Regent - Definition

For the insecticide 'Regent', see Regent (insecticide)

A regent is an acting governor. In a monarchy, a regent usually rules due to the actual monarch's absence, incapacity, or minority. In the case of Finland and Hungary, military officers served as regents in the absence of a monarch, while 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 independent republic surrounded within Italy, the 'Captains Regent', or Capitani Reggenti, are two officials elected as joint heads of state.

In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth kings were elected, which often led to relatively long interregna periods. It was the Polish primate (religion) who served as a regent, known at that time as an interrex (ruler between kings).

Occasionally, the term regent refers to positions lower than the ruler of a country; for instance, some university managers in North America are called regents. In Indonesia, the term regent is used in English to mean a bupati or local government official.

Examples of regents in various countries :

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.

China

• See Empress dowager and Grand Empress Dowager
• 2nd Prince Chun between 1908 and 1911 for Emperor Xuantong (aka Puyi)

Egypt

• Hatshepsut of Egypt for Thutmose III of Egypt

Finland

• Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
• General C.G.E. Mannerheim

France

• Anne of Kiev, during the minority of her son Philip I
• Catherine de Medici:
  • While her husband Henry II of France left the kingdom for the campaign of Metz.
  • Later during the minority of her son Francis II of France
  • Again during the minority of her second son, Charles IX of France.
• Anne of Austria, during the minority of Louis XIV
• Philippe II of Orléans (1715-1723), during the minority of Louis XV; often called "the Regent", since he was the last regent of France. The related erea is commonly referred to as the Régence.
• Louis-Stanislas-Xavier, while living in exile, self-declared Regent for his nephew Louis XVII of France after the 1793 guillotining of King Louis XVI.
• Empress Eugenie, three times for her husband, Napoleon III

Hungary

• Miklós Horthy

Iceland

• Sveinn Björnsson

Japan

• Fujiwara Regents as Kanpaku or Sessho
• Hojo Regents as Shikken, regents of the Kamakura shogunate
• Prince Regents Hirohito or Showa Tenno

Liechtenstein

• Alois is Regent from August 15, 2004.

Netherlands

• Queen Emma, during the minority of her daughter Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Norway

• King Magnus Eriksson after stepping down from the throne in favour of his son Haakon Magnusson
• Crown Prince Haakon, during the illness of his father King Harald

Scotland

• Mary of Guise, during the minority of her daughter Mary Stuart
• James Stuart, 1st Earl of Moray, during the absence of his half-sister Mary Stuart
• James Stuart, 1st Earl of Moray, then Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, then John Erskine, 1st Earl of Mar then James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, all during the minority of James VI of Scotland

Spain

• Cardinal Cisneros, twice regent of Spain in the late 15th and early 16th century.

Sweden

• Sten Sture the Elder the longest serving regent during the Kalmar Union
• Duke Charles after ousting the Catholic king Sigismund
• Axel Oxenstierna during the minority of Christina of Sweden
• Crown Prince Charles (Bernadotte) for his adoptive father Charles XIII

United Kingdom

• George IV, Prince Regent during the incapacity of his father, George III.

Bulgaria

• Prince Kiril, during the youngness of his dead brother (Boris III)'s son, Simeon II.

See also

• Regency