ABSTRACT
The Roman father had the power of life and death over his children, not only until they came of age, but throughout their lives. Only at death did the father relinquish this extraordinary power. Rome's power and complexity are also mirrored by the Roman father figure. Fatherhood was clearly defined in both social and legal terms. In the initial centuries of the new era, Christianity was plagued by heresies. The most distressing was the Arian thesis that saw the Son as subordinate rather than equal to the Father. The Renaissance and the Reformation were to furnish a turning point in the father's situation. The sovereign's power in society and the father's power in the family were to cease to be absolute and became only relative. The machine set in motion by the French Revolution brought down the head of the absolute sovereign from its formerly unreachable height. The French Revolution spread throughout Europe, and attacked its guiding principles.
