African National Congress (ANC), later becoming the head of the United National Independence Party (UNIP which led to attaining independence.

References

Works cited

See also