Regent

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Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. Thus, the common use is for an acting deputy governor. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term as "A person appointed to administer a State because the monarch is a minor, is absent or is incapacitated."

In a monarchy, a regent usually governs due to the actual monarch's absence, incapacity or minority, and may also be elected to rule during the sede vacante when the royal line has died out. This was the case in Finland and Hungary, where the royal line was considered extinct in the aftermath of World War I. In Iceland, the regent represented the King of Denmark as sovereign of Iceland until the country became a republic in 1944.

In San Marino, an ancient independent miniature republic surrounded within Italy, the Captains Regent, or Capitani Reggenti, are two officials elected annually as joint heads of state and of government.

In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (15691795), kings were elective, which often led to a fairly long interregnum. In the interim, it was the Polish Roman Catholic Primate who served as the regent, termed the "interrex" (Latin: ruler "between kings," as in ancient Rome).

Currently there are 2 ruling Regencies in the world, one in Liechtenstein and the other in the Malaysian state of Terengganu (see below).

Contents

[edit] Regents in various Monarchies

It should be noted that those who held a regency briefly, for example during surgery, are not necessarily listed, particularly if they performed no official acts; this list is also not complete. The list includes some figures who acted as regent, even if they did not themselves hold the title of regent.

[edit] Anhalt

[edit] Baden

[edit] Bavaria

[edit] Belgium

[edit] Brunswick

[edit] Bulgaria

  • Stefan Stambolov, during the absence of Prince Alexander Battenberg from the Bulgarian throne between 28 August 1886 and 3 September 1886 and the vacancy of the throne between 7 September 1886 and 14 August 1887.
  • Prince Kyril of Preslav, during the minority of his dead brother (Boris III)'s son, Simeon II (19431944).

[edit] China

[edit] Egypt

[edit] England

[edit] Finland

After the abdication of Nicholas II of Russia, the throne of the Grand Duke of Finland was vacant and according to the constitution of 1772, a regent was installed by the Finnish Parliament during the first two years of Finnish independence, before the country was declared a republic.

[edit] France

[edit] Greece

  • Archbishop Damaskinos (1944–1946) On behalf of the king till his return.
  • George Papadopoulos (1972) self proclaimed; (position combined with the premiership). Due to king's exile after a failed royal counter coup.

[edit] Hanover

[edit] Hesse-Kassel

  • Electoral Prince Frederick William (1831–1847), due ot the incapacity of his father, Elector William II

[edit] Hungary

[edit] Iceland

[edit] Japan

[edit] Korea

[edit] Liechtenstein

[edit] Lippe

[edit] Luxembourg

[edit] Mecklenburg-Schwerin

[edit] Mecklenburg-Strelitz

[edit] Monaco

[edit] Netherlands

[edit] Norway

[edit] Parma

  • Louise of Artois (1854–1859), during the minority of her son Robert I.

[edit] Prussia

[edit] Romania

[edit] Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

  • Prince Ernst of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1900–1905), during the minority of his cousin Duke Charles Edward

[edit] Saxe-Meiningen

  • Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe (1803–1821), during the minority of her son, Duke Bernard II

[edit] Saxe-Weimar

[edit] Scotland

[edit] Spain

[edit] Sweden

[edit] Terengganu

  • Tengku Muhammad Ismail (eight-years of age) co-reigns with the three-members Regency Advisory Council (Majlis Penasihat Pemangku Raja). His father, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin the Sultan of Terengganu elected as 13th King of Malaysia. Malaysian constitution does not allow a simultaneous reigns as both the King of Malaysia and as monarch of the King's native state (deemed absent on the State throne). Sultan Mizan crowned as King on 13 December 2006 and the prince as the Regent (Pemangku Raja) of Terengganu effective on the same date

[edit] United Kingdom

Main article: Regency Acts

[edit] Waldeck

  • Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (1845–1852), during the minority of her son, Prince George Victor

[edit] Other uses

Occasionally, the term regent refers to positions lower than the ruler of a country.

  • In the Dutch republic of the United Provinces, the members of the ruling class, not formally hereditary but de facto patricians, were known collectively as regenten (the Dutch plural for regent)
  • In the Dutch East Indies, a regent was a native prince allowed to rule de facto colonized 'state' as a regentschap (see that term). Consequently, in the successor state of Indonesia, the term regent is used in English to mean a bupati or local government official.
  • Also used in private spheres, for instance, some university managers in North America are called regents, or the members of certain governing bodies of lofty institutions, such as the national banks, in France and (imitating) Belgium.
  • In the Philippines, specifically, the University of Santo Tomas, the College/Faculty/Institution's real head is the Father Regent, he is a Dominican Priest who is also teaching at UST and serves as the College/Faculty/Institute's Spiritual Head and serves as the "owner" of that College, Faculty or Institution; They also, form the Council of Regents that serves (as stated beforehand) as the highest Administative and Academic Council of the University
  • Again in Belgium and France, but far lower on the social ladder, (Régént in French; or in Dutch) Regent is the official title of a secondary school teacher of the lower years (equivalent to junior high school), who does not require a college degree but is trained solely for education in a specialized écôle normale = normal school.
  • A management board for a college or university; this is commonly stated as: "Board of Regents".

[edit] See also