A Look At History’s Greatest Fathers

History’s August 31 2018 article titled History’s Finest Fathers state some of the remarkable parental related deeds of many reputed figures throughout history including Czar Nicholas II, Charlemagne, Mark Twain and even the father of modern science, Charles Darwin. 

So in light of Father’s Day, let’s make an attempt to break down the qualities listed in their specific paragraphs, a few intriguing similarities arise to the surface and perhaps give us an idea of what the role of a good father actually entails. Sacrifice, Endless Duty and Responsibility are common terms thrown around during the conversation of father figures but what exactly are those sacrifices, duties and responsibilities. Can some acts be considered lower or larger compared to others? Are these norms beneficial to parenting or harmful? And perhaps most importantly, what attributes constitute a good father all in all?

From the consortium of personalities in the article, we see that many of the men listed here had broken off their historical context’s regulations to satisfy their children’s needs. Norms of the time such as gender roles and the duties of kings and rulers are reoccurring rules that seem to have been of lesser priority to these figures than their children and their happiness. Czar Nicholas the II, in a move that some historians say further jeopardized his position of emperor, consulted the rather peculiar and unconventional healer Rasputin to provide better treatment for his son Alexei. Some could argue that the cause of this concern likely stemmed from the fact that Alexei was his only male heir and the next in line to the throne but that theory can be counter argued as during the analysis Czar Nicholas conducted, the further harm he may cause to the position of emperor, perhaps even dissipating it entirely was fully comprehended and yet he chose to take it, seeing as the only option for his son. 

Another such man from a history known for his parenting was Charlemagne. Charlemagne, father of 20 children, insisted that all of his children be provided with an education including his daughters which was a major faux pa at the time. Charlemagne was known to be a compassionate father, forgiving one of his sons, Pepin the hunchback, in view of the charges of conspiring against him. Instead of executing him Charles sent him to a monastery to instill good values in Pepin. Despite of understanding his power and position as well as having ample authority to choose against educating his daughters and forgiving his son, Charlemagne went against the culture of the time and used his effort to enact good for his children.

Charles Darwin, the father of modern science has also been remarked for his active efforts to positively influence his children’s lives. Darwin has eight children and was an active contributor to their early years of development in fields such as education and wellbeing. Darwin committed to child rearing in spite of the majority during the period seeing it as the part of a woman’s job. Given this constant effort to raise his children to the best of his abilities, it was an even bigger and devastating shock for Darwin when he came to know of his 10 year old daughter’s demise. Darwin was so brutally impacted in fact some speculate that this moment was where he began to lose his religious faith. 

 

All of these men belonged to very different times throughout history yet the similarities of their attributes remain uncanny. The sacrifices they made in line with their duty and responsibilities went against the very social constructs of their time. Despite of their stature in society and the impact some of their parental decisions could have over their public image paled in comparison to their care for their children. That is what to me seems like the epitome of a father, a man who tries time and again no matter the consequences.