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{{Short description|List of people credited with creating the state}}
{{Redirect|Founding fathers|the founding fathers of the United States|Founding Fathers of the United States|the founding fathers of the European Union|Founding fathers of the European Union}}
{{Redirect|Founding Father|the short story by Isaac Asimov|Founding Father (short story)}}
{{Further|Father of the Nation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
The following is a '''list of national founders''' of [[sovereign state]]s who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., [[political system]] form of government, and constitution), of the country. They can also be military leaders of a [[war of independence]] that led to the establishment of a sovereign state.
==Africa==
===Burkina Faso===
[[Maurice Yaméogo]] was the first Upper Voltese premier of [[French Upper Volta]], being appointed in 1958 and became the [[List of heads of state of Burkina Faso|first president]] of the [[Republic of Upper Volta]] from 1960 to 1966. Yaméogo was politically disenfranchised and all of his titles were denounced in 1970 under the orders of [[Sangoulé Lamizana]] before being rehabilitated in 1991 by [[Blaise Compaoré]] as the national founder. In 1984, president of Upper Volta, [[Thomas Sankara]] as a part of his [[Sankarism|socialist]] and [[Anti-French sentiment|anti-french]] reforms renamed the country to [[Burkina Faso]] as well as adopting the national anthem, [[Ditanyè]], which was written by Sankara himself. In 2023, Sankara was declared the hero of Burkina Faso and the “true” national founder by president [[Ibrahim Traoré]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/05/burkina-faso-former-president-thomas-sankara-elevated-to-the-rank-of-national-hero/ | title=Burkina Faso: Former president Thomas Sankara elevated to the rank of "national hero" | date=5 October 2023 }}</ref>
===Cape Verde===
[[Amílcar Cabral]] (var. Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral) (1924–1973) was an agricultural engineer, writer, and a nationalist thinker and political leader. He was also one of Africa's foremost anti-colonial leaders. Amílcar Cabral led the nationalist movement of [[Guinea-Bissau]] and [[Cape Verde|Cape Verde Islands]] and the ensuing [[Guinea-Bissau War of Independence|war of independence in Guinea-Bissau]]. He was assassinated on 20 January 1973, several months before Guinea-Bissau's unilateral declaration of independence. He is considered a founder of Cape Verde. [[Aristides Pereira]] served as first [[List of presidents of Cape Verde|President of Cape Verde]] from 1975 to 1991.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
===Central African Republic===
[[David Dacko]] served as first [[List of heads of state of the Central African Republic|President of Central African Republic]] from 1960 to 1966. The constitution outlines him as being the "Founding Father."{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
===Democratic Republic of the Congo===
[[Patrice Lumumba]], [[Joseph Kasa-Vubu]], [[Albert Kalonji]], [[Jean Bolikango]], [[Cléophas Kamitatu]], and [[Paul Bolya]] are all considered "Fathers of Independence" in [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|the Congo]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.congoplanet.com/news/1678/congo-celebrates-50th-anniversary-independence-patrice-lumumba-mobutu-sadc-congo-fiftieth-anniversary.jsp| title = Congo Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Independence| date = 30 June 2010| website = Congo Planet| publisher = Congo News Agency| access-date = 20 February 2010}}</ref>
===Egypt===
[[File:Saad Zaghlul.jpg|227x227px|thumb|[[Saad Zaghloul]] is seen as the founder of independent Egypt. ''"Zaeem al Ummah (Leader of the Nation)"''{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}]]The prevailing historical view is that [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali]] (1769–1849) is the Father of Modern Egypt, being the first ruler since the [[Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–1517)|Ottoman conquest in 1517]] to permanently divest the [[Sublime Porte|Porte]] of its power in Egypt. While failing to achieve formal independence for Egypt during his lifetime, he was successful in laying the foundation for a modern Egyptian state.<ref>The 'Father of Modern Egypt' school includes: Henry Dodwell, ''The Founder of Modern Egypt: A Study of Muhammad Ali'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965); Arthur Goldschmidt, Jr., Modern Egypt: The Formation of a Nation-State (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1988); Albert Haurani, ''A History of the Arab Peoples'' (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2002); Jean Lacouture and Simonne Lacouture, ''Egypt in Transition'', trans. Francis Scarfe (New York: Criterion Books, 1958); P.J. Vatikiotis, ''The History of Modern Egypt: From Muhammad Ali to Mubarak'' (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991). The following internet sources, while not necessarily scholarly, show how widespread this interpretation is. "History," The Egyptian Presidency, 2008, {{cite web |url=http://www.presidency.gov.eg/html/history.html |title=History |access-date=12 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517072053/http://www.presidency.gov.eg/html/history.html |archive-date=17 May 2008 }} (accessed 29 October 2008); [[Helen Chapin Metz|Metz, Helen, Chapin]]. "Muhammad Ali of Egypt 1805–48," Egypt: a Country Study, 1990, http://countrystudies.us/egypt/ (accessed 29 October 2008); "Muhammad Ali of Egypt 1805–48: The Father of Modern Egypt," Travel to Egypt – Egypt Travel Guide, 2007, http://www.travel-to-egypt.net/muhammad-ali.html (accessed 29 October 2008); "Muhammad Ali of Egypt," Answer.com, 2008, http://www.answers.com/topic/muhammad-ali (accessed 29 October 2008).</ref>
The Founder of Independent Egypt, [[Saad Zaghloul]] (1859–1927), was a politician who served in many ministries of the [[Politics of Egypt|Egyptian government]], and was imprisoned by the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]] in [[Crown Colony of Malta|Malta]], but returned to Egypt to participate in the [[Egyptian Revolution of 1919|revolution of 1919]]. Zaghloul then was able to make the [[Fuad I of Egypt|Sultan of Egypt (later King) Fuad I]] convince the British to grant Egypt independence with a friendly [[Egypt–United Kingdom relations|British-Egyptian relationship]] and in 1922, Egypt was proclaimed an independent kingdom, the [[Kingdom of Egypt (1922–1953)|Kingdom of Egypt]] with Saad Zaghloul as its [[Prime Minister of Egypt|prime minister]]. British military presence in Egypt ended with nationalisation of Suez Canal in 1956.
===Eswatini===
[[Ngwane III]] was [[Ngwenyama|King of kaNgwane]] from 1745 to 1780. He is considered to be the first King of modern Eswatini.
===Ethiopia===
[[Menelik I]] is claimed to be first the first [[Emperor of Ethiopia]] during the 10th century B.C (975–950 B.C). [[Yekuno Amlak]] founded the [[Solomonic dynasty]] and was the first emperor of the [[Ethiopian Empire]] from 1270 to 1285 A.D.
[[Menelik II]] is the founder of modern Ethiopian state.
===Ghana===
[[Kwame Nkrumah]] (1909–1972) led the nation to its independence from the [[United Kingdom]] in 1957.
===Guinea===
[[Ahmed Sékou Touré]] (var. Ahmed Seku Turay) (1922–1984) was a [[Guinea]]n political leader and [[List of presidents of Guinea|President of Guinea]] from 1958 to his death in 1984. Touré was one of the primary Guinean nationalists involved in the independence of the country from [[France]].
He is with [[Kwame Nkrumah]] one of the founders of the [[African Union]], and the Guinean [[Diallo Telli]] was the first general secretary of the African Union.
===Kenya===
[[Jomo Kenyatta]] served as the first [[Prime Minister of Kenya|Prime Minister]] (1963–1964) and [[President of Kenya|President]] (1964–1978) of the Republic, after independence from the [[United Kingdom]] in 1963. He was the preeminent political figure for independence during the [[Mau Mau rebellion]] guerilla war for independence.
===Liberia===
[[Joseph Jenkins Roberts]] (1809–1876) was born a free man of [[African American]] descent. He migrated to [[Liberia]] in 1829 with his family to join
thousands of other African Americans resettled from 1820 based on efforts of the [[American Colonization Society]]. In 1839, Roberts became Liberia's lieutenant governor and afterwards, its [[Agents and governors of Liberia|governor]] (1841–1848). He is known as the father of Liberia and officially declared [[1846 Liberian independence referendum|Liberia's independence]] in 1847.<ref>[http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/754/Joseph_Roberts_Liberias_first_President Joseph Roberts, Liberia's first President!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123023225/http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/754/Joseph_Roberts_Liberias_first_President |date=23 November 2007 }} The African American Registry</ref> The descendants of Roberts and the African American settlers are the [[Americo-Liberian people]].
===Libya===
King [[Idris of Libya|Idris Al-sanusi]], also known as Idris I of [[Libya]], (1889–1983) was the first and only king of Libya, reigning from 1951 to 1969, and the Chief of the [[Senusiyya|Senussi]] Muslim order. Idris as-Senussi proclaimed an independent [[Emirate of Cyrenaica]] in 1949. He was also invited to become Emir of [[Tripolitania]], another of the three traditional regions that now constitute modern Libya (the third being [[Fezzan]]).<ref>Diller, Daniel; Moore, John (1995). ''The Middle East''. Congressional Quarterly. p. 308.</ref> By accepting he began the process of uniting Libya under a single monarchy. A constitution was enacted in 1949 and adopted in October 1951. A National Congress elected Idris as King of Libya, and as Idris I he proclaimed the independence of the [[Kingdom of Libya]] as a sovereign state on 24 December 1951.
===Morocco===
The [[Idrisid dynasty|first Moroccan state]] was established by [[Idris I of Morocco|Idris I]] in 788. The [['Alawi dynasty]], which rules the country to this day, was established by [[Sharif ibn Ali|Sharif bin Ali]] in 1631.
Sultan [[Mohammed V of Morocco|Mohammed V]], who secured Moroccan independence in 1956, declared himself the first [[King of Morocco]] in 1957.
===Namibia===
* [[Sam Nujoma|Dr. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma]] served as first [[President of Namibia]] from 1990 to 2005.
* [[Andimba Toivo ya Toivo]] was the iconic figure of the Namibian Liberation struggle.
* [[Hosea Kutako]] is considered by many as the Father of Namibian Nationalism.
* [[Hendrik Witbooi (Nama chief)|Hendrik Witbooi]] was the Nama captain who led the early resistance against Germans in the late 1800s.
* [[Jonker Afrikaner]] was the founder of the first rudimentary state in the territory of Namibia.
===Nigeria===
* [[Herbert Macaulay]] (1864–1946)
* Professor [[Eyo Ita]] (1903–1972)
* [[Alvan Ikoku]] (1900–1971)
* Dr. [[Nnamdi Azikiwe]] (1904–1996)
* Chief [[Obafemi Awolowo]] (1909–1987)
* Al-Haji Sir [[Ahmadu Bello]] (1910–1966)
* Al-Haji Sir [[Abubakar Tafawa Balewa]] (1912–1966) served as first [[Prime Minister of Nigeria]] from 1957 to 1966. Independence from United Kingdom was achieved in 1960.
* Chief [[Anthony Enahoro]] (1923–2010)
* Sir [[Egbert Udo Udoma]] (1917–1998)
* Al-Haji [[Aminu Kano]] (1920–1983)
* Chief [[S. A. Ajayi]] (1910–1994)
* [[Joseph Tarka]] (1932–1980)
* [[Dennis Osadebay]] (1911–1994)
All are considered founders of [[Nigeria]]. The troika of [[Obafemi Awolowo]], [[Nnamdi Azikiwe]], and [[Ahmadu Bello]] negotiated Nigeria's independence from [[United Kingdom|Britain]], aided by such figures as Chief [[Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti]].
===Sierra Leone===
[[Freetown|Freetown, Sierra Leone]] was founded in part by a [[African Americans|Black American]] soldier, [[Thomas Peters (revolutionary)|Thomas Peters]] in 1792, after managing to convince [[Abolitionism in the United Kingdom|British abolitionists]] to help settle 1,192 Black Americans who fought for the British in return for freedom. Peters, alongside other Black Americans [[David George (Baptist)|David George]] and [[Moses Wilkinson]], were influential in the establishment of Freetown, but it was Peters who is remembered today as the true influential leader and founder of [[Sierra Leone]]. The descendants of Peters and the [[Nova Scotian Settlers|Black American founders]] form part of the [[Sierra Leone Creole]] or ''Krio'' ethnicity today<ref name=Walker>{{cite book|last=Walker |first=James W |year=1992 |chapter=Chapter Five: Foundation of Sierra Leone |title=The Black Loyalists: The Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, 1783–1870 |___location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press |pages=[https://archive.org/details/blackloyalistsse0000walk/page/94 94]–114 |url=https://archive.org/details/blackloyalistsse0000walk |url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-8020-7402-7}}, originally published by Longman & Dalhousie University Press (1976).</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/black-loyalist-thomas-peters-1.3533029|title=Saint John historian illuminates story of Thomas Peters, prominent black loyalist|author=Redmond Shannon|___location=New Brunswick|publisher=CBC News|date=13 April 2016|access-date=22 November 2016}}</ref> and in 2011, a statue was erected in Freetown to honour him.<ref>[http://www.kdulondon.org.uk/a-tribute-to-thomas-peters/ A Tribute to Thomas Peters]</ref>
=== Senegal ===
The founder of modern [[Senegal]] is [[Léopold Sédar Senghor]]. He served as first [[President of Senegal|President]] from 1960 to 1980.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
===Seychelles===
[[James Mancham]] served as first President of Seychelles from 1976 to 1977. He was one of the last White African presidents in the history of Africa. He considered himself the self-proclaimed "Founding Father"; however this title is often attributed to his socialist successor [[France-Albert René]], who led the country to become one of the most democratic and most economically stable states in [[Africa]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
=== Somalia ===
The [[Somali Youth League]] played a major role for Somalia's independence since the 1940s, with two of its members having served as the first two [[President of Somalia|Somali presidents]], [[Aden Adde]] and [[Abdirashid Shermarke]]. There are several murals and monuments dedicated to the SYL's independence movement in [[Mogadishu]].
===Republic of Somaliland===
[[Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal]] was the founder and first prime minister of Somaliland.
===Republic of South Africa===
[[Nelson Mandela]] (1918–2013) was the [[President of South Africa]], in office from 1994 to 1999. He led the negotiations, together with [[F. W. de Klerk]], to racially integrate and unite the country.
Other [[Anti-Apartheid Movement|anti-apartheid]] activists include:
* [[Winnie Madikizela-Mandela]]
* [[Oliver Tambo]]
* [[Walter Sisulu]]
* [[Govan Mbeki]]
* [[Joe Slovo]]
* [[Ahmed Kathrada]]
* [[Raymond Mhlaba]]
* [[Robert Sobukwe]]
* [[Joe Modise]]
* [[Jacob Zuma]]
* [[Chris Hani]]
* [[Desmond Tutu]]
===South Sudan===
* [[John Garang]] was the main figure involved in spawning and leading the South Sudanese Independence Movement. Even though he did not live to see his country attain independence, he is often regarded as the "Father of the Nation."
* [[Salva Kiir Mayardit]] serves as first President of South Sudan from 2011 to present.
===Tanzania===
[[File:Julius Nyerere (1965).jpg|thumb|150px|[[Julius Nyerere]]]]
Being the first [[President of Tanzania]], [[Julius Nyerere]] was the main figure involved in achieving Tanzania's independence. He is often regarded as the "Father of the Nation."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fouéré |first=Marie-Aude |date=2014 |title=Julius Nyerere, Ujamaa, and Political Morality in Contemporary Tanzania |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43905075 |journal=African Studies Review |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=1–24 |doi=10.1017/asr.2014.3 |jstor=43905075 |issn=0002-0206|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
===Tunisia===
[[Habib Bourguiba]], considered the founder of modern [[Tunisia]], led [[Tunisian independence|Tunisia to independence from France]] in 1956 as prime minister, then abolished [[Kingdom of Tunisia|its monarchy]] and served as the country's first [[President of Tunisia|President]] from 1957 to 1987; during his leadership, he modernized Tunisia, built schools and hospitals, and gave Tunisian women better human rights than other countries, and these rights still continue to be exercised by Tunisian women to this day.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
===Uganda===
[[Milton Obote]] was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from British colonial rule in 1962. Following the nation's independence, he served as [[Prime Minister of Uganda|prime minister of Uganda]] from 1962 to 1966 and the second [[president of Uganda]] from 1966 to 1971, then again from 1980 to 1985.
===Zambia===
[[File:Kenneth Kaunda 1983-03-30.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Kenneth Kaunda]]]][[Kenneth Kaunda]] (1924–2021) is the prominent icon in the [[Zambia Independence Act 1964|independence]] and unification of [[Zambia]]. He served as first [[President of Zambia|President]] from 1964 to 1991. However, there are important personalities like [[Simon Kapwepwe]] and [[Harry Nkumbula]] (1916–18) that fairly deserve recognition. Together, in their different capacities, they led the nation to freedom.
===Zimbabwe===
[[Abel Muzorewa]] (1925–2010) was the first black [[Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia|Prime Minister]] of [[Zimbabwe Rhodesia]].<br />[[Robert Mugabe]] (1924–2019) was the leader of [[ZANU-PF]] (Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front), who ruled [[Zimbabwe]] from 1980 to 2017.<br />'''Others'''
* [[Rekayi Tangwena]]
* [[Samuel Parirenyatwa|Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa]]
* [[Joshua Nkomo]]
* [[Leopold Takawira]]
* [[Simon Muzenda]]
* [[Ndabaningi Sithole]]
* [[Herbert Chitepo]]
* [[Josiah Tongogara]]
* [[Enos Nkala]]
* [[Edgar Tekere]]
* [[George Nyandoro]]
* [[James Chikerema]]
* [[Solomon Mujuru]]
* [[Alfred Nikita Mangena]]
* [[Josiah Tungamirai]]
* [[Jason Moyo|Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo]]
* [[George Silundika]]
* [[Dumiso Dabengwa]]
* [[Lookout Masuku]]
==Americas==
===Argentina===
[[File:José de San Martín (retrato, c.1828).jpg|thumb|The Argentine military commander [[José de San Martín]] is known as the "[[Libertadores|Liberator]] of Argentina, Chile and Peru".<ref>John Lynch, ''San Martin: Argentine Soldier, American Hero'' (2009)</ref>|182x182px]]
The military commander [[José de San Martín]] was one of the most important figures of the [[Argentine War of Independence|War of Independence]] (1810–1818) in Argentina, where he is known as the "[[Father of the Nation|Father of the Homeland]]" ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Padre de la Patria'') and the date of his death (or "Passage to Immortality"; "''Pasaje a la Inmortalidad'' in Spanish) is commemorated as a national holiday.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/lifestyle/por-que-san-martin-es-considerado-el-padre-de-la-patria-nid17082023/|language=es|accessdate=25 November 2023|title=¿Por qué San Martín es considerado el "Padre de la Patria"?|date=17 August 2023|work=[[La Nación]]|___location=Buenos Aires}}</ref> One of the main ''[[libertadores]]'' of the [[Spanish American wars of independence]], San Martín played a crucial role in the expulsion of [[Royalist (Spanish American independence)|royalist]] forces not only from Argentina but also from Chile and Peru, where he is thus also celebrated as a national hero.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infobae.com/peru/2023/07/30/jose-de-san-martin-como-llego-a-convertirse-en-el-gestor-de-la-independencia-del-peru/|title=José de San Martín: ¿cómo llegó a convertirse en el gestor de la independencia del Perú?|language=es|publisher=[[Infobae|Infobae Perú]]|first=Valeria|last=Coca Pimentel|date=30 July 2023|accessdate=25 November 2023|___location=Lima}}</ref> One of his most celebrated feats is the 1817 [[Crossing of the Andes]], when he crossed the [[Andes|mountain range]] from present-day Argentina to present-day Chile, in a [[surprise attack]] on royalist forces.<ref>{{Cite web |title=When the "Hannibal of the Andes" Liberated Chile|url=https://www.britannica.com/story/when-the-hannibal-of-the-andes-liberated-chile |access-date=25 November 2023|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|first=Jeff|last=Wallenfeldt}}</ref>
[[Manuel Belgrano]], another important leader of the War of Independence and creator of the [[flag of Argentina]], is also widely regarded as a national hero.<ref>{{cite web|___location=Buenos Aires|language=es|accessdate=25 November 2023|url=https://museoroca.cultura.gob.ar/noticia/manuel-belgrano-de-lider-a-heroe/|title=Manuel Belgrano, de líder a héroe nacional|year=2020|publisher=Museo Roca - Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas. [[Ministry of Culture (Argentina)|Ministry of Culture]]}}</ref>
[[María Remedios del Valle]], an [[Afro-Argentine]] [[camp follower]] turned soldier who participated in the War of Independence, is regarded as the "Mother of the Homeland" (Spanish: ''Madre de la Patria'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cabildonacional.cultura.gob.ar/noticia/maria-remedios-del-valle-la-madre-de-la-patria/|language=es|accessdate=19 November 2023|title=María Remedios del Valle, la "Madre de la Patria"|date=13 May 2019 |___location=Buenos Aires|publisher=[[Cabildo of Buenos Aires|Museo Nacional del Cabildo de Buenos Aires y de la Revolución de Mayo]]. [[Ministry of Culture (Argentina)|Ministerio de Cultura]]}}</ref>
===Bahamas===
[[Lynden Pindling]] is considered the "Father of the Nation". He served as first [[Prime Minister of the Bahamas]] from 1967 to 1992. Independence from United Kingdom was achieved in 1973.<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Civil Rights: Walk of Fame - Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling |url=https://www.nps.gov/features/malu/feat0002/wof/Lynden_Pindling.htm |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>
===Barbados===
[[Errol Barrow]] (1920–1987) is often referred to as the ''Father of Independence'' of [[Barbados]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=BGIS |date=2024-01-21 |title=Celebrating The Life Of Errol Walton Barrow |url=https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/celebrating-the-life-of-errol-barrow/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=GIS |language=en-US}}</ref> Initially a [[World War II]] pilot and then a lawyer, he founded the [[Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)|Democratic Labour Party]] in 1955 after defecting from the [[Barbados Labour Party]]. He served as the third and final [[premier of Barbados]] (serving from 1961 to 1966) and lead Barbados to [[Barbados Independence Act 1966|independence]] from the [[British Empire]] in 1966. He became the country's first prime minister and served two terms (1966–1976 and 1986–1987) and died in office from illness in 1987.
===Belize===
[[George Cadle Price]] (1919–2011) is considered to be the ''Father of the Nation'' of Belize.<ref>{{cite news|title=Respect to Father of the Nation, George Cadle Price|url=http://amandala.com.bz/news/respect-to-father-of-the-nation-george-cadle-price/|access-date=26 May 2018|newspaper=[[Amandala]]|date=23 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401085902/http://amandala.com.bz/news/respect-to-father-of-the-nation-george-cadle-price/|archive-date=1 April 2018|___location=Belize City, Belize}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Father of the Nation, George Cadle Price, passes|url=http://www.sanpedrosun.com/politics-and-government/2011/09/19/father-of-the-nation-george-cadle-price-passes/|access-date=26 May 2018|newspaper=[[The San Pedro Sun]]|date=19 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601143820/http://www.sanpedrosun.com/politics-and-government/2011/09/19/father-of-the-nation-george-cadle-price-passes/|archive-date=1 June 2013|___location=San Pedro Town, Belize}}</ref> He served as head of government of British Honduras, later Belize from 1961 to 1984. Independence from United Kingdom was achieved in 1981.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
===Bolivia===
[[Simón Bolívar]] (1783–1830) and [[Antonio José de Sucre]] (1795–1830) are considered to be the founders of [[Bolivia]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
===Brazil===
[[File:Portrait of Dom Pedro, Duke of Bragança - Google Art Project edited.jpeg|thumb|173x173px|[[Pedro I of Brazil|Pedro I]], founder and first [[Emperor of Brazil|ruler]] of the [[Empire of Brazil]]]]
[[Pedro Álvares Cabral]] (1467/68–1520) commander of the first Portuguese fleet to arrive in South America.
[[José Bonifácio de Andrada]] (1763–1838), known as "Patriarch of Independence", is considered the maximum leader of the independence movement because of his intellectual mentorship and political prominence, and [[Pedro I of Brazil]] (1798–1834), son of the King [[João VI of Portugal]], the symbol of the "center of force and union", according to the Bonifácio strategy.
===Canada===
{{Main|Fathers of Confederation}}The name "[[Fathers of Confederation]]" is given to those who attended the [[Charlottetown Conference|Charlottetown]] and [[Quebec Conference, 1864|Quebec Conferences]] in 1864, and the [[London Conference of 1866]], to establish the [[Canadian Confederation]]. There were 36 original Fathers of Confederation.<ref>Library and Archives Canada. [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/confederation/023001-2989-e.html Fathers of Confederation]. Collections Canada: Canadian Confederation.</ref>
[[Queen Victoria]], who supported and encouraged this process, is known as the Mother of Confederation. She was the first Monarch under the 1867 Constitution and personally chose [[Ottawa]] as Canada's capital city. The political leaders who brought the other provinces into Confederation after 1867 are also referred to as "Fathers of Confederation".<ref>[http://www.canadahistory.com/sections/Eras/confederation/fathers.htm Canada History: Fathers of Confederation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514110642/http://canadahistory.com/sections/Eras/confederation/fathers.htm |date=14 May 2012 }}. Access History Web Company: The History Project.</ref>
===Caribbean Community===
[[Errol Barrow]] (Barbados: 1920–1987); [[Forbes Burnham]] (Guyana: 1923–1985); [[Michael Manley]] (Jamaica: 1924–1997); and [[Eric Williams]] (Trinidad and Tobago: 1911–1981) were the leaders who brought forth regional integration among the Caribbean Community.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Granger|first1=David|title=The Spirit of Chaguaramas|url=https://caricom.org/media-center/communications/speeches/the-spirit-of-chaguaramas|website=CARICOM|publisher=Government of CARICOM|access-date=26 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609231929/https://caricom.org/media-center/communications/speeches/the-spirit-of-chaguaramas|archive-date=9 June 2017|___location=Georgetown, Guyana|date=16 February 2017}}</ref>
===Chile===
[[File:Los Fundadores de Chile.jpg|thumb|Posthumous (1854) portrait of the Founding Fathers of the Chilean Republic. From left to right: [[José Miguel Carrera]], [[Bernardo O'Higgins]], [[José de San Martín]], [[Diego Portales]]|200x200px]]
[[Bernardo O'Higgins]] (1778–1842) and [[José Miguel Carrera]] (1785–1821) are usually considered the founders of Chile. [[Diego Portales]] (1793–1837) is sometimes considered due to his influence in the 1833 Constitution.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
===Colombia===
[[Simón Bolívar]], was founder of [[Gran Colombia]], which also included [[Panama]], [[Ecuador]], and [[Venezuela]]. [[Francisco de Paula Santander]] wrote the [[Constitution of Cúcuta|first constitution of Colombia]]. [[Antonio Nariño]] ("Precursor of the Independence") and [[Camilo Torres Tenorio|Camilo Torres]] were the most relevant statesmen of the First Republic.
===Costa Rica===
[[Juan Mora Fernández]], first [[President of Costa Rica|Head of State of Costa Rica]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guiascostarica.com/presi/presi01.htm|title=Juan Mora Fernández|date=27 June 2013|website=Guiascostarica.com|access-date=10 August 2017}}</ref> [[José María Castro Madriz]], First President of the Republic and proclaimed "Founder of the Republic" by Congress<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guiascostarica.com/presi/presi08.htm|title=Francisco María Oreamuno Badilla|date=27 June 2013|website=Guiascostarica.com|access-date=10 August 2017}}</ref> [[Juan Rafael Mora Porras]], President during Costa Rica's campaign against [[William Walker (filibuster)|William Walker]], proclaimed "Hero and Liberator" by Congress.
===Cuba===
[[File:Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y del Castillo.jpg|thumb|[[Carlos Manuel de Céspedes]], the primary leader in Cuba's fight for independence. ]]
[[Carlos Manuel de Céspedes]] (1819–1874) is considered the Cuban Founding Father. In 1868, he freed his slaves and declared the independence of Cuba, which began the [[Ten Years' War]] (1868–1878).
[[José Martí]] is a Cuban national hero.
Modern day Cuba was shaped by [[Fidel Castro]] with help from [[Che Guevara]] during the [[Cuban Revolution]].
===Dominican Republic===
[[File:Los Padres de la Patria - Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración.jpg|thumb|The key architects of Dominican independence: [[Matías Ramón Mella]], [[Juan Pablo Duarte]] and [[Francisco del Rosario Sánchez]]. ]]
[[Matías Ramón Mella]] (1816–1864), [[Juan Pablo Duarte]] (1813–1876) and [[Francisco del Rosario Sánchez]] (1817–1861) are considered the Dominican Republic's Founding Fathers. Duarte is featured on the $1 coin and on the now discontinued $1 bill; Sanchez on the $5 coin and on the also discontinued $5 bill; Mella on the $10 coin and on the also discontinued $10 bill.<ref>[[:es:República Dominicana#Independencia nacional]]</ref>
[[Gregorio Luperón]], a prominent figure of the [[Dominican Restoration War]], is also a national hero.
===Ecuador===
[[José Joaquín de Olmedo|Jose Joaquin Olmedo]] took this as a cue to declare Ecuador's independence at a junta in Guayaquil in 1820.
===El Salvador===
[[File:José Matías Delgado cuadro anónimo.jpg|thumb|José Matías Delgado was a [[List of Salvadorans|Salvadoran]] priest and doctor known as ''El Padre de la Patria Salvadoreña'' (The Father of the Salvadoran Fatherland).{{sfn|Zepeda Peña|2006|p=12}}]]
[[José Matías Delgado]] is considered to be the "Father of the Salvadoran Fatherland".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asamblea.gob.sv/sites/default/files/2017-12/Tomo_I_Historia_AsambleaLegislativa.pdf|language=es|publisher=[[Legislative Assembly of El Salvador]]|date=2006|access-date=17 July 2022|title=Historia del Órgano Legislativo de la República de El Salvador|trans-title=History of the Legislative Organ of the Republic of El Salvador|author1-link=Ciro Cruz Zepeda|first=Ciro Cruz|last=Zepeda Peña|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831201723/https://www.asamblea.gob.sv/sites/default/files/2017-12/Tomo_I_Historia_AsambleaLegislativa.pdf|archive-date=31 August 2021|url-status=dead|page=12}}</ref>
===Guatemala===
In 1523, [[Pedro de Alvarado]], a member of Hernán Cortés' group that conquered Mexico, was sent to conquer the area of land below Mexico that is known today as Guatemala.
===Haiti===
[[File:Général Toussaint Louverture (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Toussaint Louverture]] of [[Haiti]]|154x154px]]
[[Toussaint Louverture]] (1743–1803) and [[Jean-Jacques Dessalines]] (1758–1806) were revolutionary and early political leaders of [[Haiti]]. [[Henri Christophe]] and [[Alexandre Pétion]] were also important figures of early Haiti.
===Honduras===
Founders of the Honduran Nation are [[José Cecilio del Valle]] (1777–1834), [[Dionisio de Herrera]] (1781–1850), [[Francisco Morazán]] (1792–1842), [[José Trinidad Reyes]] (1797–1855), and [[José Trinidad Cabañas]] (1805–1871).
===Jamaica===
[[Norman Manley]] is particularly noted for his role in securing universal suffrage for the country's population in 1944 along with founding the [[People's National Party]]. Manley also served as Chief Minister of [[Jamaica]] from 1955 to 1962. [[Alexander Bustamante]] was an influential union leader and as founder of the [[Jamaican Labour Party]]. Bustamante served as the then colony's first Chief Minister from 1953 to 1955 and later went on to lead [[Jamaica]] to independence from the [[United Kingdom]] in 1962, becoming the country's first Prime Minister.
===Mexico===
According to the decrees of the [[Congress of the Union]] of Mexico issued in 1822 and 1823,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.diputados.gob.mx/cedia/sia/re/RE-ISS-04-08-01.pdf | publisher = H. Congreso de la Unión, México | title = Colección Muro de Honor | ___location = MX | year = 2008 | access-date = 30 October 2012 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120324133930/http://www.diputados.gob.mx/cedia/sia/re/RE-ISS-04-08-01.pdf | archive-date = 24 March 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> the Mexican founders are [[Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla]] (1753–1811), [[Ignacio Allende]] (1769–1811), [[Juan Aldama]] (1774–1811), [[Mariano Abasolo]] (1783–1816), [[José María Morelos]] (1765–1815), [[Mariano Matamoros]] (1770–1814), Leonardo Bravo (1764–1812), Miguel Bravo (unknown–1814), [[Hermenegildo Galeana (general)|Hermenegildo Galeana]] (1762–1814), [[José Mariano Jiménez|Mariano Jiménez]] (1781–1811), [[Francisco Javier Mina|Xavier Mina]] (1789–1817), [[Pedro Moreno (soldier)|Pedro Moreno]] (1775–1817), and [[Víctor Rosales]] (1776–1817).
Nine of the thirteen founders are buried in the [[Angel of Independence|Monument to Independence]] in [[Mexico City]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.inah.gob.mx/images/stories/Materiales_consulta/infografia/Septiembre/infografia_columna-independencia.pdf | publisher = INAH, México | title = Monumento de la Independencia | ___location = MX | access-date = 28 October 2012 | archive-date = 30 August 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130830235759/http://www.inah.gob.mx/images/stories/Materiales_consulta/infografia/Septiembre/infografia_columna-independencia.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref>
===Nicaragua===
[[File:José Anacleto Ordóñez.jpg|thumb|186x186px|[[José Anacleto Ordóñez]], "''First Popular [[Caudillo]] of [[Nicaragua]]"'']]
[[José Anacleto Ordóñez]] (1778–1839) is recognised as the "''First Popular [[Caudillo]] of Nicaragua"'', as he led the state to independence by revolting against the pro Mexican government in 1823. Later he served as [[President of Nicaragua|Head of State of Nicaragua]] within the [[Federal Republic of Central America]].
[[José Núñez (President of Nicaragua)|José Núñez]] (1800–1880) and [[Joaquín del Cossío]] (1789–unknown) were the most important figures in Nicaragua's Independence, as they started the first and second transitional governments that declared to the State's Independence from the FRCA in 1838.
[[Fruto Chamorro]] (1804–1855) is considered as "Founder of the Republic", as he initiated the 1854 Constitution which formally declared Nicaragua a Republic.
===Panama===
The first Spanish settlement in Panama was made in 1510. Then on 25 September 1513, [[Vasco Núñez de Balboa|Vasco Nunez de Balboa]] became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean (which he called the South Sea and which he claimed for Spain). Then in 1519 [[Pedro Arias Dávila|Pedro Arias de Avila]] founded Panama City.
===Paraguay===
[[Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia|José Gaspár Rodríguez de Francia]] is considered the founder of Paraguay. He was named perpetual dictator as of the country's formation. Although he was the one that ended up ruling the country, Rodríguez de Francia was not the only ''prócer'' of the [[Independence of Paraguay|1811 revolution]], others include: [[Fulgencio Yegros]], [[Pedro Juan Caballero (politician)|Pedro Juan Caballero]], [[Fernando de la Mora (politician)|Fernando de la Mora]], [[Mauricio José Troche (liberator)|Mauricio José Troche]] and Vicente Ignacio Iturbe. Yegros also served as [[consul]] alongside Francia, shortly before being deposed by him.
General [[Andrés Rodríguez (politician)|Andrés Rodríguez]] was the first democratically elected [[president of Paraguay]], shortly after leading the [[1989 Paraguayan coup d'état|1989 coup]] that ended [[Alfredo Stroessner|Alfredo Stroessner's]] [[Dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner|dictatorship]]. This is why he is often considered the father of modern Paraguay.
===Peru===
[[José de San Martín]] and [[Simón Bolívar]] led Peru to independence and forged the country.<ref>Timothy Anna, ''The fall of the royal government in Peru'', pp. 237–238.</ref>
===South America===
[[File:Simón Bolívar (half-length).jpg|192x192px|thumb|[[Simón Bolívar]] of [[Venezuela]]]]
[[José de San Martín]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gosouthamerica.about.com/b/a/257971.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110614071953/http://gosouthamerica.about.com/b/a/257971.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 June 2011|title=Central & South America|website=Gosouthamerica.about.com|access-date=10 August 2017}}</ref> [[Simón Bolívar]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/04/nov/1244.html|title=Statue of Venezuela's founding father unveiled in Tehran in presence of Chavez|website=Payvand.com|access-date=9 June 2007|archive-date=27 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927124023/http://www.payvand.com/news/04/nov/1244.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Antonio José de Sucre]], [[Francisco de Paula Santander]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/Faqs/bentham_and_colombia.htm|title=Bentham Project|website=Ucl.ac.uk}}</ref> [[Francisco de Miranda]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.venezlon.co.uk/newsletter/05/mar/mar/lectures.htm|title=Francisco de Miranda and Andrés Bello lectures at The Bolívar Hall|website=Venezlon.co.uk|access-date=10 August 2017}}</ref> have been referred to as the founding fathers of the region comprising modern day Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama.
===Uruguay===
[[José Gervasio Artigas]] is considered to be the founder of [[Uruguay]]. He was a staunch democrat and federalist, opposed to monarchism and centralism.
===United States===
{{Main|Founding Fathers of the United States}}
[[File:Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington.jpg|thumb|169x169px|[[George Washington]], chief among the founders of the United States, called "the Father of his country" ([[Pater Patriae]])]]
The single person most identified as "Father" of the United States is [[George Washington]], a general in the [[American Revolution]] and the 1st President of the United States.<ref>{{cite book|last=Unger|first=Harlow Giles|title="Mr. President": George Washington and the Making of the Nation's Highest Office|year=2013|publisher=Da Capo Press, A Member of the Perseus Book Group|isbn=978-0306822414|author-link=Harlow Unger|url=https://archive.org/details/mrpresidentgeorg0000unge|url-access=registration|pages=236–237}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Parry|first1=Jay A.|last2=Allison|first2=Andrew M.|title=The Real George Washington: The True Story of America's Most Indispensable Man|year=1991|publisher=National Center for Constitutional Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSETAQAAMAAJ|isbn=978-0880800136|author-link=Jay A. Parry |page=xi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Father of His Country |website=George Washington's Mount Vernon |publisher=Mount Vernon Ladies' Association |url=https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/father-of-his-country/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713050815/https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/father-of-his-country |url-status=live }}</ref> Washington was part of a larger group of revolutionaries known as the "[[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Fathers]]". Within the Founding Fathers, there are two key subsets, the [[Signers of the Declaration of Independence|Signers]] (who signed the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] in 1776) and the [[Framers]] (who were delegates to the [[Federal Convention]] and took part in framing or drafting the proposed [[Constitution of the United States]]). Some historians have suggested a revised definition of the "Founding Fathers", including a significantly broader group of not only the Signers and the Framers but also all those who, whether as politicians, jurists, statesmen, soldiers, diplomats, and ordinary citizens took part in winning U.S. independence and creating the United States of America.<ref>R.B. Bernstein, ''The Founding Fathers Reconsidered'' (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009).</ref>
American historian [[Richard B. Morris]], in his 1973 book ''Seven Who Shaped Our Destiny: The Founding Fathers as Revolutionaries,'' identified the following seven figures as the key founders: [[John Adams]], [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[John Jay]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[James Madison]], and Washington.
===Venezuela===
[[Simón Bolívar]] (1783–1830) is considered to be the founder not only of [[Venezuela]], but of many of the region's countries as the [[Gran Colombia]], which also included [[Panama]], [[Ecuador]], and [[Colombia]]. [[José Antonio Páez]] led the separation of Venezuela from the [[Gran Colombia]] and formed the modern [[sovereign state|statehood]] of the country. Scholars credit president [[Rómulo Betancourt]] as the founding father of modern democratic Venezuela, and [[Hugo Chávez]] as the founding father of modern democratic-dictatorship Venezuela.
==Asia==
===Afghanistan===
[[File:Portrait miniature of Ahmad Shah Durrani.jpg|188x188px|thumb|[[Ahmad Shah Durrani]], founder of [[Afghanistan]]]]
[[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] (1723–1773) unified the Afghan tribes and founded [[Durrani Empire|Afghanistan]] in 1747.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/|title=The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|website=Cia.gov|date=21 December 2021}}</ref> His mausoleum is next to the [[Kirka Sharif|Shrine of the Cloak]] in [[Kandahar|Kandahar, Afghanistan]], where he is fondly known as Ahmad Shah Baba (''Ahmad Shah the [[Father of the Nation|Father]]'').
However, the founding father of modern Afghanistan is [[Mohammad Zahir Shah]], the last [[King of Afghanistan]]. Due to this, the Afghan parliament gave him the title of "Father of the Nation."
===Armenia===
[[File:Aram Manukian.jpg|193px|thumb|[[Aram Manukian]] is regarded as the founder of [[First Republic of Armenia]]]]
* [[Hayk Nahapet]] is considered the traditional founder of [[Armenia]] to which he gave his namesake (Hayk/[[Hayastan]]) and occasionally as the ancestor to all [[Armenians]]. He was explained in the [[Movses Khorenatsi]] book "[[History of Armenia (book)]] to have established Armenia as a home for his people around [[Lake Van]] where Hayk and his people battled with and were then free from the tyranny of the [[Neo Assyrian Empire]] and [[Nimrod]] in 2492 BC.
* [[Aram Manukian]] is [[Aram Manukian#Founder of the First Republic|considered]] the founder of the [[First Republic of Armenia]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Hovannisian|first=Richard|title=The Republic of Armenia: The First Year, 1918–1919|year=1971|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520018051|author-link=Richard G. Hovannisian|page=[https://archive.org/details/republicofarmeni0000hova/page/147 147]|quote=Aram pasha, as he was known to friend and foe alike, had been a veritable founder of the Armenian republic.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/republicofarmeni0000hova/page/147}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Libaridian|first=Gerard J.|title=Armenia at the crossroads: democracy and nationhood in the post-Soviet era: essays, interviews, and speeches by the leaders of the national democratic movement in Armenia|year=1991|publisher=Blue Crane Nooks|___location=Watertown, Massachusetts|isbn=9780962871511|page=19|author-link=Gerard J. Libaridian|quote=Aram Manukian (1879–1919), a leading member of the Dashnaktustiune, organized the defense of Van in 1915 and Yerevan in 1918. He is considered the founder of the Republic of Armenia in 1918.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Asryan|first=Armen|title=Արամ Մանուկյանը հայոց մեծ ողբերգության տարիներին [Aram Manukyan in the Years of the Great Armenian Tragedy]|journal=[[Patma-Banasirakan Handes]]|volume=1|issue=1|page=54|url=http://hpj.asj-oa.am/3515/|year=2005|language=hy|issn=0135-0536}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Արամ Մանուկյան. Փաստաթղթեր և նյութերի ժողովածու [Aram Manukian: Collection of documents and materials] |url=http://www.historyofarmenia.am/images/menus/941/aram_manukyan.pdf |publisher=[[National Archives of Armenia]] |language=hy |___location=Yerevan |year=2009 |editor=Virabyan, Amatuni |page=2 |quote=...20–րդ դարասկզբի հայոց ազգային–ազատագրական շարժման ականավոր ղեկավար, Վանի ինքնապաշտպանության ղեկավար, 1918թ. մայիսյան հերոսամարերի կազմակերպիչ, Հայաստանի Հանրապետության կերտող Արամ Մանուկյանի... |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920064435/http://www.historyofarmenia.am/images/menus/941/aram_manukyan.pdf |archive-date=20 September 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Harutyunyan|first1=Arpi|last2=Barseghyan|first2=Haykuhi|title=Derision at "Servile" Putin Fan Club in Armenia|url=http://iwpr.net/report-news/derision-servile-putin-fan-club-armenia|agency=[[Institute for War and Peace Reporting]]|issue=634|date=16 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918183202/http://iwpr.net/report-news/derision-servile-putin-fan-club-armenia|archive-date=18 September 2014|quote="...an Armenian national figure like Aram Manukyan, founder of the [1918] First Republic," Levon Shirinyan, who holds the chair of politics and history at Yerevan's teacher-training university.}}</ref>
===Azerbaijan===
[[Mammad Amin Rasulzade]] (Azerbaijani: Məhəmməd Əmin Axund Hacı Molla Ələkbər oğlu Rəsulzadə, Turkish: Mehmed Emin Resulzâde; (1884–1955) was an [[Azerbaijan]]i statesman, scholar, public figure and one of the founding political leaders of Azerbaijan Republic (1918–1920). His expression "Bir kərə yüksələn bayraq, bir daha enməz!" ("The [[Flag of Azerbaijan|flag]] once raised will never fall!") became the motto of the independence movement in Azerbaijan in the 20th century.
===Bangladesh===
[[File:Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.jpg|thumb|205x205px|[[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] is considered by many as the founding leader of [[Bangladesh]]]]
* The first [[Bengal Sultanate|Sultan of Bengal]], [[Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah]], is often credited for unifying the [[Bengal|Bengal region]] (which he named ''Bangalah'') under a single politico-social and linguistic identity ([[Bengalis|''Bangali'' people]]) in 1352.<ref name="bpedia">{{cite book |last=Ahmed |first=ABM Shamsuddin |year=2012 |chapter=Iliyas Shah |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Iliyas_Shah |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>
* [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]], known with the honorary title ''Bangabandhu'', is considered by many as the founding leader of [[Bangladesh]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ode to the father: Bangladesh's political personality cult |work=[[France 24]] |date=4 January 2024|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240104-ode-to-the-father-bangladesh-s-political-personality-cult |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805120455/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240104-ode-to-the-father-bangladesh-s-political-personality-cult |archive-date=5 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref> He led Bengali nation to the decade long struggle for independence against then autocratic rule of [[Pakistan]], finally resulting in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] and the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/27/archives/father-of-bangladesh-mujibur-rahman.html|title='Father' of Bangladesh|date=1975-01-27|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-18|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[A. K. Fazlul Huq|Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq]], [[Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy]] and [[Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani]] are considered as three primary founders of Bangladesh, who shaped the [[Bengali nationalism]] since the days of [[British Raj|British rule]].
Apart from the founding leaders, the four key members of the Liberation Wartime government [[Vice President of Bangladesh|vice-president]] [[Syed Nazrul Islam]], [[Prime Minister of Bangladesh|prime minister]] [[Tajuddin Ahmad]], [[Minister of Finance (Bangladesh)|finance minister]] [[Muhammad Mansur Ali]] and [[Minister of Home Affairs (Bangladesh)|home minister]] [[Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman]] (altogether known as 'Four National Leaders') and the Liberation Wartime armed forces chief [[M. A. G. Osmani|Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani]] are hailed as vital figures in Bangladesh's independence.
===Bhutan===
[[Ngawang Namgyal]] (1594–1651) fled [[Tibet]] and unified the fiefdoms of [[Bhutan]]. He established the dual system of shared power between secular and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] leadership that continues as a tradition to the present.
===Brunei===
According to local historiography, the country of Brunei was founded by [[Muhammad Shah of Brunei|Awang Alak Betatar]], later to be Sultan Muhammad Shah, reigning around AD 1400.[[File:Sihanouk Harcourt 1948.jpg|thumb|193x193px|[[Norodom Sihanouk]] of [[Cambodia]]]]
===Cambodia===
[[Kaundinya I]] was the founder of ancient Khmer kingdom of [[Funan]].
[[Jayavarman II]] (770–850) was the founder of the [[Khmer Empire]].
[[Norodom Sihanouk]] (1922–2012) declared [[Cambodia]]'s independence from [[France]] in 1953 and is regarded as the nation's founding father.
===China===
{{hatnote|For a list of founders of major Chinese dynasties, see [[Dynasties in Chinese history]].}}
The [[Yellow Emperor|Yellow Thearch]] is revered as the legendary initiator of [[History of China|Chinese civilization]], one of the [[Cradle of civilization|cradles of civilization]].<ref name="YellowThearch">{{cite book|last1=Yang|first1=Zhenhai|title=The Yellow Emperor's Inner Transmission of Acupuncture|year=2020|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pojbDwAAQBAJ&q=yellow+emperor+founder+of+chinese+civilization&pg=PA62|page=62|publisher=The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press |isbn=9789882371132}}</ref>
[[Yu the Great]] is conventionally regarded as having inaugurated dynastic rule in China by establishing the [[Xia dynasty]], the first orthodox [[Dynasties in Chinese history|dynasty of China]], in circa 2070 BC.<ref name="Yu">{{cite book|last1=Ebrey|first1=Patricia|last2=Liu|first2=Kwang-Ching|title=The Cambridge Illustrated History of China|year=2010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vr81YoYK0c4C&q=yu+the+great+dynastic+rule&pg=PA10|page=10|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521124331}}</ref>
In 221 BC, the [[Qin (state)|State of Qin]] under [[Qin Shi Huang|Zhao Zheng]] completed the [[Qin's wars of unification|conquest]] of the various Chinese kingdoms of the [[Warring States period]] and formed the first unified Chinese empire, the [[Qin dynasty]].<ref name="Qin">{{cite book|last1=Perkins|first1=Dorothy|title=Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture|year=2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KMQeAgAAQBAJ&q=qin+shi+huang+unified+china+first+emperor&pg=PA408|page=408|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135935627}}</ref> Its monarch then took the title of {{transliteration|zh|[[Emperor of China|Huángdì]]}} ({{lang|zh-Hant|皇帝}}; "Emperor") to reflect his prestigious status vis-à-vis prior rulers, thus becoming [[Qin Shi Huang]].<ref name="Qin" />
[[Sun Yat-sen]] was the founding father of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] and served as its first provisional [[President of the Republic of China|president]]. He was officially conferred the title of {{transliteration|zh|[[Father of the Nation|Guófù]]}} ({{lang|zh-Hant|國父}} (Traditional Chinese) 国父 (Simplified Chinese); "Father of the Nation") by the [[Nationalist government]] in 1940.<ref name="Sun1">{{cite book|last1=Yin|first1=Xiong|title=至樂齋詩抄 第二部|year=2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LYOXDwAAQBAJ&q=%E5%AD%99%E4%B8%AD%E5%B1%B1+%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%E6%B0%91%E5%9B%BD%E6%8E%88%E4%BA%88%E5%9B%BD%E7%88%B6&pg=PT191|page=181|publisher=新華出版社 |isbn=9787516616048}}</ref> Today, he is still officially recognized as such in the [[Free area of the Republic of China|Taiwan Area]] where the [[Taiwan|Republic of China]] continues to rule, while the [[China|People's Republic of China]] considers him the {{transliteration|zh|Gémìng Xiānxíngzhě}} ({{lang|zh-Hant|革命先行者}}; "Forerunner of the Revolution").<ref name="Sun2">{{cite book|last1=Xie|first1=Xuanjun|title=少数民族入主中国史略|year=2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jhE6DwAAQBAJ&q=%E5%AD%99%E4%B8%AD%E5%B1%B1+%E9%9D%A9%E5%91%BD%E5%85%88%E8%A1%8C%E8%80%85+%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%A4%A7%E9%99%86&pg=PA403|page=403|publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=9781387255351}}</ref>
[[Mao Zedong]] is regarded as the founder of the [[China|People's Republic of China]],<ref name="Mao">{{cite book|last1=Stefoff|first1=Rebecca|title=Mao Zedong: Founder of the People's Republic of China|year=1996|publisher=Millbrook Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xK8mPQAACAAJ&q=Mao+Zedong+founder+people%27s+republic+of+china|isbn=9781562945312}}</ref> even though the state has yet to officially confer the title "Father of the Nation" upon anyone.<ref name="PRC">{{cite book|last1=Liu|first1=Wenbin|title=思想独舞|year=2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b714CAAAQBAJ&q=%E5%AD%99%E4%B8%AD%E5%B1%B1+%E5%9B%BD%E7%88%B6+%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%E4%BA%BA%E6%B0%91%E5%85%B1%E5%92%8C%E5%9B%BD&pg=PT203}}</ref>{{multiple image
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| alt5 = Mao Zedong
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===Cyprus===
[[Makarios III]] (1913–1977), [[archbishop]] and [[Primate (bishop)|primate]] of the [[autocephalous]] [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] [[Church of Cyprus]] (1950–1977), and first [[president of Cyprus]] (1960–1977), is widely regarded by [[Greek Cypriots]] as the [[Father of the Nation]] or "[[Ethnarch]]".<ref name="Cambridge Scholars Publishing">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VtAwBwAAQBAJ&q=Polycarpos+Ioannides&pg=PA261|title=The Archbishops of Cyprus in the Modern Age: The Changing Role of the Archbishop-Ethnarch, their Identities and Politics|first1=Andrekos|last1=Varnava|first2=Michalis N.|last2=Michael|date=26 July 2013|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=9781443850810|access-date=17 April 2017|via=Google Books|author1-link=Andrekos Varnava }}</ref>
Conversely, [[Rauf Denktaş]] (1924–2012), under [[Makarios III]] second and [[Vice President of Cyprus|last Vice President of Cyprus]] (1973–1974), and [[President of Northern Cyprus|first President of Northern Cyprus]] (1983–2005), is considered the founding father of [[Northern Cyprus]].<ref name="Anadolu Agency">{{Cite web |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-remembers-founding-father-of-northern-cyprus/2108278 |title=Turkey remembers founding father of Northern Cyprus |publisher=Anadolu Agency |language=en |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref>
===India===
[[File:Portrait Gandhi.jpg|209x209px|thumb|right|[[Mahatma Gandhi]]]]
[[Mahatma Gandhi]] (1869–1948) is considered the father of the nation and one of the most prominent leaders of the [[Indian independence movement]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/india-becomes-first-asian-country-to-participate-as-guest-of-honour-in-the-book-fair-1624382-2019-12-02|title=India becomes first Asian country to participate as 'Guest of Honour' in international book fair|website=India Today|date=2 December 2019 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.newsonair.com/News?title=Nagaland-CM-inaugurates-Multi-Media-Exhibition-at-World-War-II-museum&id=375458 Nagaland CM inaugurates Multi Media Exhibition at World War II museum] {{webarchive|date=2 December 2019|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202083726/https://www.newsonair.com/News?title=Nagaland-CM-inaugurates-Multi-Media-Exhibition-at-World-War-II-museum&id=375458}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-02 |title=When did Mahatma Gandhi first appear on currency note? |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/Oct/02/when-did-mahatma-gandhi-first-appear-on-currency-note-1880156.html |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>
===Indonesia===
The 4 general founders of Indonesia are generally considered to be [[Sukarno]], [[Mohammad Hatta]], [[Sutan Sjahrir]], and [[Tan Malaka]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://perpustakaan.komnasperempuan.go.id/web/index.php?p=show_detail&id=2964|title=4 Serangkai Pendiri Republik Sukarno pradoks Revolusi Indonesia, hatta jejak yang melampaui zaman, Sjahrir Peran besar Bung Kecil, Tan Malaka Bapak Republik yang Dilupakan.| website=Perpustakaan Komnas Perempuan|access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref> [[Sukarno]] is considered to be a founding father by some Indonesians, although he had an authoritarian rule during the time of his presidency. [[Mohammad Hatta]] is generally considered as one of the more democratic founder of [[Indonesia]]. They both signed the [[Proclamation of Indonesian Independence|Proclamation of Independence]], proclaiming the independence of Indonesia from the [[Netherlands]] on 17 August 1945. A day later, they were elected respectively as the first [[President of Indonesia|President]] and [[Vice President of Indonesia|Vice President]] of Indonesia.
As the Netherlands did not recognize the proclamation of independence immediately, both of them were prominent figures and were seen as symbol of unity among [[Indonesians|Indonesian people]] to fight against Dutch during the [[Indonesian National Revolution|National Revolution]] from 1945 to 1949. In August 1949, Hatta headed a delegation to [[The Hague]] for a [[Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference|Round Table Conference]] which then led to the recognition of Indonesian independence by the Netherlands on 27 December 1949.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Indonesia |author=H.J. Van Mook |author-link=Hubertus Johannes van Mook |journal=Royal Institute of International Affairs |year=1949 |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=274–285 |doi=10.2307/3016666 |jstor=3016666}}; {{cite journal |title=Independence the Issue |journal=Far Eastern Survey |author=Charles Bidien |volume=14 |issue=24 |pages=345–348 |date=5 December 1945 |doi=10.2307/3023219 |jstor=3023219}}; {{cite book | last =Taylor | first =Jean Gelman | title =Indonesia: Peoples and History | url =https://archive.org/details/indonesia00jean | url-access =registration | publisher =Yale University Press | year =2003 | pages =[https://archive.org/details/indonesia00jean/page/325 325] | isbn = 978-0-300-10518-6 }}; Reid (1973), p. 30</ref>
{{multiple image
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| image1 = Presiden Sukarno.jpg
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| caption3 = Sutan Sjahrir
| image4 = TanMalaka DariPendjara ed3.jpg
| caption4 = Tan Malaka
}}
===Iran===
[[Cyrus the Great]] (600–530 BC) was the founder of the [[Achaemenid Empire|First Persian Empire]] under the [[Achaemenid dynasty]]. Many [[Iranian peoples|Iranians]] gather at his [[Tomb of Cyrus|tomb]] in [[Pasargadae]] annually on the [[Cyrus the Great Day]] and [[Nowruz]], the Persian New Year. Prior to the [[1979 Revolution]] the [[2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire|2,500th year of Foundation of Imperial State of Iran]] took place. It consisted of an elaborate set of festivities that took place on 12–16 October 1971 on the occasion of the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the [[Pahlavi Iran|Imperial State of Iran]] and First Persian Empire by [[Cyrus the Great]].<ref>Amuzegar, ''The Dynamics of the Iranian Revolution'', (1991), pp. 4, 9–12</ref><ref>''Narrative of Awakening : A Look at Imam Khomeini's Ideal, Scientific and Political Biography from Birth to Ascension'' by Hamid Ansari, Institute for Compilation and Publication of the Works of Imam Khomeini, International Affairs Division, [no date], p. 163</ref> The intent of the celebration was to demonstrate [[Iranian history|Iran's old civilization and history]] to showcase its contemporary advancements under [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]], the last [[List of monarchs of Persia|Shah of Iran]].<ref name=spiegel2017>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.spiegel.de/einestages/schah-von-persien-1971-die-groesste-party-auf-erden-a-1089955.html |author=Nina Adler |title=Als der Schah zur größten Party auf Erden lud |magazine=[[Der Spiegel]]| language=de |date=14 February 2017| access-date=14 February 2017}}</ref><ref name=schmitt-EI-i>[[#refachaemenids-EI|Schmitt]] Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty)</ref>
[[Ruhollah Khomeini]] is considered the founder of the modern [[Iran|Islamic Republic of Iran]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 December 2007|title=international relations :: The Iranian revolution – Britannica Online Encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-32981|access-date=20 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215140348/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-32981|archive-date=15 December 2007}}</ref>
===Israel===
[[File:Theodor Herzl retouched.jpg|thumb|164x164px|[[Theodor Herzl]] of [[Israel]].
]]
[[Theodor Herzl]] is considered the founder of political [[Zionism]], the modern ideology that institutionalized the longstanding Jewish desire to return to the homeland, which eventually lead to the founding of [[Israel]] decades later.
[[David Ben-Gurion]] was [[List of Prime Ministers of Israel|the first Prime Minister of Israel]], and is often considered an important founding figure as well as a leader of [[Labor Zionism]], Israel's founding ideology. Ben-Gurion lead Israel for a total of thirteen years and is today admired by both the left and the right.
Other figures include [[Moshe Dayan]], who became a war hero and symbol of the [[Israel Defense Forces]] and [[Eliezer Ben-Yehuda]] who led [[Revival of the Hebrew language|the revival of the Hebrew language]].
===Japan===
{{Nihongo|[[Emperor Jimmu]]|神武天皇|Jinmu-[[tennō]]}} (traditional reign 660–585 BC) was the [[List of Japanese monarchs|first]] [[emperor of Japan]],<ref name="kunaicho">[[Imperial Household Agency]] (''Kunaichō''): [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/ryobo/guide/001/index.html 神武天皇 (1)]</ref> according to the traditional [[List of Emperors of Japan|order of succession]].<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 28–29.</ref> The Japanese national holiday {{nihongo|[[National Foundation Day (Japan)|National Foundation Day]]|建国記念の日|Kenkoku Kinen no Hi}} is celebrated annually on 11 February in commemoration of the founding of the nation of [[Japan]] and the ascension of Emperor Jimmu to the imperial throne.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nP7vr5yaaZIC&pg=PA101&dq=Kigensetsu&lr=&sig=sFgQJWOesfqN4difOcwaXbKIGQY#PPA101,M1 Hardacre, Helen (1989). ''Shinto and the State, 1868–1988,''] pp. 101–102.</ref>
===Jordan===
[[File:Abdullah I of Jordan portrait.jpg|158x158px|thumb|[[Abdullah I of Jordan]]]]
[[Abdullah I of Jordan|Abdullah bin Al-Hussain]] was the founder and ruler of the [[Jordan]]ian realm from 11 April 1921 until his assassination on 20 July 1951.
He was the [[Emir of Transjordan]], a [[British protectorate]], until 25 May 1946,<ref name="Salibi1998">{{cite book|author=Kamal S. Salibi|title=The Modern History of Jordan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7zdi2sCuIh8C|date=15 December 1998|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-86064-331-6|page=93}}</ref><ref name="Hussein">[https://www.alhussein.jo/en/the-hashemites/history-hashemites Hashemite Monarchs of Jordan], "The Emirate of Transjordan was founded on 11 April 1921, and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan upon formal independence from Britain in 1946"</ref> after which he was the king of an independent Jordan. He was a [[Hashemites#Family tree|38th-generation direct descendant]] of [[Muhammad]], as he belongs to the [[Hashemite]] family.
===Kazakhstan===
[[File:Alikhan Bukeikhanov.jpg|195x195px|thumb|[[Alikhan Bokeikhanov]], leader and founder of the [[Alash Orda]] national liberation movement.]]{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2020}}
There is no law in the country which officially recognizes a single individual as the "Father of the Nation". Either title may be associated with any of the following prominent historical persons, owing to their impact on the country during their respective times.
[[Alikhan Bukeikhanov]] (1866–1937) was a [[Kazakhstan|Kazakh]] statesman, politician, publicist, teacher, writer and environmental scientist. He was leader and founder of the [[Alash Autonomy|Alash Orda national liberation movement]]. He sided with the [[westernizer]]s in the Kazakh political scene who were promoting the idea of the [[Western culture]] into the [[Kazakh steppe]]. In 1920, after the establishment of [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] hegemony, Bukeikhanov joined the [[Bolshevik]] party and returned to scientific life. His earlier political activities caused the authorities to view him with suspicion, leading to arrests in 1926 and 1928. In 1926, Bukeikhanov was arrested on the charge of counter-revolutionary activity and put into [[Butyrka prison]] in [[Moscow]]. But due to the lack of evidence in the criminal case against him, he was released from prison. In 1930, the authorities banished him to Moscow, where he was arrested a final time in 1937 and executed.
[[Dinmukhamed Kunayev]] (1912–1993) was a Kazakh Soviet communist politician. He became first secretary of the Central Committee of the [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan (Soviet Union)|Communist Party of Kazakhstan]] again in 1964 when [[Nikita Khrushchev|Khrushchev]] was ousted and replaced by [[Leonid Brezhnev|Brezhnev]]. He kept his position for twenty-two more years. He was an alternate member of the [[Politburo]] from 1967, and a full member from 1971 to 1987. During Kunayev's long rule, Kazakhs occupied prominent positions in the bureaucracy, economy and educational institutions. A Brezhnev loyalist, he was removed from office under pressure from [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], who accused him of corruption. On 16 December 1986 the Politburo replaced him with [[Gennady Kolbin]], who had never lived in the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Kazakh SSR]] before. This provoked street riots in [[Almaty]], which were the first signs of ethnic strife during Gorbachev's tenure. In modern Kazakhstan, this revolt is called [[Jeltoqsan]], meaning December in [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]].
[[Nursultan Nazarbayev]] was elected the nation's first [[President of Kazakhstan|president]] following its independence from the Soviet Union in December 1991. In 2010 [[Parliament of Kazakhstan]] named him Елбасы (Elbasy) which means "Leader of the Nation".
===North Korea===
[[File:Portrait of Dangun.jpg|thumb|251x251px|[[Dangun]], Legendary founding father of [[Korea]].]][[Kim Il-sung]] was the founder of North Korea. He ruled from 1948 to 1994. After his death, he was declared as the [[Eternal leaders of Juche Korea|''Eternal President'']] of North Korea in 1998.
===South Korea===
[[Dangun]], the legendary first king of [[Gojoseon]], is venerated in Korea as the founder of the Korean nation and peoples. His legendary birthday and the day he founded Gojoseon is celebrated as National Foundation Day (개천절), which falls on 3 October. There have been many founders throughout history such as [[Taejo of Joseon|Lee Seonggye]], [[Taejo of Goryeo|Taejo Wang Geon]], and [[Jumong|Dongmyeong the great]].
There is no official founding father of South Korea who is generally accepted nor acknowledged by the government, though some figures like [[Syngman Rhee]] or [[Kim Ku]] are proposed as the father of his country.
===Kuwait===
The first recorded ruler of Kuwait was [[Sabah I bin Jaber|Sheikh Abu Salman Sabah]]. However, [[Mubarak Al-Sabah|Sheikh Mubarak Al-Kabir]] is known as the founder of the modern state of Kuwait. He was instrumental in moving the country away from the Ottoman Empire and toward British influence.
===Laos===
[[Fa Ngum]] is widely considered a founding father of the Lao people. In present-day [[Laos]], [[Kaysone Phomvihane|Kaysonne Phomvihane]] and Prince [[Souphanouvong|Souphanouvoung]] are considered the fathers of the [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] state.
===Malaysia===
[[File:Tunku abd rahman.jpg|thumb|188x188px|right|[[Tunku Abdul Rahman]] of [[Malaysia]]]]
[[Tunku Abdul Rahman]] (1903–1990) usually known as "the Tunku" (a princely title in [[Malaysia]]), and also called ''Bapa Kemerdekaan'' (Father of Independence) or ''Bapa Malaysia'' (Father of Malaysia), was Chief Minister of the [[Federation of Malaya]] from 1955, and the country's first [[Prime Minister of Malaysia|Prime Minister]] from independence in 1957. He remained [[Prime Minister of Malaysia|Prime Minister]] after [[Sabah]], [[Sarawak]], and [[Singapore in Malaysia|Singapore]] joined in 1963 to form [[Malaysia]].
===Mongolia===
[[File:YuanEmperorAlbumGenghisPortrait.jpg|177x177px|thumb|[[Genghis Khan]] posthumous portrait]]
[[Genghis Khan]] (c. 1162–1227), who by uniting the nomadic tribes founded the [[Mongol Empire]], is generally regarded as the father of modern-day [[Mongolia]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} Although downcast during the [[Mongolian People's Republic|communist-era]], Genghis Khan's reputation surged after the [[1990 Democratic Revolution in Mongolia|democratic revolution in 1990]].
===Myanmar===
[[Anawrahta]] is considered to be founder of ancient Burmese [[Pagan Kingdom|Kingdom of Pagan]].
General [[Aung San]] is the founder of modern [[Myanmar|Burma]] (also known as Myanmar). Although he did not live to see the country's [[Burma Independence Act 1947|independence]], he is credited in forming the basic structure of the independence movement and government. Aung San started his political career in 1930 as the editor of [[University of Yangon|Rangoon University]]'s newspaper – where he accused one of the colonial administrators in Burma of misconduct. In late 1940 he went to [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese controlled Taiwan]] and [[Xiamen]] to receive military training, and he led the [[Burma Independence Army]], spearheading the [[Japanese invasion of Burma]]. Later, he switched sides to the Allies, and helped in the [[Burma campaign]]. After the war, he was appointed to the government of a returning British administration, and was able to negotiate Burma's independence. He helped organized the [[Panglong Agreement]] in February 1947, achieving independence for all Burmese territories. However, on Saturday, 19 July 1947, Aung San, along with his cabinet ministers, was [[Burmese Martyrs' Day|assassinated]] at the [[Ministers' Building|secretariat building]] in [[Rangoon]].
[[U Nu]] served as first [[Prime Minister of Myanmar]] from 1948 to 1956.
General [[Ne Win]] was one of the founders of [[Tatmadaw]]. On 1962, 15 years after the independence, he led a [[1962 Burmese coup d'état|military coup]] that brought him to power. Ne Win established the [[Burmese Way to Socialism]] which ruled Burma for 26 years.
===Nepal===
[[File:Prithvinarayanshah.jpg|thumb|233x233px|[[Prithvi Narayan Shah]] of [[Nepal]]]]
[[Prithvi Narayan Shah]] was largely responsible for the [[unification of Nepal]], and is considered to be the founder of [[Nepal]]. His vision of ruling over a unified Nepal is said to have started when atop a hill near Nepa Valley (Present day [[Kathmandu]]), he decided he would like to rule over it. His strategic plan was very successful and his successors continued to build on his progress.<ref name="Bowman2000">{{Cite book |last=Bowman |first=John S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cYoHOqC7Yx4C&pg=PA396 |title=Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture |date=5 September 2000 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-50004-3 |___location= |pages=396 |language=en|access-date=26 November 2020|archive-date=26 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126153551/https://books.google.com/books?id=cYoHOqC7Yx4C&pg=PA396|url-status=live}}</ref> Prithvi Narayan Shah's descendants continued to rule over [[Nepal]] for a total of [[List of monarchs of Nepal|240 years]] before the [[2006 democracy movement in Nepal]] toppled the constitutional power exercised by [[King Gyanendra]], before abolishing the monarchy in 2008.
===Oman===
Sultan [[Qaboos bin Said]] changed the name of the country from the [[Muscat and Oman|Sultanate of Muscat and Oman]] to simply [[Oman]].
===Pakistan===
[[File:Jinnah1945c.jpg|thumb|182x182px|[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] of [[Pakistan]]]]
Pakistan's founder is [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], who is hailed as [[Quaid-e-Azam]] or "Great Leader" and Baba-e-Qaum or Father of Nation. He founded not only the [[Pakistan|Islamic Republic of Pakistan]] but is credited for creating an entirely new [[nation state]]. Other prominent founders include the poet [[Muhammad Iqbal]] or spiritual Father, believed to be the first person to propagate the idea of a state for India's Muslims, Fatima Jinnah (Mother of nation) and members of Pakistan's first Cabinet such as [[Liaquat Ali Khan]], [[A. K. Fazlul Huq]], [[Abdul Rab Nishtar]], [[Feroz Khan Noon|Malik Feroze Khan Noon]], [[Khwaja Nazimuddin]] and [[I. I. Chundrigar]].
Some historians credit the Muslim reformist [[Sir Syed Ahmad Khan]] as a founder of Pakistan because he provided the Two-Nation Theory which played a central role in the perception of Pakistan and its Muslim nationalist ideology largely based on Iqbal's philosophy and views.
===Palestine===
[[File:Nasser_and_Arafat,_1970.jpg|thumb|161x161px|[[Yasser Arafat]] of [[Palestine]]]]
Palestinian political leader [[Yasser Arafat]] has been considered by some commentators as being the "founding father" of [[Palestine]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2005/09/the-father-of-palestine/304226/|title=The Father of Palestine|website=[[The Atlantic]]|date=10 August 2005}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/portrait/2017/12/23/yasser-arafat-father-of-a-nation|title = Yasser Arafat: Father of a nation|website = [[Daily Sabah]]|date = 23 December 2017}}</ref> Born in 1929 in [[Cairo]], [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]], Arafat soon became a supporter of [[Arab nationalism]] and [[anti-Zionism]]; in the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]], he fought alongside the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] against the newly independent [[Israel|State of Israel]].<ref>{{cite book| title=Yasser Arafat| publisher=Rosen Publishing Group| year=2003| author=Bernadette Brexel| page=12}}</ref> From 1969 until 2004, he served as the [[Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization|chairman]] of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO), a [[Palestinian nationalism|Palestinian nationalist]] organization which engaged in a numerous [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla conflicts]] with the [[Israel Defense Forces]] during the second half of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Aburish|first=Said K.|author-link=Said K. Aburish|title=From Defender to Dictator|year=1998|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|page=[https://archive.org/details/arafatfromdefend0001abur/page/46 46]|___location=New York|isbn=978-1-58234-049-4|url=https://archive.org/details/arafatfromdefend0001abur}}</ref>
Beginning from 1983 onwards, Arafat based himself in [[Tunisia]] and switched to a tactic of negotiating with the [[Cabinet of Israel|Israeli government]], acknowledging Israel's [[right to exist]] in a [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242|UN resolution]] and supporting a [[two-state solution]] to the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]. Arafat engaged in a series of negotiations with the Israeli government to end the conflict between it and the PLO, including the [[Madrid Conference of 1991]], the 1993 [[Oslo Accords]] and the [[2000 Camp David Summit]].<ref>The Oslo Accords: international law and the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements, By Geoffrey R. Watson, Oxford University Press, 2000, {{ISBN|978-0-19-829891-5}}, page 33</ref> In 1994, he returned to Palestine and promoted self-government for the [[Palestinian territories]], receiving the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] the same year. Among [[Palestinians]], Arafat is viewed as a [[martyr]] who symbolized the national aspirations of his people.<ref>As'ad Ghanem [https://books.google.com/books?id=PZ59 ''Palestinian Politics after Arafat: A Failed National Movement:Palestinian Politics after Arafat,''] Indiana University Press, 2010 p.259.</ref>
===Philippines===
[[File:Jose Rizal full.jpg|thumb|150px|[[José Rizal]] of the [[Philippines]]]]{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2020}}
There is no law in the [[Philippines]] which officially recognizes any single individual as the "Father of the Nation". Either title may be associated with any of the following prominent historical persons, owing to their impact on the country during their respective times: [[José Rizal]] (1861–1896) was a Filipino nationalist during the tail end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. An ophthalmologist by profession, Rizal became a writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain. He was executed by the Spanish colonial government for the crime of rebellion after an anti-colonial revolution, inspired in part by his writings, broke out. Though he was not actively involved in its planning or conduct, he ultimately approved of its goals which eventually led to Philippine independence. He is widely considered one of the greatest heroes of the Philippines, and is implied by Philippine law to be one of the national heroes. He was the author of the novels ''[[Noli Me Tángere (novel)|Noli Me Tángere]]'', and ''El Filibusterismo'', and a number of poems and essays. [[Andrés Bonifacio]] (1863–1897) rebel leader during the [[Philippine Revolution]] in 1896, which saw armed resistance against the Spanish Empire. [[Emilio Aguinaldo]] (1869–1964) Military Leader with the highest rank of [[Generalissimo]] of the Philippine Revolution and first [[President of the Philippines|president]] of the [[First Philippine Republic|Philippines]] through the 1899 [[Malolos Congress]], which oversaw the promulgation of the [[Malolos Constitution]]. [[Manuel Roxas]] (1892–1948) served as first President of independent Philippines from 1946 to 1948.
===Qatar===
Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammed Bin Thani is the founder of the [[Qatar|State of Qatar]]. He was a military leader, judge and scholar, knight and poet possessing both gallantry and magnanimity.
===Saudi Arabia===
[[File:Ibn Saud.png|178x178px|thumb|[[Abdulaziz Al Saud]] of [[Saudi Arabia]]]]
[[Abdulaziz Al Saud]], also known as Ibn Saud, is the founding father of the [[Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]]. He served as first King from 1932 to 1953.
===Singapore===
[[File:Mr. Lee Kuan Yew Mayoral reception 1965 (cropped).jpg|185x185px|thumb|[[Lee Kuan Yew]] of [[Singapore]]]]
* [[Lee Kuan Yew]] (1923–2015), often referred to by his initials "LKY", was the first [[Prime Minister of Singapore|prime minister]] of the [[Singapore|Republic of Singapore]], governing for three decades, from 1959 to 1990. Lee has helped to build the economy from a [[Least developed countries|third world]] country to a [[Developed country|first world]] country and turned Singapore into a [[metropolis]] after the separation from [[Malaysia]] in 1965.[[File:Official Photographic Portrait of Don Stephen Senanayaka (1884-1952).jpg|166x166px|thumb|[[D. S. Senanayake|Don Stephen Senanayaka]] of [[Sri Lanka]]]]
* [[Goh Keng Swee]] (1918–2010) was a pivotal figure in Singapore's development, serving as [[Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore|deputy prime minister]] from 1973 to 1985. Having also served as [[Ministry of Finance (Singapore)|Minister for Finance]], [[Ministry of Interior and Defence|Defence]] and [[Ministry of Education (Singapore)|Education]], he was instrumental in transforming Singapore's economic and military capabilities. Goh's tenure included founding the [[Economic Development Board]] (EDB) and the [[Monetary Authority of Singapore]] (MAS), and he played a key role in the establishment of the [[Jurong Industrial Estate]] and the [[Singapore Armed Forces]] (SAF).<ref>{{cite web |title=Goh Keng Swee |url=https://www.roots.gov.sg/stories-landing/stories/goh-keng-swee/story |website=www.roots.gov.sg |publisher=[[National Heritage Board]] |access-date=18 August 2025 |language=en |date=1 November 2023}}</ref>
* [[Sinnathamby Rajaratnam]] (1915–2006), known as S. Rajaratnam, was Singapore's first [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]] from 1965 to 1980 and the second deputy prime minister from 1980 to 1985. A co-founder of the [[People's Action Party]] (PAP), he was a key architect of Singapore's foreign policy, being one of the [[ASEAN Declaration|five founding fathers]] of [[ASEAN]] and a principal author of the [[National Pledge (Singapore)|National Pledge]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ng |first1=Irene |author1-link=Irene Ng (politician) |title=S. Rajaratnam, The Authorised Biography: Volume One: The Singapore Lion |date=2024 |publisher=[[ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute]] |___location=Singapore |isbn=9789815203295 |url=https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/7909 |access-date=18 August 2025}}</ref>
===Sri Lanka===
[[Prince Vijaya]] is considered to be the first King of Sri Lanka with [[Dutugemunu]] honored as the first king to unify Sri Lanka. [[D. S. Senanayake]] (1883–1952) is widely known as the modern (post independence) ''father of the nation''. [[William Gopallawa]] (1896–1981) was the first Constitutional President while [[J. R. Jayewardene]] (1906–1996) was the first Executive President.
===Thailand===
* [[Si Inthrathit]] (1238 - 1270) was the founder of [[Sukhothai Kingdom]], the first Thai kingdom.
* [[Naresuan]] (1590–1605), who [[Burmese–Siamese War (1593–1600)|retook]] most of [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Siam]] from the [[Hanthawaddy Kingdom|Burmese]].
* [[Taksin the Great]] (1734–1782), who [[Taksin's reunification of Siam|reunited Siam]] following the [[Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767)|collapse of the Ayutthaya Kingdom]].
* [[Rama I]] (1737–1809), founder of the [[Rattanakosin Kingdom]] and the first monarch of the reigning [[Chakri dynasty]] of Siam.
===Turkey===
[[File:Ataturk1930s.jpg|thumb|187x187px|[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Atatürk]], the founding father of the Republic of Turkey]]
* [[Alp Arslan]] (1029–1072) was the second Sultan of the [[Seljuk Empire]]. He greatly expanded the Seljuk territory and consolidated his power, defeating rivals to the south and northwest, and his victory over the [[Population of the Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] at the [[Battle of Manzikert]], in 1071, ushered in the Turkoman settlement of [[Anatolia]].
* [[Osman I]] (1258–1324), was the leader of the [[Kayi tribe]] and the founder of the [[Ottoman dynasty]].
* [[Mehmed the Conqueror]] (1432–1481), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. When he ascended the throne again in 1451 he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered [[Constantinople]] (modern-day [[Istanbul]]) and brought an end to the [[Byzantine Empire]].
* [[Mahmud II]] (1785–1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms he instituted, which culminated in the Decree of [[Tanzimat]] ("reorganization"). Mahmud's reforms included the 1826 abolition of the conservative Janissary corps, which removed a major obstacle to his and his successors' reforms in the Empire. The reforms he instituted were characterized by political and social changes, which would eventually lead to the birth of the modern Turkish Republic.
* [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] (1881–1938) was the founder and first president of the [[Turkey|Republic of Turkey]]. Following the First World War, the huge conglomeration of territories and peoples that formerly comprised the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new states. The [[Turkish War of Independence]] (1919–1923), initiated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his colleagues in Anatolia, resulted in the establishment of the modern Republic of Turkey (''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'') in 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-44425/Turkey|title=Turkey – Location, Geography, People, Economy, Culture, & History|website=Britannica.com|access-date=10 August 2017}}</ref> He subsequently introduced many radical reforms with the aim of transforming the old multinational Ottoman state into a new secular republic.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHcZlo12SGoC&pg=PA49|title=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought|first1=Gerhard|last1=Bowering|first2=Patricia|last2=Crone|first3=Wadad|last3=Kadi|first4=Devin J.|last4=Stewart|first5=Muhammad Qasim|last5=Zaman|first6=Mahan|last6=Mirza|date=28 November 2012|publisher=Princeton University Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9781400838554}}</ref>
===United Arab Emirates===
Initially a grouping of seven independent emirates, part of the [[Trucial states]], [[Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan]] of [[Abu Dhabi]] established the [[United Arab Emirates]] by joining the seven independent emirates into a [[federation]], together with [[Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum]] of [[Dubai]]. The two agreed on the Union of Emirates with a handshake in a tent in the desert on 18 February 1968. The other five Trucial rulers joined them in that aspiration in a meeting on 25 February 1968, announcing the Federation on 27 February<ref name="McNabb-2025">{{Cite book |last=McNabb |first=Alexander |title=Children of the Seven Sands |publisher=Motivate Media Group |year=2025 |isbn=9781860635120 |___location=Dubai |pages=360}}</ref> - they were [[Khalid bin Muhammad Al Qasimi]] of [[Sharjah]]; [[Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi III|Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi]] of [[Ajman]]; [[Ahmad bin Rashid Al Mualla]] of [[Umm Al Quwain]]; [[Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi]] of [[Ras Al Khaimah]] and [[Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi]] of [[Fujairah]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Founders of the Union {{!}} The Official Portal of the UAE Government |url=https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/founders-of-the-union |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=u.ae |language=en}}</ref> The United Arab Emirates was founded on 2 December 1971.<ref name="McNabb-2025a">{{Cite book |last=McNabb |first=Alexander |title=Children of the Seven Sands |publisher=Motivate Media Group |year=2025 |isbn=9781860635120 |___location=Dubai |pages=363}}</ref>
===Uzbekistan===
In [[Uzbekistan]], no single individual is officially recognized as the "Founder of the Nation." However, different figures have been viewed as founders of Uzbekistan during various eras throughout history.
[[File:Muhammad Shaybani.jpg|left|thumb|220x220px|[[Muhammad Shaybani]] the [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]] ruler, founder of [[Shaybanid Dynasty]] of the [[Khanate of Bukhara]]]]
[[File:Timur reconstruction03.jpg|thumb|248x248px|[[Timur|Amir Timur]] ]]
[[Timur|Amir Timur]] is widely regarded as the main historical hero for modern [[Uzbekistan]], as he founded the [[Timurid Empire]] and made significant contributions to the development of Uzbek Statehood.
Another significant historical figure, [[Muhammad Shaybani]], is considered to be a significant founder of the nation due to his proximity in time to the establishment of the Uzbek state. He was an [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]] leader who consolidated various Uzbek tribes and laid the foundations for their ascendance in [[Transoxiana]] and the establishment of the [[Khanate of Bukhara]].
[[File:Ходжаев Файзулла Губайдулаевич (1896).jpg|left|thumb|248x248px|[[Fayzulla Xoʻjayev]] in 1896]]
And [[Fayzulla Xoʻjayev]] was the founder of modern Uzbekistan. He first head of the [[Bukharan People's Soviet Republic]], which would later form part of the [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic]]. He became well known in the early 20th century as an advocate for Uzbekistani independence and as a leader of the [[Jadid|Jadidist movement]]. This movement aimed to modernize and secularize Islamic society in [[Central Asia]].
Khodzhayev's political career was marked by several challenges, including periods of exile and imprisonment. In 1920, he briefly served as the first prime minister of the [[Bukharan People's Soviet Republic]]. As Prime Minister, Khodjaev implemented a series of reforms aimed at promoting industrialization and collectivization in [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic|Uzbekistan]]. He also supported efforts to promote [[Uzbek culture]] and [[Uzbek language|language]], including the establishment of a national theater and the publication of a national encyclopedia. Khodjaev's political career came to an abrupt end in 1937, when he was arrested as part of [[Joseph Stalin]]'s [[Great Purge]]. He was accused of espionage and treason and was executed in 1938. Today, Khodjaev is remembered as an important figure in the history of Uzbekistan and as a symbol of the complex relationship between the [[Central Asia]]n republics and the [[Soviet Union]]. His legacy continues to be debated, with some seeing him as a progressive reformer and others as a Soviet stooge who contributed to the suppression of Uzbek national identity.
===Vietnam===
[[Kinh Dương Vương]] – [[Lạc Long Quân]] and the [[Hùng Kings]] were the founders of the [[Hồng Bàng dynasty]] – the first dynasty of Vietnam and laid the foundation to form the country of Vietnam.
[[Ho Chi Minh]] is the founder of [[Vietnam|Socialist Republic of Vietnam]].
===Yemen===
[[Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din]] ruled as first independent King of [[Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen]] from 1918 to 1948.
==Europe==
===Albania===
[[File:Ismail Qemali (portrait).jpg|thumb|[[Ismail Qemali|Ismail Kemal]] of [[Albania]]]][[Ismail Qemali|Ismail Kemal]] (24 January 1844 – 26 January 1919) was a distinguished leader of the [[Albanian National Awakening|Albanian national movement]] at the beginning of the 20th century, founder of the [[Independent Albania|modern Albanian state]] in 1912, and its first [[Prime Minister of Albania|prime minister]] and head of state and government.
===Andorra===
The first [[Co-Princes of Andorra]] were [[Roger-Bernard III, Count of Foix]] and [[Pere d'Urtx]], [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell|Bishop of Urgell]], who signed the [[Paréage of Andorra (1278)|Paréage]], which gave them joint sovereignty over [[Andorra]] in 1278.
===Austria===
[[Karl Renner]], who was the first [[Chancellor of Austria]] and the first post-war [[President of Austria]] after [[World War II]], is often referred to as the "Father of the Republic" due to his leadership of the [[First Austrian Republic]], and for playing a decisive role in establishing the present [[Second Austrian republic]].
===Belarus===
* [[Konstanty Kalinowski|Kastuś Kalinoŭski]] was a revolutionary, publicist and poet, was one of the leaders of the failed [[January Uprising]] 1863 – 1864 on the territory of the former [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] on the territory of the [[Russian Empire]].
* [[Yanka Kupala|Janka Kupała]] was a Belarusian poet and writer of the early 20th century, a major writer and one of the founders of [[Belarusian literature|Belarusian national literature]]. Author of the slogan ''[[Long Live Belarus!|Žyvie Bielaruś!]]'', which is still used today.
* [[Vaclau Lastouski|Vaclaŭ Lastoŭski]] was a leading figure of the Belarusian independence movement in the early 20th century and the Prime Minister of the [[Belarusian Democratic Republic]] from 1919 to 1923
===Belgium===
Though there is no official founding father of Belgium, the leaders of the [[Belgian Revolution]], [[Charles Rogier]] and [[Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier]], as well as the first [[Monarchy of Belgium|King of the Belgians]], [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]], were key figures in the independence of Belgium from the [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]].
===Bosnia and Herzegovina===
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* [[Tvrtko I of Bosnia]] was the founder of the first Bosnian Kingdom.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
* [[Husein Gradaščević|Husein-kapetan Gradaščević]] led the revolt against the [[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Sultan]] [[Mahmud II]] who fought for an autonomous Bosnian State. {{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
===Bulgaria===
Mythical rulers of [[Bulgaria]] date back as far as 3rd millennium BC.
====Medieval====
* [[Avitohol]] (?–453? AD), who researchers claim to be the mythical [[Attila]], is the first name in the [[Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans]]. He was from the [[Dulo]] clan and was succeeded by his son [[Ernak]] or Irnik (the second name mentioned in the Nominalia).<ref>{{cite book |last=Maenchen-Helfen |first=Otto J. |author-link=Otto J. Maenchen-Helfen |date=1973 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_CrUdgzSICxcC_2 |title=The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=9780520015968 |page=407}}</ref>
* [[Kubrat]] (606–665) was the founder of the powerful [[Old Great Bulgaria|Great Bulgaria]] in 632 AD.
* [[Asparukh of Bulgaria|Asparuh]] (around 640–701) is the most venerated national founder of [[Bulgaria]]. He was a son of Kubrat and started attacking and moving southwest of Old Great Bulgaria, towards the [[Lower Danube]] in [[Southeast Europe]]. Victorious over the [[Eastern Roman Empire]], he established the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] in 680–681. Modern day Bulgaria is a direct successor of this state. Asparukh's brother [[Batbayan]] stayed ruling the core territories to the north, while [[Kotrag]] migrated further north and founded [[Volga Bulgaria]].
* [[Krum]] the Fearsome (8th century – 814) – prominent ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle [[Danube]] to the [[Dnieper]] and from [[Odrin]] to the [[Tatra Mountains]]. His able and energetic rule brought law and order to Bulgaria and developed the rudiments of state organization, thus he is regarded as an important national founder.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/323896/Krum Krum], Encyclopædia Britannica Online</ref><ref>Токушев, Д. "История на българската средновековна държава и право",
Сиби, С. 2009</ref>
* [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris I]] (9th century-2 May 907) officially [[Christianization of Bulgaria|Christianized]] [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]] in 864, a significant event that shaped the [[History of Bulgaria]] and [[European history|Europe]]. The historian [[Steven Runciman]] called him one of the greatest persons in history.<ref>Runciman, p. 152</ref> His son and grandson, [[tsar]] [[Simeon I the Great]] and tsar [[Peter I of Bulgaria|Petar I]], are also considered as having an important role in the formation and strengthening of the Bulgarian state and nationality.
* [[Samuel of Bulgaria|Samuil]] (997–1014) – energetic emperor ([[tsar]]) that restored Bulgarian might in [[Southeast Europe]], and although the Empire was disestablished after his death, he is regarded as a heroic ruler in Bulgaria,<ref>Andreev, J. ''The Bulgarian Khans and Tsars'' (''Balgarskite hanove i tsare'', ''Българските ханове и царе''), Veliko Tarnovo, 1996, p. 127, {{ISBN|954-427-216-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jambol.hit.bg/jambol/samuil.htm |title=Bulgaria after Simeon |access-date=12 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205121624/http://www.jambol.hit.bg/jambol/samuil.htm |archive-date=5 February 2008 }}</ref> as well as in [[North Macedonia]].<ref>There has been no Macedonian state since the days of the Ancient Macedon that was finally abolished in 148 BC and 1945, when Communist Yugoslavia established its constituent republic with such name. It is unlikely that the contemporary Republic of Macedonia founded in 1991, may establish credible historical link to the medieval Samuel's state. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Columbia Encyclopedia, Collier's Encyclopedia, the Great Russian Encyclopedia, Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium and the Cambridge Medieval History, Samuel was Tsar of Bulgaria.</ref>
* [[Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria|Ivan Asen I]], [[Peter IV of Bulgaria|Peter IV]] and [[Kaloyan of Bulgaria|Kaloyan]] are the three brothers tsars that reestablished [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]] after a [[Uprising of Asen and Peter|major uprising (1185–1204)]].
* [[Euthymius of Tarnovo]] – [[Patriarch of Bulgaria]] between 1375 and 1393. Regarded as one of the most important figures of [[medieval]] [[Bulgaria]], Euthymius was the last head of the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]] in the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]]. Arguably the best esteemed of all Bulgarian patriarchs, Euthymius was an authoritative figure in the [[Eastern Orthodox]] world of the time.
====Modern====
* [[Petar Bogdan]] (1601–1674)
* [[Paisius of Hilendar]] (1722–1773)
* [[Petar Beron]] (1799–1871))
* [[Georgi Rakovski]] (1821–1867)
* [[Dragan Tsankov]] (1828–1911)
* [[Lyuben Karavelov]] (1834–1879)
* [[Vasil Levski]] (1837–1873)
* [[Joseph I of Bulgaria|Ekzarh Yosif]] (1840–1915)
* [[Kliment of Tarnovo|Vasil Drumev]] (1841–1901)
* [[Georgi Benkovski]] (1843–1876)
* [[Petko Karavelov]] (1943–1903)
* [[Hristo Botev]] (1848–1876)
* [[Zahari Stoyanov]] (1850–1889)
* [[Ivan Vazov]] (1850–1921)
* [[Stefan Stambolov]] (1851–1895)
===Croatia===
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* [[Višeslav of Croatia|Višeslav]] was one of the first [[Croatian Duchy|dukes of Croatia]], and the early attested by name.
* [[Tomislav of Croatia|Tomislav]] is celebrated as the first king of Croatia and the founder of the [[Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102)|first united Croatian state]].
* [[Ante Starčević]], has been referred to as Father of the Nation due to his campaign for the rights of Croats within Austria-Hungary and his propagation of a Croatian state in a time where many politicians sought unification with other South Slavs.
* [[Franjo Tuđman]], first [[President of Croatia|President of the Republic of Croatia]] 1990–99.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Predrag Matvejević|author2=Vidosav Stevanović|author3=Zlatko Dizdarević|title=Gospodari rata i mira|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lU0MAQAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Feral Tribune|page=64|isbn=9789536359400}}</ref> Sometimes referred to as and self-proclaimed "Father of the Nation".<ref>{{cite book|author=James Minahan|title=One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC&pg=PA198|date=1 January 2000|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-30984-7|page=198|quote=On 15 June 1997 Franjo Tudjman, the self-proclaimed "Father of the Nation," was elected for another five-year term}}</ref>
===Cyprus===
[[Makarios III]] (1913–1977), [[archbishop]] and [[Primate (bishop)|primate]] of the [[autocephalous]] [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] [[Church of Cyprus]] (1950–1977), and first [[president of Cyprus]] (1960–1977), is widely regarded by [[Greek Cypriots]] as the [[Father of the Nation]] or "[[Ethnarch]]".<ref name="Cambridge Scholars Publishing"/>
Conversely, [[Rauf Denktaş]] (1924–2012), under [[Makarios III]] second and [[Vice President of Cyprus|last Vice President of Cyprus]] (1973–1974), and [[President of Northern Cyprus|first President of Northern Cyprus]] (1983–2005), is considered the founding father of [[Northern Cyprus]].<ref name="Anadolu Agency"/>
===Czech Republic===
* [[Lech, Czech, and Rus'|Czech]], one of [[Lech, Czech, and Rus'|three mythical Slavic brothers]] who appear together in the ''[[Wielkopolska Chronicle]]'', is considered the founder of the [[Czechs|Czech nation]].
* [[Bořivoj I, Duke of Bohemia]], one of the first monarchs of the [[Duchy of Bohemia]] and the early attested by name.
* [[Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia]], main patron saint of the country. Anniversary of his murder on 28 September is celebrated as [[Public holidays in the Czech Republic|Statehood Day]].
* [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]], King of Bohemia, who is known under honorific title Father of the Homeland.
* [[František Palacký]], politician and historian, influential in Czech National Revival movement, known by title [[Father of the Nation]].
* [[Tomáš Masaryk]], founder and first [[List of presidents of Czechoslovakia|president of Czechoslovakia]], which independence on 28 October 1918 is today celebrated as factical [[Public holidays in the Czech Republic|Independence Day]].
* [[Václav Havel]], founder of the [[Civic Forum]] party that played a major role in the [[Velvet Revolution]] that in 1989 toppled the Communist system in [[Czechoslovakia]], was the last (and first democratically elected) [[president of Czechoslovakia]] from 1989 until the [[dissolution of Czechoslovakia]] in 1992, and the first [[president of the Czech Republic]] from 1993 to 2003.
===Denmark===
[[File:August Thomsen - Thyra Dannebod meddeler Kong Gorm den Gamle Underretning om hans Søn Knuds Død.png|thumb|[[Gorm the Old]]|245x245px]]
[[File:Niels Ebbesen (Agnes Slott-Møller).jpg|thumb|right|[[Niels Ebbesen]] (1308 – 21 November 1340) |200x200px]]
* [[Dan (king)|Dan]] (or Halfdan) is the name of the legendary earliest king of the [[Danes]] and [[Denmark]], mentioned in medieval Scandinavian texts. He is said to be the progenitor of the nation and the Danish Royal House according to [[Saxo Grammaticus]]'s [[Gesta Danorum]].
* [[Gorm the Old]], the first recorded ruler of Denmark, reigning from c. 936 to his death c. 958. The current King [[Frederik X of Denmark]] can trace his heritage back to Gorm the Old. He is called the founder of the kingdom of Denmark, though at the time he did not control the whole country, only [[Jutland]].
* [[Harald Bluetooth]] was the son of Gorm the old and the first to unite Denmark into a single country by uniting the tribes. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 958 – c. 986. He was baptized and the first Christian king of Denmark and helped Christianize the Danes, which is proclaimed on the [[Jelling stone]].
* [[Niels Ebbesen]] was a Danish squire and national hero who liberated Denmark, which had been patented away to German barons and landlords. He is known for his killing of [[Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg]] in 1340, and in doing so returning control of Jutland and [[Funen]] back to the Danish king.
===Estonia===
[[Edgar Savisaar]] served as first post-Soviet [[Prime Minister of Estonia]] from 1991 to 1992.
===Finland===
[[Pehr Evind Svinhufvud]] served as first [[Prime Minister of Finland]] from 1917 to 1918.
===France===
* [[Vercingetorix]]: he united the [[Gauls]] in a revolt against [[Roman Republic|Roman]] forces during the last phase of [[Julius Caesar]]'s [[Gallic Wars]].
* [[Clovis I]]: King of the [[Salian Franks]] (481–509), [[King of the Franks]] (509–511); united all the Frankish tribes in [[Gaul]] and gave them a common [[Catholic religion]].
* [[Charlemagne]]: [[King of the Franks]] (768–814), [[Holy Roman Emperor]] (800–814), [[King of the Lombards]] (774–814); considered as a major founding figure of [[Europe]].
* [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]]: [[First Consul of France]] (1799–1804), first [[President of Italy|President of the Italian Republic]] (1802–1805), [[Monarchy of Italy|King of Italy]] (1805–1814), [[Emperor of the French]] (1804–1814); founded the [[First French Empire]] and established many modern French institutions.
* Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, later known as Emperor [[Napoleon III]] (1852–1870) was the [[List of presidents of France|first French President]] (1848–1852). He was the last [[List of French monarchs|Monarch of France]].
* [[Charles de Gaulle]] is a hero of the [[French Resistance|French resistance]] to [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] during [[World War II]], and the founder and first president (1959–1969) of the [[French Fifth Republic|Fifth French Republic]].
===Georgia===
* [[Pharnavaz I of Iberia|Pharnavaz I]] (329—237 BC), 1st monarch of the [[Kingdom of Iberia]]
* [[Bagrat III of Georgia|Bagrat III]] (960–1014), 1st monarch of the united [[Kingdom of Georgia]]
* [[Noe Ramishvili]] (1881–1930), 1st [[Prime Minister of Georgia|Prime Minister]] of the [[Democratic Republic of Georgia]]
* [[Zviad Gamsakhurdia]] (1939–1993), 1st [[President of Georgia|President]] of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]
===Germany===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2005-0057, Otto von Bismarck.jpg|thumb|[[Otto von Bismarck]]|208x208px]]
Before the [[Unification of Germany|national unification of Germany in 1871]], [[German nationalism#Revolutions of 1848 to German Unification of 1871|German nationalists]] sought out multiple legendary founders of the German nation, such as [[Arminius]], [[Charlemagne]] and – as championed by [[Friedrich Ludwig Jahn]] and [[Richard Wagner]] – [[Henry the Fowler]]. [[Otto von Bismarck]] (1815–1898), the "Iron Chancellor", engineered the unification of the numerous states of Germany in 1871.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}
[[Frederick Barbarossa]] has, from time to time, been cited as the father and hero of the German people. According to a Germanic medieval legend, Barbarossa was not dead but [[king asleep in mountain|asleep]], and would awaken in the hour of Germany's greatest need and restore the nation to its former glory.<ref>{{cite book | last=Childers | first=Thomas | year=2017 | title=The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany | place=New York | publisher=Simon & Schuster | isbn=978-1-45165-113-3|pages=470–471}}</ref> This idea gained prominence among German Nationalist movements in the 19th and 20th century. During the [[German Empire]], [[Kaiser Wilhelm I]] was declared the reincarnation of Frederick.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jarausch |first=K. H. |author-link=Konrad Jarausch |year=1997 |title=After Unity; Reconfiguring German Identities |publisher=Berghahn Books |___location=New York |isbn=1-57181-041-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/afterunityreconf0000unse |page=35}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Freed |first1=John |title=Frederick Barbarossa: The Prince and the Myth |date=19 June 2016a |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-22116-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uXk8DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA563 |access-date=11 February 2022 |language=en |pages=523–526}}</ref> In 1937, [[Adolf Hitler]] praised Barbarossa as the emperor who first expressed Germanic cultural ideas and carried them to the outside world through his imperial mission; he would later name his invasion of the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mayer |first=Arno J. |title=Der Krieg als Kreuzzug: Das Deutsche Reich, Hitlers Wehrmacht und die Endlösung | ___location=Reinbeck bei Hamburg | publisher=Rowohlt |year=1989 |language=de |isbn=978-3-49804-333-9|page=340}}</ref>
Modern, democratic Germany was decisively shaped by the "Fathers of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|Basic Law]]" in the 1948 Constitutional Convention at [[Herrenchiemsee]], and by the first [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic)|German Chancellor]], [[Konrad Adenauer]]. For reunified Germany, the slogan ''"[[Monday demonstrations in East Germany|Wir sind das Volk!]]"'' (''"We are the people!"'') became symbolic, thus making all [[Germans]] founders of [[Germany|modern Germany]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}
===Greece===
====Ancient====
* [[Hellen]], mythical progenitor of the [[Greeks]], who gives his name to both the people and the country in the [[Greek language]].
* [[Theseus]], semi-legendary founder-hero of [[Athens]]<ref>Carl A.P. Ruck and Danny Staples, ''The World of Classical Myth'' (Carolina Academic Press, 1994), ch. ix "Theseus:Making the New Athens" pp. 203–222</ref>
* [[Solon]] (594 BC) and [[Cleisthenes]] (508/7 BC), inventors of democracy and founders of the [[Athenian democracy|Athenian constitution]].
* [[Lycurgus of Sparta]], founder of the [[Great Rhetra|Spartan constitution]]
* [[Cadmus]], founder and first King of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]].
====Modern====
* [[Adamantios Korais]], [[Theophilos Kairis]] and other figures of the [[Greek Enlightenment]] who contributed to the country's national awakening leading up to its [[Greek Revolution|revolution against the Ottoman Empire]]
* [[Rigas Feraios]], writer and revolutionary who is remembered as a national hero and the first victim of the uprising against the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]].
* [[Theodoros Kolokotronis]], [[Georgios Karaiskakis]], [[Andreas Vokos Miaoulis]], [[Laskarina Bouboulina]], [[Yannis Makriyannis]] and other military leaders of the [[Greek War of Independence]]
* [[Alexandros Mavrokordatos]], President of the [[First National Assembly at Epidaurus]], co-author of the [[s:Greek Declaration of Independence|Greek Declaration of Independence]] and [[Greek Constitution of 1822|first Provisional Constitution]] and first [[head of government]] (President of the Executive) of Modern Greece.<ref>Brewer, David ''The Greek War of Independence'', London: Overlook Duckworth, 2011 p. 130.</ref><!-- Rarely ever mentioned as national founders}}-->
* [[Ioannis Kapodistrias]], first head of state of independent Greece (1827–1831) and founder of the modern Greek state
* [[Eleftherios Venizelos]], eight-time Prime Minister of Greece, has been labelled as "The Maker of Modern Greece"<ref>Duffield, J. W. (30 October 1921). [https://www.nytimes.com/1921/10/30/archives/venizelos-maker-of-modern-greece.html "Venizelos, Maker of Modern Greece"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> and is still widely known as the "[[Ethnarch]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yilmaz |first=Hakan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VGwJ5jTfKPMC&pg=PA82 |title=Perceptions of Islam in Europe: Culture, Identity and the Muslim 'Other' |date=2012-04-24 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-84885-164-1 |pages=82 |language=en}}</ref>
===Hungary===
According to [[Anonymus (notary of Béla III)|Anonymus]] the [[fejedelem]] who made the [[Hungarians]] settle into the [[Carpathian Basin]] in 896 AD was [[Árpád]], who was said to have descended from [[Prince Csaba]], the forefather of the nation. He was elected nagyfejedelem (grand prince), and created a coherent Hungarian state in and around the Pannonian Basin and mingled with the inhabitants. [[Árpáds|His dynasty]] reigned over the [[Hungarian Kingdom]] from the ninth century until 1301. In Hungary [[Stephen I of Hungary]] is commonly regarded as the founder of the nation. He was Hungary's first king and united the Magyar people into the [[Kingdom of Hungary]].[[Coloman, King of Hungary|Coloman the Learned]] first entered into a personal union with [[Croatia]], bringing prosperity to the nations. Post-arpadian king [[Louis I of Hungary|Louis the Great]] established Hungary as a European power, and is remembered as a "[[knightking]]" for his military excellence. Among others, his military achievements include being the first [[Europe]]an monarch to defeat an [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman imperial army]] in battle. The [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] era also gave rise to many great figures, such as [[Lajos Kossuth]] the ''Pater Patriae'' of Hungary. He is known as the leader of the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1848]] against the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], being the creator of the [[April Laws]] (and an unenacted constitution) and helping in the establishment of the [[Hungarian State]] and therefore being founder of modern [[Hungary]]. An equally important figure is [[Ferenc Deák (politician)|Ferenc Deák]], one of the initiators of the [[Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867|Compromise]], whose efforts led to the reunification of the [[Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen|Lands of the Holy Crown]] in 1868. [[Prime Minister of Hungary|Hungarian prime minister]] [[Mihály Károlyi]] would later be the one to officially dissolve the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire]], creating a free [[First Hungarian Republic|Hungarian republic]].
===Iceland===
[[Jón Sigurðsson]] was the leader of the 19th century [[Icelandic nationalism|Icelandic independence movement]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Birgir Hermannsson.|title=Understanding nationalism : studies in Icelandic nationalism, 1800–2000|date=2005|publisher=Stockholm Univ|isbn=91-7155-148-4|pages=174|oclc=238669014}}</ref> He was the first president of the [[Althingi]], restored as a legislative branch in 1875.
===Ireland===
The [[Irish Free State]] was established after the [[Irish War of Independence]] (1919–21), in which [[Éamon de Valera]], [[Cathal Brugha]] and [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]] were key leaders. However, they became antagonists in the [[Irish Civil War]] (1922–23), in which Collins and Brugha were killed and de Valera defeated. For decades, the inheritors of the opposing factions bypassed these sensitivities to honour the earlier leaders of the [[Easter Rising]] of 1916, in particular the seven signatories of the [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic]]: [[Patrick Pearse]], [[James Connolly]], [[Éamonn Ceannt]], [[Tom Clarke (Irish republican)|Tom Clarke]], [[Seán Mac Diarmada]], [[Thomas MacDonagh]], and [[Joseph Plunkett]].
===Italy===
====Ancient====
[[File:Lupa Capitolina, Rome.jpg|thumb|[[Capitoline Wolf|The Capitoline Wolf]], arguably the most famous statue of the [[She-wolf (Roman mythology)|she-wolf]]. In the [[Founding of Rome|Roman foundation myth]], the she-wolf (''{{lang|it|lupa}}'' in Italian) was an [[Italian wolf]] who nursed and sheltered the twins [[Romulus and Remus]]. Romulus would later become the [[foundation of Rome|founder]] and [[King of Rome|first king]] of [[Rome]].]]
[[File:Statua di Costantino ai musei capitolini.jpg|thumb|[[Constantine the Great]] played a [[Constantine the Great and Christianity|pivotal role]] in elevating the status of Christianity in Rome, [[Edict of Milan|decriminalizing Christian practice]] and [[Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire|ceasing Christian persecution]] in a period referred to as the [[Constantinian shift]].]]
* [[Romulus]], was the legendary [[foundation of Rome|founder]] and [[King of Rome|first king]] of [[Rome]], the capital of [[Italy]]. [[Roman mythology|Roman myth]] held that their city was founded by [[Romulus]], son of the [[war god]] [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]] and the [[Vestal virgin]] [[Rhea Silvia]], fallen princess of [[Alba Longa]] and descendant of [[Aeneas|Aeneas of Troy]]. [[infant exposure|Exposed]] on the [[Tiber River|Tiber]] river, Romulus and his twin [[Remus]] were [[Human–animal breastfeeding|suckled]] by a [[she-wolf (Roman mythology)|she-wolf]] at the [[Lupercal]] before being raised by the shepherd [[Faustulus]], taking revenge on their usurping great-uncle [[Amulius]], and restoring Alba Longa to their grandfather [[Numitor]]. The brothers then decided to establish a new town but quarrelled over some details, ending with Remus's murder and the establishment of Rome on the [[Palatine Hill]].
* [[Julius Caesar]] was a [[Roman people|Roman]] general and statesman. A member of the [[First Triumvirate]], Caesar led the Roman armies in the [[Gallic Wars]] before defeating his political rival [[Pompey]] in [[Caesar's Civil War|a civil war]], and subsequently became [[Roman dictator|dictator]] from 49 BC until [[Assassination of Julius Caesar|his assassination]] in 44 BC. He played a critical role in [[Crisis of the Roman Republic|the events that led to the demise of]] the [[Roman Republic]] and the rise of the [[Roman Empire]]. After assuming control of government, Caesar began a program of social and governmental reforms, including the creation of the [[Julian calendar]]. He gave [[Roman citizenship|citizenship]] to many residents of far regions of the Roman Republic. He initiated land reform and support for veterans.
* [[Scipio Africanus]] – he was a Roman general and statesman, most notable as one of the main architects of Rome's victory against [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]] in the [[Second Punic War]]. Often regarded as one of the best military commanders and strategists of all time, his greatest military achievement was the defeat of [[Hannibal]] at the [[Battle of Zama]] in 202 BC. This victory in Africa earned him the epithet ''Africanus'', literally meaning "the African," but meant to be understood as a conqueror of [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]]. Scipio Africanus is mentioned in ''[[Il Canto degli Italiani]]'', the [[national anthem]] of [[Italy]] since 1946.
* [[Augustus]] was the founder of the [[Roman Empire]]. He reigned as the first [[Roman emperor]] from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. The reign of Augustus initiated an [[Roman imperial cult|imperial cult]], as well as an era of [[regional hegemony|imperial peace]] (the {{lang|la|[[Pax Romana]]}} or {{lang|la|[[Ara Pacis|Pax Augusta]]}}) in which the Roman world was largely free of armed conflict. The [[Principate]] system of government was established during his reign and lasted until the [[Crisis of the Third Century]]. Augustus dramatically enlarged the empire, annexing Egypt, [[Dalmatia (Roman province)|Dalmatia]], [[Pannonia]], [[Noricum]], and [[Raetia]], expanding possessions in [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]], and completing the conquest of [[Hispania]], but he suffered [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest|a major setback]] in [[Germania]]. Beyond the frontiers, he secured the empire with a buffer region of [[client state]]s and made peace with the [[Parthian Empire]] through diplomacy. He reformed the Roman system of taxation, developed [[Roman roads|networks of roads]] with an [[cursus publicus|official courier system]], established a [[standing army]], established the [[Praetorian Guard]] as well as official [[cohortes urbanae|police]] and [[vigiles|fire-fighting services]] for Rome, and rebuilt much of the city during his reign.
* [[Constantine the Great]] was a [[Roman emperor]] from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to [[Christianity]]. He played a [[Constantine the Great and Christianity|pivotal role]] in elevating the status of Christianity in Rome, [[Edict of Milan|decriminalizing Christian practice]] and [[Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire|ceasing Christian persecution]] in a period referred to as the [[Constantinian shift]].<ref>Schmidt, S. P. (2020). Church and World: Eusebius's, Augustine's, and Yoder's Interpretations of the Constantinian Shift. Church and World, 1-184.</ref> This initiated the [[Fall of the Western Roman Empire#Rise of Christianity, possible decline of the armed forces|cessation]] of the established [[Religion in ancient Rome|ancient Roman religion]]. Constantine is also the originator of the [[Religion in politics|religiopolitical]] [[ideology]] known as [[Constantinianism]], which epitomizes the unity of church and state, as opposed to [[separation of church and state]].<ref>Charles, J. D. (2014). Purifying Our Political Theology—Second Thoughts on the Received Wisdom Behind "Constantinianism".</ref> He founded the city of [[Constantinople]] and made it the capital of the Empire, which remained so for over a millennium.
====Medieval====
[[File:Cola di Rienzo tribuno di Roma.jpg|thumb|[[Cola di Rienzo]] led a revolt in Rome, became the Tribune and later attempted to unify Italy]]
* [[Alberto da Giussano]] is a [[Character (arts)|legendary character]] of the 12th century who would have participated, as a protagonist, in the [[battle of Legnano]] on 29 May 1176.<ref name=tre>{{Treccani|alberto-da-giussano|Alberto da Giussano}}</ref> In reality, according to historians, the actual military leader of the [[Lombard League]] in the famous military battle with [[Frederick Barbarossa]] was [[Guido da Landriano]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Grillo|first=Paolo|title=Legnano 1176. Una battaglia per la libertà|year=2010 |publisher=Laterza |language=it|isbn=978-88-420-9243-8|pages=157–163}}</ref> Historical analyses made over time have indeed shown that the figure of Alberto da Giussano never existed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Grillo|first=Paolo|title=Legnano 1176. Una battaglia per la libertà|year=2010 |publisher=Laterza |language=it|isbn=978-88-420-9243-8|page=153}}</ref> In the past, historians, attempting to find a real confirmation, hypothesized the identification of his figure with ''Albertus de Carathe'' (Alberto da [[Carate Brianza|Carate]]) and ''Albertus Longus'' (Alberto Longo), both among the Milanese who signed the pact in [[Cremona]] in March 1167 which established the Lombard League, or in an Alberto da Giussano mentioned in an appeal of 1196 presented to [[Pope Celestine III]] on the administration of the [[Basilica of San Simpliciano|church-hospital of San Sempliciano]]. These, however, are all weak identifications, given that they lack clear and convincing historical confirmation.<ref name=tre/><ref name=Dizionario-Biografico>{{Treccani|alberto-da-giussano_(Dizionario-Biografico)|Alberto da Giussano}}</ref> The battle of Legnano ended the fifth and last descent into Italy of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa,<ref name="Ars Bellica">{{cite web|url=http://www.arsbellica.it/pagine/medievale/Legnano/Legnano.html|title=Ars Bellica – Le grandi battaglie della storia – La battaglia di Legnano|access-date=17 July 2015|language=it}}</ref> who after the defeat tried to resolve the Italian question by adopting a diplomatic approach. This resulted a few years later in the [[Peace of Constance]] (25 June 1183), with which the Emperor recognized the Lombard League and made administrative, political, and judicial concessions to the municipalities, officially ending his attempt to dominate northern Italy.<ref name="studiamedievalis">{{cite web|url=https://studiamedievalis.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/federico-i-e-i-comuni/|title=Federico I e i comuni|date=December 30, 2013|access-date=2 October 2014|language=it}}</ref> The battle is alluded to in the ''[[Il Canto degli Italiani|Canto degli Italiani]]'' by [[Goffredo Mameli]] and [[Michele Novaro]], the [[national anthem]] of [[Italy]] since 1946, which reads: «From the [[Alps]] to [[Sicily]], Legnano is everywhere» in memory of the victory of Italian populations over foreign ones.<ref name="quirinale">{{cite web|url=http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/statico/simboli/inno/inno.htm|title=Fratelli d'Italia|access-date=7 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203050621/http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/statico/simboli/inno/inno.htm|archive-date=3 December 2013|language=it}}</ref>
* [[Cola di Rienzo]], led a revolt in Rome, became the Tribune and later attempted to unify Italy.<ref>{{Citation |title=Chisholm, Hugh, (22 Feb. 1866–29 Sept. 1924), Editor of the Encyclopædia Britannica (10th, 11th and 12th editions) |date=2007-12-01 |work=Who Was Who |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u194658 |access-date=2024-10-01 |publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u194658 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In July 1347, in a decree, he proclaimed the sovereignty of the Roman people over the empire. But before this he had set to work on restoring the authority of Rome over the cities and provinces of Italy, of making the city again ''[[caput mundi]]''. He wrote letters to the cities of Italy, asking them to send representatives to an assembly which would meet on 1 August, when the formation of a great federation under the headship of Rome would be considered. On the appointed day, a number of representatives appeared, and Cola issued an edict citing [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor]] and his rival [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]], and also the imperial electors and all others concerned in the dispute, to appear before him in order that he might pronounce judgment.<ref name="EB1911"/> The following day, the festival of the unity of Italy was celebrated, but neither this nor the previous meeting had any practical result. Cola's power, however, was recognized in the [[Kingdom of Naples]], and both [[Joan I of Naples]] and [[Louis I of Hungary]] appealed to him for protection and aid, and on 15 August with great pomp he was crowned Tribune. [[Ferdinand Gregorovius]] says this ceremony "was the fantastic caricature in which ended the [[imperium]] of [[Charlemagne|Charles the Great]]. A world where political action was represented in such guise was ripe for overthrow, or could only be saved by a great mental reformation."<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Rienzi, Cola di|volume=23|page=323|first=Arthur William|last=Holland}}</ref>
====Modern====
{{Multiple image
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| footer = [[Giuseppe Mazzini]] (left), highly influential leader of the Italian revolutionary movement; and [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] (right), celebrated as one of the greatest generals of modern times<ref name="scholar and patriot"/> and as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe,<ref name="Garibaldi on Encyclopædia Britannica">{{Cite web|title=Giuseppe Garibaldi (Italian revolutionary)|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225978/Giuseppe-Garibaldi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226091529/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225978/Giuseppe-Garibaldi|archive-date=26 February 2014|access-date=6 March 2014}}</ref> fought in many military campaigns that led to [[Italian unification]]
}}
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| footer = [[Victor Emmanuel II]] (left) and [[Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour]] (right), leading figures in unification, became respectively the first King and Prime Minister of unified Italy.
}}
[[File:Vittorio Emanuele Orlando.jpeg|thumb|upright=.7|[[Vittorio Emanuele Orlando]], the "Premier of Victory" for defeating the [[Central Powers]] along with the [[Allies of World War I|Entente]] in [[World War I]]]]
[[File:Alcide de Gasperi 2.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|[[Alcide De Gasperi]], [[List of Prime Ministers of Italy|first]] republican [[Prime Minister of Italy]] and one of the [[Founding fathers of the European Union]]]]
* [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] was the first to use the title of ''President of the [[Italian Republic (Napoleonic)|Italian Republic]]''. Born on the island of [[Corsica]] to a family of Italian origin, Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military officer and statesman who rose to prominence during the [[French Revolution]] and led [[Military career of Napoleon Bonaparte|a series of successful campaigns]] across Europe during the [[French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars]] from 1796 to 1815. He was the leader of the [[French First Republic|French Republic]] as [[French Consulate|First Consul]] from 1799 to 1804, then of the [[First French Empire|French Empire]] as [[Emperor of the French]] from 1804 to 1814, and briefly again in 1815. The [[Italian Republic (Napoleonic)|Napoleonic Italian Republic]] was a short-lived (1802–1805) [[republic]] located in [[Northern Italy]]. Its capital was [[Milan]] and it consisted of the same areas that had comprised the Cisalpine Republic, primarily [[Lombardy]] and [[Romagna]]. In 1805, following Bonaparte's assumption of the title of Emperor of the French, the Italian Republic was transformed into the [[Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)|Kingdom of Italy]] (''Regno d'Italia''), with Napoleon as king and his stepson [[Eugène de Beauharnais]] as [[viceroy]]. The modern [[presidential standard of Italy]] standard recalls the colors of the [[flag of Italy]], with particular reference to the standard of the historic [[Italian Republic (Napoleonic)|Napoleonic Italian Republic]].
* King [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]], [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]], Prime Minister [[Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour]], and [[Giuseppe Mazzini]] have been referred to as the "Four Fathers of the Fatherland" for their contribution to [[Italian unification]]. Italy was [[Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy|unified]] in 1861 and Rome [[Capture of Rome|became its capital]] in 1870.<ref>[http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312582/unification.html V. Creation of the Italian Kingdom] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307050237/http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312582/unification.html |date=7 March 2009 }}</ref>
** [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]] was [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|King of Sardinia]] (also known as Piedmont-Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March 1861, when he assumed the title of [[King of Italy]] and became the first king of an independent, [[Italian unification|united Italy]] since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878. Borrowing from the old [[Latin]] title ''[[Pater Patriae]]'' of the [[Roman emperor]]s, the Italians gave him the epithet of ''[[Father of the Fatherland]]'' ({{langx|it|Padre della Patria}}). The Italian national [[Victor Emmanuel II Monument]] in Rome, containing the [[Altare della Patria]], was built in his honour.
** [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] was a general, patriot, [[revolutionary]] and republican. He contributed to [[Italian unification]] (''Risorgimento'') and the [[Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy|creation of the Kingdom of Italy]]. Garibaldi is also known as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.sapere.it/sapere/pillole-di-sapere/italia-150/unita-d-italia-giuseppe-garibaldi-eroe-dei-due-mondi.html|title=Unità d'Italia: Giuseppe Garibaldi, l'eroe dei due mondi|encyclopedia=Enciclopedia De Agostini|date=7 March 2011|access-date=2 September 2020|via=Sapere}}</ref> It is celebrated as one of the greatest generals of modern times<ref name="scholar and patriot">{{Cite web|title=Scholar and Patriot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iWK7AAAAIAAJ&q=Garibaldi%2Bone%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bgreatest%2Bgenerals%2Bof%2Bmodern%2Btime&pg=PAPA133|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328152801/https://books.google.com/books?id=iWK7AAAAIAAJ&pg=PAPA133&q=Garibaldi%2Bone%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bgreatest%2Bgenerals%2Bof%2Bmodern%2Btime#v=onepage&q=Garibaldi%2Bone%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bgreatest%2Bgenerals%2Bof%2Bmodern%2Btime&f=false|archive-date=28 March 2024|access-date=5 April 2020|publisher=Manchester University Press|via=Google Books}}</ref> and fought in many military campaigns that led to Italian unification.
** [[Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour]] was a [[politician]], [[Statesman (politician)|statesman]], [[Businessperson|businessman]], [[economist]], and [[nobility|noble]], and a leading figure in the movement towards [[Italian unification]].<ref>[http://biography.yourdictionary.com/conte-di-cavour Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour (Italian statesman)]. biography.yourdictionary.com</ref> Cavour put forth several economic reforms in his native region of [[Piedmont]], at that time part of the [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Kingdom of Sardinia]], in his earlier years and founded the political newspaper ''[[Il Risorgimento (newspaper)|Il Risorgimento]]''. After being elected to the [[Chamber of Deputies (Kingdom of Sardinia)|Chamber of Deputies]], he quickly rose in rank through the Piedmontese government, coming to dominate the Chamber of Deputies through a union of [[centre-left]] and [[centre-right]] politicians. After a large rail system expansion program, Cavour became prime minister in 1852. As prime minister, Cavour successfully negotiated Piedmont's way through the [[Crimean War]], the [[Second Italian War of Independence]], and Garibaldi's [[Expedition of the Thousand]], managing to manoeuvre Piedmont diplomatically to become a new [[great power]] in Europe, controlling a nearly united Italy that was five times as large as Piedmont had been before he came to power.
** [[Giuseppe Mazzini]] was a politician, journalist, and activist for the [[unification of Italy]] (''Risorgimento'') and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the independent and unified Italy in place of the several separate states, many dominated by foreign powers, that existed until the 19th century.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Prophetic Voices of the Risorgimento and the Anti-Fascist Resistance |date=2023 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/prophetic-times/prophetic-voices-of-the-risorgimento-and-the-antifascist-resistance/B885734BF88B84711B7859DEA11C622D |work=Prophetic Times: Visions of Emancipation in the History of Italy |pages=167–238 |editor-last=Viroli |editor-first=Maurizio |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781009233170.004 |isbn=978-1-009-23321-7|url-access=subscription }}</ref> An [[Italian nationalist]] in the [[historical radical]] tradition and a proponent of a [[republicanism]] of [[social-democratic]] inspiration, Mazzini helped define the modern European movement for [[popular democracy]] in a republican state.<ref>Swinburne, Algernon Charles (2013). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=5WYbAgAAQBAJ&dq=Mazzini+helped+define+the+modern+European+movement+for+popular+democracy+in+a+republican+state&pg=PT387 Delphi Complete Works of Algernon Charles Swinburne]''. Delphi Classics. {{ISBN|978-1909496699}}.</ref> Mazzini's thoughts had a very considerable influence on the Italian and European republican movements, in the [[Constitution of Italy]], about [[Europeanism]] and more nuanced on many politicians of a later period, among them American president [[Woodrow Wilson]], British prime minister [[David Lloyd George]], [[Mahatma Gandhi]], Indian prime minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], Indian independence activist [[Vinayak Damodar Savarkar]], and Israeli prime minister [[Golda Meir]].<ref>King, Bolton (2019). ''[https://www.bookbeat.com/it/libro/the-life-of-mazzini-479253 The Life of Mazzini]''. Good Press.</ref><ref>Kumar, M. (2006). [http://www.jstor.org/stable/27644182 History and Gender in Savarkar's Nationalist Writings. Social Scientist, 34(11/12), pp 33–50.]</ref>
* [[Vittorio Emanuele Orlando]] was an statesman, who served as the [[prime minister of Italy]] from October 1917 to June 1919. Orlando is best known for representing Italy in the 1919 [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] with his foreign minister [[Sidney Sonnino]]. He was also known as "Premier of Victory" for defeating the [[Central Powers]] along with the [[Allies of World War I|Entente]] in [[World War I]].<ref name=parlamento>{{in lang|it}} [http://storia.camera.it/deputato/vittorio-emanuele-orlando-18600519/governi#nav Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Incarichi di governo], Parlamento italiano (Accessed May 8, 2016)</ref> Italy entered into World War I in 1915 with the aim of completing national unity: for this reason, it is also considered the [[Fourth Italian War of Independence]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 March 2015 |title=Il 1861 e le quattro Guerre per l'Indipendenza (1848-1918) |url=http://www.piacenzaprimogenita150.it/index.php?it%2F176%2Fil-1861-e-le-quattro-guerre-per-lindipendenza-1848-1918 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075828/http://www.piacenzaprimogenita150.it/index.php?it%2F176%2Fil-1861-e-le-quattro-guerre-per-lindipendenza-1848-1918 |archive-date=19 March 2022 |access-date=12 March 2021 |language=it}}</ref> in a historiographical perspective that identifies in the latter the conclusion of the [[unification of Italy]], whose military actions began during the [[revolutions of 1848]] with the [[First Italian War of Independence]].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/export/MiBAC/sito-MiBAC/Contenuti/MibacUnif/Eventi/visualizza_asset.html_1239896580.html|title=La Grande Guerra nei manifesti italiani dell'epoca|language=it|access-date=12 March 2021|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923183754/http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/export/MiBAC/sito-MiBAC/Contenuti/MibacUnif/Eventi/visualizza_asset.html_1239896580.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_LntMIUOXngC&q=%22quarta+guerra+d%27indipendenza%22&pg=PA41|title=Il Manuale di Storia in Italia, di Piergiovanni Genovesi|isbn=9788856818680|language=it|access-date=12 March 2021|last1=Genovesi|first1=Piergiovanni|date=11 June 2009|publisher=FrancoAngeli }}</ref> He was also the provisional [[List of presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy)|president of the Chamber of Deputies]] between 1943 and 1945, and a member of the [[Constituent Assembly of Italy|Constituent Assembly]] that changed the Italian form of government into a [[republic]]. Aside from his prominent political role, Orlando was a professor of law and is known for his writings on legal and judicial issues, which number over a hundred works.<ref name=parlamento2>{{in lang|it}} [http://storia.camera.it/deputato/vittorio-emanuele-orlando-18600519/componentiorgani#nav Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Organi parlamentari], Parlamento italiano (Accessed May 8, 2016)</ref>
* The [[anti-fascist]] members of the [[Constituent Assembly of Italy]] are considered the "fathers" of the modern [[Italian Republic]], which replaced the Monarchy after a [[Italian institutional referendum, 1946|referendum in 1946]]. The assembly was formed by the representatives of all the forces that contributed to the defeat of Nazi and Fascist forces during the [[liberation of Italy]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McGaw Smyth |first1=Howard |title=Italy: From Fascism to the Republic (1943-1946) |journal=The Western Political Quarterly |date=September 1948 |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=205–222 |doi=10.2307/442274|jstor=442274 }}</ref> After WWII the Italian society was divided, and the economy all but destroyed—per capita income in 1944 was at its lowest point since 1900.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Liberal and fascist Italy, 1900–1945 |date=2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|editor-last=Lyttelton|editor-first=Adrian|page=13}}</ref> The aftermath left Italy angry with the monarchy for its endorsement of the Fascist regime, contributing to a revival of Italian republicanism.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Italia|encyclopedia=Dizionario enciclopedico italiano|publisher=[[Treccani]]|date=1970|volume=VI|page=456|language=it}}</ref> Prominent members among them included the Christian democratic [[Alcide De Gasperi]] (also counted among the [[founding fathers of the European Union]]), the communist [[Palmiro Togliatti]], the social democratic [[Giuseppe Saragat]], the liberal [[Enrico De Nicola]] (he later became the first [[president of Italy]]), the republican [[Cipriano Facchinetti]] and the liberal [[Vittorio Emanuele Orlando]] (the "premier of victory" in WWI).. De Gasperi was the last prime minister of the [[Kingdom of Italy]], serving under both [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]] and [[Umberto II of Italy|Umberto II]]. He was also the first prime minister of the [[Italian Republic]], and also briefly served as provisional head of state after the Italian people voted to end the monarchy and establish a republic.
===Kosovo===
It is likely that the Kosovo Albanians regard [[Ibrahim Rugova]] as a key figure, since he was the one that brought an independence movement of Kosovo from the fall of [[Yugoslavia]]. Additionally, Rugova ruled Kosovo from the 1992 till 2006 as president of the nation, and ever since has been regarded as the [[National Hero of Kosovo]], and led to further independence in 2008 from [[Serbia]] to which now 97 nations have recognised Kosovo as of September 2021.
===Latvia===
Most Latvians regard [[Kārlis Ulmanis]], a key figure in the [[Latvian war of independence]] and four-times [[Prime Minister of Latvia]], as being the founding father of modern Latvia.
===Liechtenstein===
* [[Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein|Karl I]] became the first [[Prince of Liechtenstein]] in 1608.
* [[Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein|Hans-Adam I]] purchased the ___domain of [[Schellenberg]] and the county of [[Vaduz]] which would eventually form the modern day [[Liechtenstein|Lichtenstein]].
* [[Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein|Johann I]] drafted the first constitution of Lichtenstein, in 1818.
===Lithuania===
The first and the only king (1251–1263) of Lithuania, [[Mindaugas]], is seen as the founder of the Lithuanian state, as is commemorated on [[Statehood Day (Lithuania)|Statehood Day]] on 6 July.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Budrytė |first1=Brigita |title=Karaliaus Mindaugo paslaptys: nuo gimimo ir karūnavimo – iki charakterio ir mirties |url=https://www.lrytas.lt/it/ismanyk/2019/07/06/news/karaliaus-mindaugo-paslaptys-nuo-gimimo-ir-karunavimo-iki-charakterio-ir-mirties-11000025/ |website=[[lrytas.lt]] |access-date=22 December 2019 |language=lt |date=6 July 2019}}</ref>
Dr. [[Jonas Basanavičius]], activist and proponent of the [[Lithuanian National Revival]] in the turn of the 19th century into the 20th, who participated in every major event leading to the independence of Lithuania, member of the [[Council of Lithuania]] which on [[Act of Independence of Lithuania|16 February 1918 declared Lithuania an independent state]], is universally considered the "[[Father of the Nation|Patriarch of the Nation]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Signataras J.Basanavičius – tautos patriarchas, pasilikęs gyventi lenkų užimtame Vilniuje |url=https://www.15min.lt/media-pasakojimai/signatarai-basanavicius-282 |website=[[15min.lt]] |access-date=22 December 2019 |language=lt}}</ref>
===Luxembourg===
[[Sigfried, Count of the Ardennes]]
===Malta===
* [[Dom Mintoff]], often given the epithet of {{Lang|mt|Il-Perit}} (the Architect), prime minister of Malta twice from 1955 to 1958 and 1971 to 1984, leader of the [[Malta Labour Party]] from 1949 to 1984<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malta |first=Times of |date=2012-08-20 |title=Dom Mintoff, Malta's political giant, passes away |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/dom-mintoff-malta-s-most-controversial-political-giant.429112 |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Times of Malta |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Patterson |first=Moira |date=2012-08-21 |title=Dom Mintoff obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/21/dom-mintoff |access-date=2025-03-09 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DOMINIC MINTOFF – Tales of Kottonera |url=https://talesofkottonera.com/people/dominic-mintoff/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Eddie Fenech Adami]], prime minister of Malta twice from 1987 to 1996 and from 1998 to 2004; the "founder of European Malta", as he helped Malta join the European Union<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malta |first=Times of |date=2004-04-04 |title=Founding Father |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/founding-father.126066 |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Times of Malta |language=en-gb}}</ref>
===Moldova===
* [[Bogdan I of Moldavia]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://24pharte.ro/descalecatul-intemeierea-moldovei-bogdan-primul-domn-al-moldovei/ | title=Descălecatul (întemeierea) Moldovei. Bogdan I, primul domn al Moldovei | date=4 December 2017 }}</ref>
* [[Stephen the Great]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.g4media.ro/cand-stefan-cel-mare-face-politica-presedintele-igor-dodon-foloseste-imaginea-domnitorului-pentru-a-promova-ideologia-moldovenismului.html|title=Când Ștefan cel Mare face politică. Președintele Igor Dodon folosește imaginea domnitorului pentru a promova ideologia moldovenismului|date=10 September 2018|website=G4Media.ro}}</ref>
* [[Alexandru Lăpușneanu]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://agora.md/stiri/77451/Tepes-Stefan-cel-mare-sau-lapusneanu-moldoveni-despre-personalitati-pe-care-si-lear-dori-presedinte|title=Țepeș, Ștefan cel Mare sau Lăpușneanu. Moldoveni, despre personalități pe care și le-ar dori președinte|website=AGORA|date=24 September 2020 }}</ref>
===Monaco===
* [[François Grimaldi]] became the first [[List of rulers of Monaco|Lord of Monaco]] when he captured the [[Rock of Monaco]] in 1297.
* [[Honoré II, Prince of Monaco]] secured recognition of independent [[sovereignty]] from [[Spain]] in 1633, and then from [[France]] by signing the [[Treaty of Péronne (1641)|Treaty of Péronne]] in 1641.
===Montenegro===
<!-- Otac nacije -->[[Petar I Petrović-Njegoš]] (1747–1830) acquired de facto independence for Montenegro from the [[Ottoman Empire]] and created the first Montenegrin law in the [[modern era]].
===Netherlands===
Prince [[William the Silent|William I of Orange]] (1533–1584) or ''William the Silent'', is known as the father of the Netherlands. He led the Dutch in their [[Dutch Revolt|Revolt]] against Spain for their independence. Today he is often called ''Vader des Vaderlands'' ("Father of the Fatherland").<ref>[http://www.astronomie.nl/index.php?comp=890 Small Planet Named After Willem the Silent, Astronomie.nl] (in Dutch)</ref>
===North Macedonia===
[[Kiro Gligorov]] (first [[President of North Macedonia|president of independent Macedonia]]).<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bNvbHCUs3tUC |title = Politics, Power and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe|isbn = 9780521597333|last1 = Dawisha|first1 = Karen|last2 = Parrott|first2 = Bruce|date = 1997| publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref>
===Norway===
* [[Harald Fairhair|King Harald Fairhair]], who unified [[Norway]] and ruled c. 872–930, is often considered the founder of the nation.
* Usually the [[Norwegian Constituent Assembly]] at [[Eidsvoll]] in 1814, consisting of [[List of members of the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly|112 men]] from most of the country, in Norway often referred to as ''Eidsvoll Men'' or ''the Fathers of the Constitution''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogit.helsinki.fi/reuna/Holmoyvik-paper-Tartu.doc|title=Why did the Norwegian constitution of 1814 become a part of positive law in the nineteenth century?|website=Blogit.helsinki.fi|access-date=10 August 2017}}</ref>
===Poland===
[[File:MieszkoDagome.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Mieszko I of Poland]]]]{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2020}}
Legendary:
* [[Lech, Czech, and Rus|Lech]], legendary first leader of [[Polans (western)|Polans tribe]].
[[Kingdom of Poland]] and [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów]]:
* [[Mieszko I of Poland|Mieszko I]] (c. 920/45–992), the first historical ruler of Poland, Mieszko I is considered the de facto creator of the Polish state. He was a Duke of the [[Polans (western)|Polans]] from about 960 until his death. Mieszko I's marriage in 965 to the [[Přemyslid]] princess [[Dobrawa of Bohemia|Dobrawa]] and his [[Baptism of Poland|baptism]] in 966 put him and his country in the cultural sphere of Western Christianity. According to existing sources, Mieszko I was a wise politician, a talented military leader and charismatic ruler. He successfully used diplomacy, concluding an alliance with Bohemia first, and then with Sweden and the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In foreign policy, he placed the interests of his country foremost, even entering into agreements with former enemies. On his death, he left to his sons a country of greatly expanded territory, with a well-established position in Europe. Mieszko I also appeared as "Dagome" in a papal document from about 1085, called "''[[Dagome iudex]]''", which mentions a gift or dedication of Mieszko's land to the [[Pope]] (the act took place almost a hundred years earlier).
* [[Bolesław I the Brave|Bolesław I Chrobry]] (967–1025), was [[Duke of Poland]] from 992 to 1025, and the first [[King of Poland]] in 1025. He was the son of [[Mieszko I of Poland]] by his wife, [[Dobrawa of Bohemia]]. He supported the missionary views of [[Adalbert of Prague|Adalbert]], Bishop of Prague, and [[Bruno of Querfurt]]. The martyrdom of Adalbert in 997 and his imminent canonization were used to consolidate Poland's autonomy from the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. This perhaps happened most clearly during the [[Congress of Gniezno]] (11 March 1000), which resulted in the establishment of a Polish church structure with a [[Metropolitan See]] at [[Gniezno]]. This See was independent of the [[Germans|German]] [[Archbishopric of Magdeburg]], which had tried to claim jurisdiction over the Polish church. Following the [[Congress of Gniezno]], [[bishoprics]] were also established in [[Kraków]], [[Wrocław]] and [[Kołobrzeg]], and Bolesław formally repudiated paying tribute to the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In the summer of 1018, in one of his expeditions, Bolesław I captured [[Kiev]], where he installed his son-in-law [[Sviatopolk I of Kiev|Sviatopolk I]] as ruler. According to legend, Bolesław chipped his sword when striking Kiev's [[Golden Gate (Kiev)|Golden Gate]]. Later, in honor of this legend, a sword called ''[[Szczerbiec]]'' ("Jagged Sword") would become the [[coronation]] sword of Poland's kings. Bolesław I was a remarkable politician, [[strategist]], and statesman. He not only turned Poland into a country comparable to older western monarchies, but he raised it to the front rank of European states. Bolesław conducted successful military campaigns in the west, south and east. He consolidated Polish lands and conquered territories outside the borders of modern-day Poland, including [[Slovakia]], [[Moravia]], [[Red Ruthenia]], [[Meissen]], [[Lusatia]], and [[Bohemia]]. He was a powerful mediator in [[Central Europe]]an affairs. Finally, as the culmination of his reign, in 1025 he had himself crowned [[Monarchs of Poland|King of Poland]]. He was the first Polish ruler to receive the title of ''rex'' (Latin: "king").
[[File:Polska 1386 - 1434.png|thumb|[[Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)|Kingdom of Poland]] and [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] under [[Władysław II Jagiełło]] rule.]]
* [[Władysław II Jagiełło]] (c. 1352/1362 – 1434) was the [[List of rulers of Lithuania|Grand Duke of Lithuania]] (1377–1434) and then the [[King of Poland]] (1386–1434), first alongside his wife [[Jadwiga of Poland|Jadwiga]] until 1399, and then sole King of Poland. He ruled in Lithuania from 1377. Born a [[pagan]], in 1386 he converted to Catholicism and was baptized as Władysław in [[Kraków]], married the young Queen Jadwiga, and was crowned King of Poland as Władysław II Jagiełło. In 1387 he [[Christianization of Lithuania|converted Lithuania]] to Christianity. His own reign in Poland started in 1399, upon the death of Queen Jadwiga, and lasted a further thirty-five years and laid the foundation for the centuries-long [[Polish–Lithuanian union]]. The dynasty ruled both states until 1572, and became one of the most influential dynasties in late [[medieval]] and [[early modern]] Central and Eastern Europe. During his reign, the Polish-Lithuanian state was the largest state in the [[Christian world]]. The reign of Władysław II Jagiełło extended Polish frontiers and is often considered the beginning of Poland's [[Polish Golden Age|Golden Age]].
* [[Sigismund II Augustus|Zygmunt II August]] (1520–1572), was the [[King of Poland]] and [[Grand Duke of Lithuania]], the only son of [[Sigismund I the Old]], whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. In 1569 he oversaw the signing of the [[Union of Lublin]] between Poland and the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], which formed the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] and introduced an elective monarchy.
* [[Tadeusz Kościuszko]] (1746–1817) was a Polish-Lithuanian [[military engineer]], statesman, and military leader who became a national hero in [[Poland]], [[Lithuania]], [[Belarus]], and the [[United States]]. He fought in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]'s struggles against [[Russian Empire|Russia]] and [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], and on the U.S. side in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. As Supreme Commander of the Polish National Armed Forces, he led the 1794 [[Kościuszko Uprising]].
[[File:Pilsudski and Paderewski.jpg|thumb|Gen. [[Józef Piłsudski]] (first on the left) [[Ignacy Jan Paderewski]] (next to Piłsudski in the a civil coat) and [[Stanisław Wojciechowski]] (behind Paderewski), future second President of [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]], during the opening ceremony of the [[Legislative Sejm (Second Polish Republic)|Legislative Sejm]], 9 February 1919.]]
Fathers of [[National Independence Day (Poland)|Polish Independence]]:
* [[Józef Piłsudski]] (1867–1935), was a Polish [[Politician|statesman]] who served as the [[Naczelnik państwa|Chief of State]] (1918–22) and [[Marshal of Poland|First Marshal]] of [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]] (from 1920). From World War I he had great power in [[Politics of Poland|Polish politics]] and was a distinguished figure on the international scene. He is viewed as a father of the [[Second Polish Republic|Druga Rzeczpospolita Polska]] re-established in 1918, 123 years after the 1795 [[Partitions of Poland]] by [[Austria-Hungary|Austria]], [[Prussia]] and [[Russian Empire|Russia]].
* [[Roman Dmowski]] (1864–1939), was a [[Polish people|Polish]] [[politician]], statesman, [[Multilingualism|polyglot]], and the leader of [[National Democracy (Poland)|National Democracy]] movement. He was represented Poland at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference in 1919]].
* [[Ignacy Jan Paderewski]] (1860–1941), was a Polish [[pianist]] and [[composer]], [[freemason]], [[politician]], [[Diplomat|statesman]] and spokesman for Polish independence. He was a favorite of concert audiences around the world. His musical fame opened access to diplomacy and the media. Paderewski played an important role in meeting with [[President Woodrow Wilson]] and obtaining the explicit inclusion of independent Poland as point 13 in Wilson's peace terms in 1918, called the [[Fourteen Points]]. He was the [[List of Prime Ministers of Poland|Prime Minister of Poland]] and also Poland's foreign minister in 1919, and represented Poland at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference in 1919]].
* [[Wojciech Korfanty]] (1873–1939), was a Polish [[Activism|activist]], [[journalist]] and [[politician]], who served as a member of the [[German Empire|German]] parliaments, the [[Reichstag (German Empire)|Reichstag]] and the [[Prussian Landtag]], and later, in the [[Second Polish Republic|Polish]] ''[[Sejm]]''. Briefly, he also was a [[paramilitary]] leader, known for organizing the Polish [[Silesian Uprisings]] in [[Province of Upper Silesia|Upper Silesia]], which after [[World War I]] was contested by Germany and Poland. Korfanty fought to protect [[Polish people|Poles]] from [[discrimination]] and the policies of [[Germanisation]] in Upper Silesia before the war and sought to join Silesia to Poland after [[Second Polish Republic|Poland regained its independence]].
* [[Wincenty Witos]] (1874–1945), was a [[Polish people|Polish]] politic and the leader of the [[Polish People's Party "Piast" (1913–31)|Polish Peasants' Movement]]. Witos was also a leader of [[Polish Liquidation Committee]], formed in [[Kraków]] in 1918.
* [[Ignacy Daszyński]] (1866–1936), was a Polish [[Socialism|socialist]] politician, journalist, and Prime Minister of the [[Provisional People's Government of the Republic of Poland]], formed in [[Lublin]] in 1918.
* [[Józef Haller|Józef Haller von Hallenburg]] (1873–1960) was a [[lieutenant general]] of the [[Polish Army]], a legionary in the [[Polish Legions in World War I|Polish Legions]], [[harcmistrz]] (the highest [[Scouting]] instructor rank in [[Poland]]), the president of [[the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association]] (ZHP), and a political and social activist. After the [[Peace of Brest-Litovsk]] he arrived in France in July 1918, where on behalf of the [[Polish National Committee (1917–19)|Polish National Committee]] he created what was known as the [[Blue Army (Poland)|Blue Army]] (from the color of its French uniforms, also known as ''Haller's Army''). For the next few months his army, allied to the [[Allies of World War I|Entente]], would fight against Germany.
===Portugal===
* [[Viriathus]] was the most important leader of the [[Lusitanians|Lusitanian people]] that resisted [[Roman Republic|Roman]] expansion into western [[Hispania]] or [[Iberia]] (as the Greeks called it). Today Viriathus is regarded as a national hero and an enduring symbol of Portuguese nationality and independence, portrayed by artists and celebrated by its people throughout the centuries.
* [[Henry, Count of Portugal|Henry of Burgundy]] (1066–1112), was appointed [[Second County of Portugal|Count]] of Portugal as a reward for military services to [[Kingdom of León]], and with the purpose of expanding the territory southwards. And, more importantly, his son, Count [[Afonso I of Portugal]] (1109–1185), a ''Templar Brother'' who took control of the county after Henry died and was recognized by the [[Holy See]], in 1179, as the first [[King of Portugal]], through the [[Manifestis Probatum]] bull.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}
===Romania===
* [[Burebista]] is considered the great king who unified all the Dacian tribes. He is also known for creating a powerful empire that stretched from west to the [[Adriatic Sea]] and [[Southern Germany]], from east to the [[Black Sea]], from north to Southern [[Poland]] and from south to [[Macedonia (Greece)|Greek Macedonia]] and [[Eastern Thrace]]. He is considered by many Romanians as a national hero. The Dacian Kingdom under Burebista was the greatest territorial extent in Romania's history.
* [[Decebalus]] and [[Trajan]] are considered to be the fathers of the Romanian people, as Roman veterans were settled on the present-day territory of Romania following [[Trajan's Dacian Wars]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
* [[Basarab I of Wallachia|Basarab I the Founder]] (c. 1270-1351/1352) was the [[Voivode|great voivode]] of Wallachia. Basarab either came into power between 1304 and 1324 by dethroning or peacefully succeeding the legendary founder of Wallachia, Radu Negru, or in 1310 by succeeding his father, Thocomerius. In 1330 he defeated [[Charles I of Hungary]] at the [[battle of Posada]], and the first independent Romanian state was consequently founded. He founded the [[Basarab dynasty]] and his descendants ruled Wallachia for more than three centuries. From the middle of the 14th century, some foreign chronicles used derivations of his name: "Basarab", when referring to Wallachia.
* [[Michael the Brave]] (1558–1601) was the Prince of [[Wallachia]] (1593–1601), Prince of [[Moldavia]] (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of [[Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711)|Transylvania]] (1599–1600). He is considered one of Romania's greatest national heroes. Since the 19th century, Michael the Brave has been regarded as a symbol of the unity of all Romanians, as his reign marked the first time all states mainly inhabited by Romanians were under the same ruler.
* [[Alexandru Ioan Cuza]] was elected as the first leader of the modern Romanian state. He presided over Wallachia and Moldavia in a personal union, which later became permanent even though he was forced to abdicate.
* [[Carol I]] was the first [[King of Romania]] that obtained the independence of the country.
* [[Ion C. Brătianu]] established the foundation of the modern Romanian State.
* [[Mihail Kogălniceanu]] established the foundation of the modern Romanian State.
* [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand I]] was King of Romania when the country gained Transylvania and Bessarabia.
===Russia===
* [[Rurik]], a [[Varangian]] prince considered to be the traditional founder of Russia, reigned in [[Novgorod the Great]] in 862; his dynasty would rule until 1598.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Middleton |first1=John |title=World Monarchies and Dynasties |date=1 June 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-45158-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R63ACQAAQBAJ |language=en |quote=One of the Rus princes—Rurik (r. ca. 862–879)—became ruler of Novgorod (r. ca. 862–879) and is considered the traditional founder of Russia. Rurik was the ancestor of the many family branches of the Riurikid dynasty, which ruled until 1598. |page=805}}</ref>
* [[Ivan IV]], known as Ivan the Terrible, [[Grand Prince of Moscow]] from the [[Rurikid dynasty]], was proclaimed the first [[Tsar of Russia]] in 1547, thereby formally establishing the [[Tsardom of Russia]].
* [[Mikhail I of Russia]] was the first [[Tsar of Russia]] from the [[House of Romanov]], elected to the [[throne]] by the [[Zemsky Sobor]] in 1613. His elevation marked the end of the period of political and civil strife known as the [[Time of Troubles]].
* [[Peter the Great]], Tsar and then Emperor of Russia from the [[House of Romanov]], founded [[Saint Petersburg]] in 1703 and established the [[Russian Empire]] in 1721, inaugurating the imperial period of [[Russian history]] that lasted until the [[February Revolution]] of 1917.
* [[Vladimir Lenin]] was the founder of [[Soviet Russia]] and later, the [[Soviet Union]]
* [[Boris Yeltsin]] was the first president of the [[Russian Federation]] as an independent state. He was first elected to the presidency in June 1991, while the [[Russian SFSR]] was still a part of the Soviet Union, and re-elected in 1996.
===San Marino===
[[Saint Marinus]] was the founder of the world's oldest surviving republic, [[San Marino]], in 301. Tradition holds that he was a stonemason by trade who came from the [[island of Rab]] on the other side of the [[Adriatic Sea]] (modern Croatia), fleeing persecution for his Christian beliefs in the [[Diocletianic Persecution]].
===Serbia===
<!-- Otac nacije (Father of the Nation) -->
* [[Stefan Nemanja]], grand prince of the medieval [[Grand Principality of Serbia|Serbian Grand Principality]] that would eventually evolve into the [[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|Serbian Kingdom]] and [[Serbian Empire]]. He is the founder of the [[Nemanjić dynasty]].
* [[Karađorđe]], revolutionary who led the struggle for Serbia's liberation and independence from the [[Ottoman Empire]] during the [[First Serbian Uprising]]. He is the founder of the [[Karađorđević dynasty]] and bears the honorific title Father of the Nation.<ref>{{cite book|author=Durde Jelenić|title=Nova Srbija i Jugoslavija, 1788–1921|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=77QMAAAAIAAJ|year=1923|page=56|quote=ОТАЦ ОТАЏБИНЕ – КАРАЂОРЂЕ ПЕТРОВИЋ}}</ref>
* [[Miloš Obrenović I of Serbia|Miloš Obrenović]], a revolutionary who led the struggle for Serbia's liberation and independence from the Ottoman Empire during the [[Second Serbian Uprising]]. He is the founder of the [[Obrenović dynasty]] and bears the honorific title Father of the Nation.<ref>{{cite book|author=Milivoj J. Malenić|title=Posle četrdeset godina: u spomen proslave četrdesetogodišnjice Sv. Andrejske velike narodne skupštine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-IwAQAAMAAJ|year=1901|publisher=U Drž. štamp. Kralj. Srbije|quote=да се на престо српски поврати њен ослободилац и оснивалац: Отац Отаџбине, Милош Обреновић Велики,}}</ref>
===Slovakia===
Many Slovaks see [[Great Moravia]] as their ancestors, which would make [[Mojmír I]] a founder.
===Slovenia===
[[France Bučar]] is a Slovenian politician, legal expert and author. Between 1990 and 1992, he served as the first chairman of the freely elected [[Slovenian Parliament]]. He was the one to formally declare the independence of Slovenia on 25 June 1991. He is considered one of the founders of Slovenian democracy and independence. He is also considered, together with [[Peter Jambrek]], as the main author of the current Slovenian constitution. [[Jože Pučnik]] was president of [[Democratic Opposition of Slovenia|DEMOS]] and one of the main persons in the Slovenian fight for independence. The largest Slovenian airport is named [[Letališče Jožeta Pučnika]] (Jože Pučnik airport). [[Lojze Peterle]] was first [[prime minister of Slovenia]] and [[Milan Kučan]] was the first president. [[Janez Janša]] was the first minister of defense, and played a big role in the development of [[Slovenian Territorial Defence]], together with Janez Slapar who was the first chief of staff. The first [[Minister of Interior]] was [[Igor Bavčar]], who helped the [[Slovenian Territorial Defense]] defeat the [[Yugoslav People's Army|Yugoslav Army]] with the police.
===Spain===
[[File:Losreyescatolicos.jpg|thumb|right|220px|The Catholic Monarchs of Spain]]
The [[Catholic Monarchs]], [[Isabella of Castile]] and [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]], unified Spain in the 15th century. Both came from the noble [[House of Trastámara]]. [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor]] was the first to inherit the dynastic union and the first Habsburg monarch. His successor, [[Philip II of Spain]], established a capital in [[Madrid]]. The first Bourbon King of Spain was [[Philip V of Spain]], who is also responsible for the ''de jure'' unification of the country.
===Sweden===
While [[Sweden]] had existed as a monarchy of sorts long before his time, [[Birger Jarl]], father of and regent for [[Valdemar, King of Sweden]], can be said to have established Sweden as a nation. Birger was Jarl in the years 1248–66.
[[Gustav I of Sweden]], who secured Sweden's independence from [[Denmark]] in 1523, is often considered a father of the nation.
===Switzerland===
Both the anonymous ''[[Eidgenossen]]'' who drew up the [[Federal Charter of 1291]], or the liberal statesmen who helped found the modern Swiss Confederation in 1848 can be considered the founders of Switzerland. Among the latter, those who became the first members of the [[Swiss Federal Council]] were perhaps the most notable: [[Ulrich Ochsenbein]], [[Jakob Stämpfli]], [[Jonas Furrer]], [[Josef Munzinger]], [[Henri Druey]], [[Friedrich Frey-Herosé]], [[Wilhelm Matthias Naeff]] and [[Stefano Franscini]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}
===Ukraine===
In 1648, [[Bohdan Khmelnytsky]] and [[Petro Doroshenko]] led the largest of the [[Cossack uprisings]] against the Commonwealth and the Polish king.
[[Mykhailo Hrushevsky]] was the President the [[Central Council of Ukraine|Central Council]] of [[Ukraine People's Republic]].
[[Leonid Kravchuk]] is the First President of Ukraine elected in 1991.
===United Kingdom===
[[File:Robert-Walpole-1st-Earl-of-Orford.jpg|thumb|175x175px|[[Robert Walpole]]]]
[[Alfred the Great]] is generally considered the first King of England, while the modern English polity is often considered founded by [[William the Conqueror]], William I of England following the Norman Conquest, and from which the present [[British royal family|Royal Family]] continue to assert descent. The first Monarch to unite all of Scotland was [[Kenneth MacAlpin]] in 843. [[Ireland]] was brought under Norman English dominion in 1189 under [[Henry II of England]], [[Wales]] was subdued between 1093 and 1293; before this [[Brian Boru]] in Ireland and [[Owain the Great]] in Wales had been figures of national importance in the context of fragmented polities. Scotland and England had a centuries long history of invasion and counter invasion, and the Scottish national heroes [[William Wallace]] and [[Robert the Bruce]], as well as the [[Declaration of Arbroath]], asserting Scottish nationhood and sovereignty, date from that period.
Scotland and England were finally united dynastically rather than militarily, and [[James VI and I]] was regarded by some as the first king of [[Great Britain]] (both England and Scotland). The sovereign United Kingdom of Great Britain, however, dates from the [[Acts of Union 1707]], under [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]], while the [[United Kingdom]] of Great Britain and Ireland, later Northern Ireland, was created in 1801 by a further [[Acts of Union 1800|Act of Union]] - up to that point Great Britain and Ireland were ''de jure'' two separate kingdoms in personal Union. [[Robert Walpole]] is generally considered the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Following Irish independence, the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland Parliament]] operated largely autonomously from London, with the leaders [[Edward Carson]] and [[Sir James Craig]], Lord Craigavon, considered by unionists to be its founding fathers. The reinstallment of the [[Scottish Parliament]] as a devolved institution in 1999 under the influence of [[Donald Dewar]] led to his recognition as the "Father of Scottish devolution" and "Father of the Nation".
===Vatican City===
[[Saint Peter|Peter the Apostle]] is seen as the first pope.
Vatican City took on its modern form under the [[Lateran Treaty]] signed by [[Pope Pius XI]].
==Oceania==
===Australia===
==== Early colonial era ====
* Captain [[Arthur Phillip]] was the first Governor of [[New South Wales]] and founder of the first British colony in Australia.<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 June 2015|title=Governor, soldier, spy: Uncovering the history of Arthur Phillip|language=en-AU|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-30/arthur-phillip-uncovering-life-man-built-modern-australia/6581794|access-date=2 February 2022}}</ref>
* Governor [[Lachlan Macquarie]] is considered by historians to have had a crucial influence on the transition of New South Wales from a [[penal colony]] to a free settlement and therefore to have played a major role in the shaping of [[Australia]]n society in the early nineteenth century.
* [[William Wentworth]] advocated for the rights of [[emancipist]]s and for representative self-government; he led the drafting of New South Wales' first self-governing constitution establishing the [[Parliament of New South Wales]], Australia's first parliament. He was among the first colonists to promote a nascent form of [[Australian nationalism]].
==== Late colonial and federation era ====
[[File:Henryparkes.jpg|thumb|197x197px|Sir [[Henry Parkes]], colonial Australian politician, premier of New South Wales and "Father of Federation"]]
* Sir [[Henry Parkes]] is often regarded as the "Father of Federation" in Australia. During the late 19th century, he was the strongest proponent for a [[federation of Australia]]n territories. However, he died before Australia federated, and was never able to see his plan come to fruition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rba.gov.au/CurrencyNotes/NotesInCirculation/bio_sir_henry_parkes.html |title=RBA: Sir Henry Parkes Biographical Summary |access-date=9 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614085121/http://www.rba.gov.au/CurrencyNotes/NotesInCirculation/bio_sir_henry_parkes.html |archive-date=14 June 2007 }}</ref>
* [[Andrew Inglis Clark]] is another founding father of Australia. He largely wrote the Australian Constitution in addition to developing the [[Hare-Clark]] system of voting and pushing for universal adult suffrage and other progressive ideals that would become law early in Australia's history.
* [[Alfred Deakin]] also stands out as a significant founding father as he attended all the Federation Conferences, he gave up 10 years of senior political appointments to travel the country promoting federation and was Australia's first Attorney General. He was instrumental in securing Edmond Barton as the first Prime Minister while Deakin went on to be Australia's 2nd, 5th and 7th Prime Minister. Deakin was responsible for establishing the High Court, Australian Navy, and many other important acts of parliament. Sir Robert Menzies is on record for saying he was Australia's greatest Prime Ministers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alfreddeakin.com/|title=Home|website=alfreddeakin}}</ref>
* [[John Dunmore Lang]]. Although passing away over two decades before [[Federation of Australia|federation]], John Dunmore Lang was a strong advocate of a federation of the Australian colonies as a democratic republic, independent from the [[British Empire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dunmorelangcollege.nsw.edu.au/who-was-john-dunmore-lang |title=Who Was John Dunmore Lang? |last= |first= |date= 13 June 2019|website=dunmorelangcollege.nsw.edu.au |publisher=[[Dunmore Lang College]], [[Macquarie University|Macquarie]] |access-date=26 August 2021 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://explore.moadoph.gov.au/people/john-dunmore-lang |title=John Dunmore Lang |last= |first= |date= |website=explore.moadoph.gov.au |publisher=Museum of Australian Democracy |access-date=26 August 2021 |quote=}}</ref>
===Federated States of Micronesia===
[[Chief Justice]] [[Andon Amaraich]] is regarded as "one of the founding fathers of the [[Federated States of Micronesia]]".<ref>[http://www.fsmgov.org/press/pr012810.htm "The Federated States of Micronesia Mourns the loss of one of its Founding Fathers: Chief Justice Andon Amaraich"], Government of the F.S. Micronesia, 28 January 2010</ref><ref name="RNZI_51632">{{cite news |url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=51632 |title=FSM chief justice dies in Hawaii |date=28 January 2010 |work=[[Radio New Zealand International]] |access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref>
===Fiji===
[[Ratu]] Sir [[Kamisese Mara]] is widely viewed as the "Founding Father" of an independent [[Fiji]].<ref>[http://www.fijidailypost.com/news.php?section=1&fijidailynews=25078 "Biography on Fiji's founding father released"], ''Fiji Daily Post'', 14 October 2009</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?id=9731&op=read |title=Fiji's founding father, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, to be buried on home island today |date=2 May 2004 |work=[[Radio New Zealand International]] |access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363718/Ratu-Sir-Kamisese-Mara|title=Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara – prime minister of Fiji|website=Britannica.com|access-date=10 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14919688|title=Fiji profile – timeline|work=BBC News|date=4 January 2018}}</ref><ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2004/s1090520.htm "Fiji founding father, Ratu Mara, dies"], [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]], 19 April 2004</ref>
===Nauru===
[[Hammer DeRoburt]] dominated the political scene for the first two decades of the republic; he served as [[President of Nauru|president]] for most of the post-independence period until being voted out of office in 1989. Thereafter, national politics was marked by a series of weak, short-lived governments; the presidency tended to be traded among a small number of politicians.
===New Zealand===
By tradition, the first [[Polynesians|Polynesian]] migration to New Zealand left from [[Hawaiki]] in the 10th century in a [[Great Fleet]] of [[Waka (canoe)|ocean going canoes]], led by [[Kupe]] who is considered by many to be the founding figure of New Zealand. The 1840 [[Treaty of Waitangi]] between [[Māori people|Maori]] people and the British Crown is considered by many to be the [[founding document]] of [[New Zealand]], despite its not having any legal status.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Declaration of Independence {{!}} NZ History |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/declaration-of-independence-taming-the-frontier |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz}}</ref>
===Papua New Guinea===
[[Order of Logohu|Grand Chief]] Sir [[Michael Somare]] is viewed as the "Founding Father" of Papua New Guinea.<ref>[http://rtvm.gov.ph/attachments/1022_OFFICIAL%20BANQUET%20.pdf Speech in honour of Sir Michael Somare] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409191147/http://rtvm.gov.ph/attachments/1022_OFFICIAL%20BANQUET%20.pdf |date=9 April 2010 }} by President [[Gloria Arroyo]] of the Philippines</ref><ref name="RNZI_1429">{{cite news |url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=1429 |title=Somare returns as PNG leader |date=6 August 2002 |work=[[Radio New Zealand International]] |access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.dwu.ac.pg/news/2009/Prime%2520Minister%2520opens%2520student%2520admin%2520building%2520named%2520after%2520him.html Article Title]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}"Prime Minister opens student admin building named after him", Divine Word University</ref><ref>[https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache%3Ah1yOZ_4Y6K8J%3Awww.postcourier.com.pg%2Fpdfsfront%2F140907-PC-frontpage.pdf+Michael+Somare+founding+father&hl=en&gl=fr&sig=AHIEtbSbbPKsNat0a8u_d0vGrn6aZ5DteQ&pli=1 "Step aside Chief!"], ''[[Papua New Guinea Post-Courier]]'', 14 September 2007</ref> The leading figure during the country's transition to independence from Australia, he was Papua New Guinea's first [[Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea|Prime Minister]].
=== Samoa ===
Pro-independence paramount chief [[Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III]] and long-serving head of state [[Malietoa Tanumafili II]] are often considered as "founding fathers" of modern Samoa.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-05-12 |title=Samoa mourns King's death |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-05-13/samoa-mourns-kings-death/2546842 |access-date=2024-07-31 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-06 |title=Is Samoa a Christian Nation? |url=https://talamua.com/2024/06/06/is-samoa-a-christian-nation/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Talamua Online |language=en-NZ}}</ref>
===Tonga===
[[File:George Tupou I, engraving by John Cochran (1904).jpg|150px|thumb|[[George Tupou I]] founded the modern Kingdom of [[Tonga]]]]
[[King of Tonga|King]] [[George Tupou I]], who united his country and established the contemporary Kingdom of Tonga, has been described as Tonga's "founding father".<ref>[http://epress.anu.edu.au/oceanic_encounters/mobile_devices/ch05s06.html "Uncertain Times: Sailors, Beachcombers and Castaways as "Missionaries" and Cultural Mediators in Tonga (Polynesia)"], Françoise Douaire-Marsaudon, ''in'' Margaret Jolly, Serge Tcherkézoff & [[Darrell Tryon]] (eds.) ''Oceanic Encounters: Exchange, Desire, Violence'', July 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-921536-28-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Tonga: Two contemporary tendencies|author= Peter Lyon|journal=The Pacific Review |volume=4 |issue=3|date= 1991}}</ref>
==Former states and other territories==
===First Islamic State===
After the [[Hijrah]] (622), the [[Islam]]ic [[Prophet Muhammad]] (570–632) assumed political leadership over Yathrib, present day [[Medina]]. This feat in and of itself was unheard of, as the city consisted of both [[History of the Jews in Saudi Arabia|Jews]] and [[Arabs|Arab]] pagans. Alongside consolidating his power in Medina, the [[Battle of Badr]] (624) saw the de facto leadership of [[Mecca]] destabilised. Eventually, at the [[Conquest of Mecca]] (629–630) Muhammad took leadership over his tribesmen. Furthermore, Muhammad oversaw delegations and [[Military career of Muhammad|armies]] sent across [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]], including [[Yemen]]. The last Persian governor [[Badhan (Persian governor)|Badhan]] converted to [[Islam]] (628), thus including [[South Arabia|Southern Arabia]] under Islamic rule. [[Pre-Islamic Arabia]] was strife with tribalism and territoriality, therefore it was implausible for tribes to elect leaders let alone Arabia itself. Yet come Muhammad's death (632), Arabia was unified under one polity and religion.
Despite this state not possessing a specific name, it proved to be the platform for the [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rashidun Caliphs]] (632–661) to eventually look beyond the Arabian Peninsula to the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanid Empires]].
===Bohemia===
Although the first known ruler of Bohemia was [[Bořivoj I, Duke of Bohemia]], the real unifier of various Slavic tribes in Bohemia and creator of nation was Duke [[Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia]]. [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]] is regarded as the "[[Father of the Nation|Father of the Homeland]]" in the Czech Republic, because during his time the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] experienced the greatest prosperity. [[Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk]] (1850–1937) is widely revered as the Liberator President who played the chief role in the 1918 melding of Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia and Ruthenia into the Czechoslovak Republic, and who served as President of the Republic from 1918 to 1935.
===Republic of Biafra===
Nigerian military officer [[Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu]], of the [[Igbo people|Igbo]] ethnic group, established the [[Republic of Biafra]] on 30 May 1967 after he seceded the predominantly Igbo region of [[Nigeria]] from the rest of the country, sparking the [[Nigerian Civil War]].
===Czechoslovakia===
* [[Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk]], first President of [[Czechoslovakia]], known as President Liberator.
===Kingdom of England===
It was King [[Athelstan]] (893/95–939) who united the several [[Anglo-Saxon]] kingdoms of [[England]] around the year 927, when he became [[King of the English]] as opposed to his previous title, King of the [[Wessex|West Saxons]]. However, his fame is often overshadowed by his predecessor and grandfather [[Alfred the Great]] (871–899), who set in motion the unification of the English kingdoms and could also claim to be the nation's founder.
===Kingdom of Hawaiʻi===
[[Polynesians]] arrived on [[Hawaiian Islands|the islands]] from 1000 to 1200 AD, becoming [[Native Hawaiians]]. However, it was in 1795 when King [[Kamehameha I]] conceived the [[Hawaiian Kingdom|Kingdom of Hawaiʻi]] and unified the islands, beginning modern [[History of Hawaii|Hawaiian history]].
===Ancient Korea===
For [[Goryeo|ancient Korea]], [[Hwanung]] (환웅/{{lang|ko|桓雄}}) and his son [[Dangun]] Wanggeom (단군왕검/{{lang|ko|檀君王儉}}) were the legendary founders of [[Gojoseon]], the first kingdom of Korea. The founding date is usually calculated as 3 October 2333 BC; 3 October is a South Korean national holiday known as [[Gaecheonjeol]] (개천절/{{lang|ko|開天節}}, {{lit|Festival of the Opening of Heaven}}). However, in North Korea, [[Gaecheonjeol]] is not celebrated and recognized at all, unlike South Korea.
===Ottoman Empire===
[[File:Sultan Gazi ʻUthmān Han I - السُلطان الغازي عُثمان خان الأوَّل.png|thumb|150px|left|[[Osman I]], the founding father of the Turkish Empire]]
By the end of the 14th century, most of [[Anatolia]] was controlled by various [[Anatolian beyliks]] due to the collapse of the [[Seljuk dynasty]] in the area. The Seljuk dynasty had established both the [[Seljuk Empire]], which was founded by [[Tughril]] and the [[Sultanate of Rum]], with the first one being responsible for the [[Turkification]] of Anatolia. [[Osman I]] unified the beyliks under one banner, proclaiming the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Korobeĭnikov |first=Dimitri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eU9jBAAAQBAJ&q=inegol+was+conquered+in+1299&pg=PA284 |title=Byzantium and the Turks in the Thirteenth Century |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-870826-1 |language=en}}</ref>
===Russian Empire===
* [[Rurik]] – [[Varangian]]<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/512996/Rurik Rurik (Norse leader)] Britannica Online Encyclopedia</ref> prince and [[Prince of Novgorod]] beginning around 862 AD<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/512998/Rurik-Dynasty Rurik Dynasty (medieval Russian rulers)] Britannica Online Encyclopedia</ref>
* [[Oleg of Novgorod|Oleg]], Rurik's kinsman and successor; extended his realm from [[Veliky Novgorod|Novgorod]] south to the [[Dnieper River]] valley and later moved his capital to the more strategic [[Kiev]], where he established [[Kievan Rus']] (the modern peoples of [[Belarus]], [[Ukraine]], and [[Russia]] all have Kievan Rus' as their cultural heritage).<ref>{{cite book |title= The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus |last= Plokhy |first= Serhii |year= 2006 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |___location= New York |isbn= 978-0-521-86403-9 |pages= 10–15 |url= http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/64039/excerpt/9780521864039_excerpt.pdf |quote= For all the salient differences between these three post-Soviet nations, they have much in common when it comes to their culture and history, which goes back to Kievan Rus', the medieval East Slavic state based in the capital of present-day Ukraine. |access-date= 27 April 2010}}
</ref>
* [[Ivan the Terrible]], [[Grand Prince of Moscow]] (also Prince of Novgorod) from 1533 to 1547 and [[Tsardom of Russia|Tsar of All the Russias]] from 1547 until his death in 1584. Ivan also claimed the historical title "[[Grand Prince of Kiev]]" for himself, but this was more of a flourish, since Kiev had never formed part of his realm and Moscow would not control the Kievan region until the [[Truce of Andrusovo]] (1667), but Kiev remained an important city in early Slavic history and culture.
* [[Peter the Great]], Tsar from 1682, officially proclaimed the establishment of the [[Russian Empire]] in 1721, following the [[Treaty of Nystad]], and himself its first emperor. He instituted [[Government reform of Peter the Great|sweeping reforms]] and oversaw the transformation of Russia into a major European power, re-organising the state in the Western style. Founder of [[Saint-Petersburg]]
* [[Vladimir the Great]] was the first Christian Prince of Kievan Rus.
===Kingdom of Scotland===
It was King [[Kenneth MacAlpin]] (841–858) who united Pictland and Scotland, around the year 843, when he became [[King of Scots]], as opposed to his previous title, King of [[Dál Riada]]. However, his fame is partly eclipsed by [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm III]] (1058–1093), who was the first king to rule over nearly all Scotland, after annexing [[Kingdom of Strathclyde|Strathclyde]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Moncrieffe|first1=Iain|author-link1=Iain Moncrieffe|last2=Pottinger|first2=Don|author-link2=Don Pottinger|title=Blood Royal|date=1956|publisher=Thomas Nelson and Sons|pages=42–43}}</ref>
The fictionalising medieval poem [[The Wallace (poem)|''The Wallace'']] ({{circa}} 1477) celebrated [[William Wallace]] (died 1305) as one of the founder-heroes of Scotland's struggle to preserve/re-establish independence from [[Plantagenet England]].<ref>
{{cite book
| chapter = Culture
| editor1-last = Lynch
| editor1-first = Michael
| editor1-link = Michael Lynch (historian)
| title = The Oxford Companion to Scottish History
| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=65A-KFw1GU8C
| series = Oxford Reference
| ___location = Oxford
| publisher = Oxford University Press
| date = 2007
| page = 130
| isbn = 9780199234820
| quote = ''The Wallace'' (''c.'' 1477) by Blind Harry (fl. 1470–92) mythologized a national founder-hero in decasyllabic couplets mixed with stanzaical, lyrical verse.
}}
</ref>
===Serbia and Montenegro===
* [[Dobrica Ćosić]], often referred to as the "Father of the Nation"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs/arhiva/2000/05/11/srpski/P00051027.shtm|title=Ko je ovaj čovek?: Dobrica Ćosić|author=Zorica Vulić|date=11 May 2000|language=sr|publisher=[[Glas javnosti]]}}</ref>
===Soviet Union===
{{multiple image
| align = center
| total_width = 300
| image1 = Lenin in 1920 (cropped).jpg
| caption1 = Vladimir Lenin, founder of the [[Soviet Union]] and the leader of the [[Bolshevik party]].
| image2 = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R15068, Leo Dawidowitsch Trotzki.jpg
| caption2 = Leon Trotsky, founder of the [[Red Army]] and a key figure in the [[October Revolution]].
}}
* [[Vladimir Lenin]] – Officially one among many equal founders of the country, Lenin was, ''[[de facto]]'', the paramount leader, founder of the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|CPSU]]. The party governed the Soviet Union initially through a coalition with the [[Left Socialist-Revolutionaries]] along with [[Soviet (council)|elected soviets]] but later as a [[one-party state]] over the course of the [[Russian Civil War]] and [[Left SR uprising|political uprisings]]. Lenin is also considered the founding father of the modern Russian state. He died soon after the country's founding and retained a special status of secular [[apotheosis]] for the rest of the country's history.
* [[Leon Trotsky]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brotherstone |first1=Terence |title=Trotsky's future. Brotherstone, Terence; Dukes, Paul,(eds) |date=1992 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-0317-6 |page=238}}</ref> – Founding [[Politburo]] member, head of the [[Red Army]], commissar for foreign affairs, key organiser of the [[October Revolution]]. Trotsky was widely considered ''[[de facto]]'' second in command in the Soviet Union during Lenin's tenure. He was also nominated for the position of [[Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union|Vice-chairman of the Soviet Union]] on several occasions by Lenin.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Danilov |first1=Victor |last2=Porter |first2=Cathy |title=We Are Starting to Learn about Trotsky |journal=History Workshop |date=1990 |issue=29 |pages=136–146 |jstor=4288968 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4288968 |issn=0309-2984}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Daniels |first1=Robert V. |title=The Rise and Fall of Communism in Russia |date=1 October 2008 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-13493-3 |page=438 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=27JGzAoMLjoC&dq=Victor+Danilov+Trotsky&pg=PA438 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Watson |first1=Derek |title=Molotov and Soviet Government: Sovnarkom, 1930-41 |date=27 July 2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-349-24848-3 |page=25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xhm_DAAAQBAJ&dq=Trotsky+chairman+rykov&pg=PA25 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Deutscher |first1=Isaac |title=The prophet unarmed: Trotsky, 1921-1929 |date=1965 |publisher=New York, Vintage Books |isbn=978-0-394-70747-1 |page=135 |url=https://archive.org/details/prophetunarmed00isaa/page/134/mode/2up?q=promote+rykov+}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dziewanowski |first1=M. K. |title=Russia in the twentieth century |date=2003 |publisher=Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Prentice Hall |isbn=978-0-13-097852-3 |page=162 |url=https://archive.org/details/russiaintwentiet0000dzie/page/162/mode/1up?view=theater}}</ref> Trotsky was outmaneuvered by [[Joseph Stalin]] during the succession struggle, exiled and eventually assassinated in 1940.
===Republic of Texas===
* [[Sam Houston]]
* [[William B. Travis]]
* [[Lorenzo de Zavala]]
===Wales===
* [[Magnus Maximus]] (c. 335–388). According to Welsh tradition, Magnus Maximus (Welsh: Macsen-Wledig) was a Roman general who was proclaimed [[Roman emperor|Emperor of Rome]] by his [[Roman army|soldiers]] in [[Roman Britain|Britain]] in 383. As such, he was the first [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]] ruler of Britain and the western portions of the [[Roman Empire]]. His mytho-heroic founding of Wales is celebrated in the modern Welsh anthem [[Yma o Hyd]] by [[Dafydd Iwan]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
* [[Hywel Dda]] (c. 880–950) was responsible for the codification of traditional [[Cyfraith Hywel|Welsh Law]], which, according to historian [[John Davies (historian)|John Davies]], "was a powerful symbol of <nowiki>[Welsh]</nowiki> unity and identity, as powerful, indeed, as their language".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Davies |first=John |author-link=John Davies (historian) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_p5DgK5GCGMC&q=%22unity+and+identity%22+intitle:A+intitle:History+intitle:of+intitle:Wales+inauthor:Davies&pg=PT145 |title=A History of Wales | publisher=Penguin |year=1994 |pages=84 & 86 | ___location=London |isbn = 978-0-14-014581-6}}</ref>
* [[Gruffydd ap Llywelyn]] (r. 1039–63) was the first Welsh king to rule over the entire territory of Wales, from about 1057 until his death in 1063.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Davies |first=John |author-link=John Davies (historian) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_p5DgK5GCGMC&q=%22the+whole+of+Wales+recognized%22+intitle:A+intitle:History+intitle:of+intitle:Wales+inauthor:Davies&pg=PT163 |title=A History of Wales | publisher=Penguin |year=1994 |page=100 | ___location=London |isbn = 978-0-14-014581-6}}</ref>
===Republic of Vietnam===
[[Ngo Dinh Diem|Ngô Đình Diệm]] (1901–1963), first president of [[South Vietnam]].
===Kingdom of Yugoslavia===
King [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia]], known as Alexander the Unifier.
===Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia===
[[Josip Broz Tito]], Marshal of Yugoslavia (1943–1980).
===Union of South Africa===
* [[Louis Botha]] was the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, and [[Jan Smuts]], its second prime minister, was a prominent advocate of unification and seen in more recent [[Great South Africans|polls]] as the Union of South Africa's greatest historical leader.
* [[Jan van Riebeeck]] was treated as a South African founding father by the South African government during the apartheid era, being featured on statues and [[South African rand|the country's currency]] (although the likeness was erroneous and was actually that of another man).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rhodesia.avvn-net.com/rsa_cur.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704234846/http://rhodesia.avvn-net.com/rsa_cur.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 July 2018|title=Suid-Afrikaanse Rand South African Rand Old Rand Notes (1970–1994)|work=Southern African Currency Page|author=Southern African Currency Page|access-date=4 July 2018|date=2018|quote=Van Riebeeck was the Dutch colonial administrator who established Cape Town in 1652, and is a significant figure in South African, and especially Afrikaner, history. Many Afrikaners view van Riebeeck as the father of the Afrikaner nation. Van Riebeeck also featured on the reverse of the R20 note, albeit indirectly, with an image of van Riebeeck's landing party (three ships) and the (old) South African Coat of Arms, with the Latin motto "Ex Unitate Vires" – "From Unity, Strength" (also translated as "Unity Creates Strength").}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/economy/so-whose-face-was-on-old-sa-money-1802578|title=So whose face was on old SA money? |date=2 August 1992 |publisher=IOL Business Report}}</ref>
===Zaire===
[[Mobutu Sese Seko]] was the founder of Zaire and its only president.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{National symbols|state=autocollapse}}
{{Lists of people considered founders by specific groups|state=autocollapse}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:National founders, List of}}
[[Category:Lists of national symbols|Founders]]
[[Category:National founders|*]]
[[Category:Political terminology]]
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