pater patriae
- Latin:
- “father of the Fatherland”
- Related Topics:
- ancient Rome
pater patriae, in ancient Rome, a title originally accorded (in the form parens urbis Romanae, or “parent of the Roman city”) to Romulus, Rome’s legendary founder. It was next accorded to Marcus Furius Camillus, who led the city’s recovery after its capture by the Gauls (c. 390 bc).
The title was revived in the late republic. The Senate conferred it on Cicero in 63 bc for defeating the Catilinarian conspiracy and on Julius Caesar after the Battle of Munda in 45 bc. Augustus accepted the title in 2 bc, at age 60, to celebrate the dedication of the Augustan Forum. His successor, Tiberius, rejected the title. After Tiberius, most Roman emperors accepted the title after a formal refusal. Pertinax was the first emperor to accept the title on his accession (ad 193).
In the modern world the title was revived to honour statesmen, such as the first president of the United States, George Washington, out of deference to the Roman republican tradition.