Pater Patriae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2006)

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

1 Roman history
- 1.1 Chronological list of Roman Patres Patriae
2 Modern Fathers of their Fatherlands
- 2.1 Father of the Nation
- 2.2 Mother of the Nation
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Roman history

Like all official titles of the Roman Republic and Principate, the honor of being called pater patriae was conferred by the Roman Senate.

It was first awarded to the great orator and senatorial statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero for his part in the suppression of the Catilinarian conspiracy during his consulate in 63 BC.

It was next awarded to Julius Caesar, who as dictator for life became the de facto ruler of the Roman republic and its imperium.

The Senate voted the title to Caesar Augustus in 2 BC, but being neither important for the ruler's legitimacy nor for his legal powers, it did not become a regular part of the imperial honors, contrary to imperator, caesar, augustus, princeps senatus, pontifex maximus and tribunicia potestas. According to the historian Suetonius, Augustus' successor, Tiberius, was offered this title, but refused it.^[1]

The Senate eventually conferred the title on many Roman emperors, often only after many years of rule, or if the new emperor was particularly esteemed by the senators, as in the case of Nerva. As a result, many of the short-lived Emperors never received the title.

The honor was subject to the approval of the honoree, who could decline it. Suetonius notes in his work The Twelve Caesars that Nero did so when first offered the honor during the first year of his reign, on account of his youth. It was traditional for the honoree, in a proper sign of humility, to defer the honor for some time once conferred. Hadrian deferred for eleven years, for example.^[2]

[edit] Chronological list of Roman Patres Patriae

Note that with the exceptions of Cicero and Julius Caesar, the following are all considered Roman emperors.

Cicero, 63 BC (due to his role in the suppression of the Catilinarian conspiracy)
Julius Caesar, 45 BC (who restored the Pax Romana in the 40s BC after the civil wars)
Augustus, February 5, 2 BC
Caligula, 37
Claudius, January, 42
Nero, 55
Vespasian, 70
Titus, June, 79
Domitianus, September 14, 81
Nerva, September, 96
Trajan, 98
Hadrian, 128
Antoninus Pius, 139
Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, 166
Commodus, 177
Septimius Severus, 193
Caracalla, 199
Macrinus, June, 217
Elagabalus, July, 218
Gordian III, May, 238
Probus, July, 276
Diocletian, November 20, 284
Maximian, April 1, 286
Constantine I, 307

[edit] Modern Fathers of their Fatherlands

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (April 2008)

[edit] Father of the Nation

In the case of imitation of this Roman title after Antiquity, either the original Latin term, a translation in the appropriate language or both can be used.

The analogous modern phrase "Father of the Nation" implies less of a great contribution to the preservation and integrity of a state rather than a great role in the founding of a state.

The following is a list of "Fathers of their Fatherlands" or "Fathers of the Nation" after the classical era:

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, first Prime Minister of then-Malaya is commonly known by his formal cognomen of "Bapa Kemerdekaan" (or Father of Independence) a title synonymous to that of Father of the Nation.^[3]
Mustafa Kemal was given Atatürk as a surname by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as a recognition of his being the Father of the Nation.^[4]
José Gervasio Artigas is recognized as the "Father of Uruguayan independence"^[5]
General Aung San is considered the founding father of modern day Myanmar (or Burma)^[6], although he was assassinated six months before Burmese independence from Great Britain. His daughter Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize winning democracy activist and icon for the Burmese people.
General Sukarno is considered the founding father of modern day Indonesia. His daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri is an Indonesian President^{[citation needed]}
Jonas Basanavičius is given the title of Patriarch of the Nation due to his merits in the Lithuanian National Revival.^{[citation needed]}
Simon Bolivar: Independence hero of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia.^{[citation needed]}
Charles IV is considered as the Father of the Homeland (Otec vlasti) as one of the most eminent rulers in the Czech history.^{[citation needed]} Czech politician and historiographer František Palacký is called Father of the Nation (Otec národa),^[7] and Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president and the founder of Czechoslovakia, is often referred as Daddy (Tatíček).^[8]
The Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, insigned of the title by Holy Roman Emperor Charles I of Spain.^{[citation needed]}
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is recognized as the Father of the Nation by the Indian government.^[9]
Einar Gerhardsen, the post–World War II prime minister of Norway, is often referred to as the Father of the Nation ("Landsfaderen").^[10]
Mohammad Ali Jinnah, officially Baba-e-Qaum literally meaning Father of the Nation as recognised by the Pakistan Government.^[11]
The Florentine Renaissance ruler Cosimo de' Medici was granted the title.^{[citation needed]}
Peter I of Russia was granted the title of Father of the Fatherland (Отец Отечества) in 1721 by the Senate of Russian Empire, together with the title of emperor.^[12]
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is considered Father of the Nation in Bangladesh for his leadership of the countries independence movement.^[13]
José de San Martín is given the title of "Padre de la Patria" (standing for Father of the Nation) in Argentina.^{[citation needed]}
Bernardo O'Higgins^{[citation needed]}, along with San Martín, was commander of the military forces that gained Chile's independence and was the first head of state of the fully independent Chilean nation.
Mohammed Zahir Shah is considered as the Father of the Nation in Afghanistan^[14]
José Rizal is considered as the Father of the Nation in Philippines
Sun Yat-sen is officially the "Father of the Nation" (Chinese: 國父) in the Republic of China; in mainland China he is officially referred to as "Father of Modern China", but also commonly "Father of the Nation".^[15]
Mao Zedong is officially the "Father of the Nation" (Chinese: 國父) in the People's Republic of China^{[citation needed]}
Ante Starcevic was considered by the Croatian people as the Father of the Nation (Otac domovine) in Croatia.^[16] Many Croatians today do not recognize the communist leader Josip Broz Tito who included Croatia in the communist Yugoslavia which collapsed in 1991 with Croatia's independence.^{[citation needed]}
Rembrandt Peale's portrait of George Washington, which is displayed in the Old Senate Chamber in the US Capitol, identifies Washington as "Patriae Pater."^[17]
Willem van Oranje is considered as the Father of the Nation in The Netherlands.^[18]
Gustaf Vasa is considered as the Father of the Nation in Sweden.^[19]
Yasser Arafat is considered as the Father of the Nation in Palestine.^[20]
Xanana Gusmão is considered as the Father of the Nation in East Timor.^[21]
Ibrahim Rugova is considered as the Father of the Nation in Kosovo.^[22]
Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore to independence and became the nation's first Prime Minister^[23]^[24]

[edit] Mother of the Nation

A number of women have also been granted the title. Bellow is a list of "Mothers of the Nation" in modern times.

Inés de Suárez,^{[citation needed]} who participated in the Conquest of Chile and successfully defended Santiago against an attack of Native Americans in 1541, has been called "Mother of the Country".
Fatima Jinnah, a prominent Pakistani political leader is considered Pakistan's Mother of the Nation.^{[citation needed]} The major opposition candidate in the 1965 Presidential election, she is widely believed to have won the presidency by historians,^{[citation needed]} which was also the popular opinion of the world community at the time. It seemed the dictator Ayub Khan rigged elections in his favor, but Jinnah remained one of Pakistan's top political figures.^{[citation needed]}
Soong Ching-ling was the second wife of Sun Yat-sen, Father of the Nation of modern China.^{[citation needed]} A large age difference separated the couple, and for decades after his death Miss Soong remained, along with her sisters, one of China's most prominent and powerful politicians. She served as Vice Chairman of China under Mao Zedong, as Chairman of the People's Republic of China from 1968 to 1972, and as President again in 1981, shortly before her death and the passing of the new constitution.
Leading South African politician, activist, and former wife of Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, has been called "Mother of the Nation"^{[citation needed]}
Incumbent Queen of Thailand Sirikit is "Mother of the Land" or Mother of the Nation" in her country.^{[citation needed]}
Judy Bailey former news presenter for ONE News, the highest rated evening television news programme in New Zealand, has been called the "Mother of the Nation".
Queen Victoria is known as the "Mother of Confederation" in Canada, being the Monarch who presided over and encouraged the Confederation process that created Canada as a modern country. She also chose Ottawa as the capital city as well as influencing the development of Canada in many other ways over her long reign.^{[citation needed]}