Father of the Nation

Father of the Nation is an honorific title given to a man considered the driving force behind the establishment of their country, state or nation. The term founding fathers may be used if more than one person is considered key.

Usage

Pater Patriae (plural Patres Patriae), also seen as Parens Patriae, was a Roman honorific meaning "Father of the Country."

In absolute monarchies, the monarch was often considered "father of the nation", where the Divine Right of Kings is considered analogous to the right of a father or patriarch to rule over his family.

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 Helmsman", "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]

List

Name	Nation	Title (native)	Title (translation)	Notes
Julius Nyerere	Tanzania	Baba wa Taifa	Father of the Nation	First President of Tanzania^[6]
Mustafa Kemal	Turkey	Atatürk	[Great] Father of the Turks	Adopted in accordance with a 1934 law establishing surnames in Turkey.^[7]
José Gervasio Artigas	Uruguay	Father of Uruguayan independence	title=Placenames of the World", p. 36
Aung San	Burma	Assassinated six months before Burmese independence from the United Kingdom^[8]
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (Karel IV)	Czech Republic	Otec vlasti	Father of the Homeland	King of Bohemia. Title coined by the rector of the Charles University of Prague at the emperor's funeral^[9]
Franti?ek Palacký	Czech Republic	Otec národa	Father of the Nation	Politician and historian^[9]
Tomá? Garrigue Masaryk	Czech Republic	Tati?ek	Little father	First president of Czechoslovakia^[9]
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi	India	Bapu	Father [of the Nation]	First used by Subhas Chandra Bose in a radio address from Singapore in 1944.^[10] Recognized by the Indian government.^[11]
Einar Gerhardsen	Norway	Landsfaderen	Father of the Nation	The post–World War II prime minister of Norway^[12]
Mohammad Ali Jinnah	Pakistan	Baba-e-Qaum	Father of the Nation	^[13]^[14]
Peter I of Russia	Russia	???? ?????????	Father of the Fatherland	Was granted the title in 1721 by the Governing Senate, along with "Emperor of Russia" and "The Great".^[15]
Mohammed Zahir Shah	Afghanistan	Father of the Fatherland	Former King of Afghanistan. Title bestowed by the 2002 loya jirga and confirmed by Article 158 of the Constitution of Afghanistan^[16]
Sun Yat-sen	Republic of China	Guófů	Father of the Nation	The Kuomintang decreed the title in 1940.^[17] In People's Republic of China he is officially referred to as "Father of Modern China", but also commonly "Father of the Nation".^[18]
William the Silent	Netherlands	Vader des Vaderlands	Father of the Fatherland	Leader of the successful Dutch Revolt against Spain, which led to the Dutch Republic (the first independent Dutch state)^[19]
Tunku Abdul Rahman	Malaysia	Bapa Malaysia	Father of Malaysia	First Prime Minister of Malaysia. Also called Bapa Kemerdekaan (Father of Independence).^[20]
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes	Cuba	Padre de la Patria	Father of the Motherland	First president of the independent Cuban goverment in the 19th century. Beginner and precurssor of the first Cuban independence war in 1868, and strong advocate of Cuban unity, anti slavery and anti-colonialism sentiments among Cuban freedom fighters.