Regent

Last updated January 02, 2025 • 6 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

In a monarchy, a regent (from Latin regens ^[1] 'ruling, governing')^[2]^[3] is a person appointed to govern a state pro tempore ( Latin for 'for the time being') because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been determined.^[2]^[4] The rule of a regent or regents is called a regency. A regent or regency council may be formed ad hoc or in accordance with a constitutional rule. Regent is sometimes a formal title granted to a monarch's most trusted advisor or personal assistant. If the regent is holding the position due to their being in the line of succession, the compound term prince regent is often used; if the regent of a minor is their mother, and she is wife or widow of the king, she would be referred to as queen regent.

In a monarchy, a regent usually governs due to one of these reasons, but may also be elected to rule during the period when the royal line has died out. This was the case in the Kingdom of Finland and the Kingdom of 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 the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795), kings were elective, which often led to a fairly long interregnum. During this period, the Roman Catholic primate (the Archbishop of Gniezno) served as the regent, and was called interrex (Latin: ruler 'between kings' as in Ancient Rome). In the small republic of San Marino, the two Captains Regent (Capitani Reggenti) are both elected for a six-month term as joint heads of state.

Famous regency periods include that of the Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, giving rise to many terms such as Regency era and Regency architecture. Strictly, this period lasted from 1811 to 1820, when his father George III was insane, though when used as a period label it generally covers a wider period. Philippe II, Duke of Orléans was Regent of France from the death of Louis XIV in 1715 until Louis XV came of age in 1723; this is also used as a period label for many aspects of French history, as Régence in French, again tending to cover a rather wider period than the actual regency. In the 16th century, Queen Catherine de Medici's acts as regent caused her to become arguably the most important woman in Europe, giving her name to an age. The equivalent Greek term is epitropos ( επίτροπος ), meaning overseer.^{[ citation needed ]}

As of 2025,^[update] Liechtenstein (under Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein) and Luxembourg (under Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg) are the only countries with active regencies. In 2016, Prem Tinsulanonda became the oldest regent of any nation, at the age of 96. He became the regent for Rama X of Thailand, who chose not to formally accede to the throne until the end of the mourning period for his father. Previously, this record was held by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria, who was 91 at the end of his regency.

Other uses

The term “regent” may also refer to positions lower than that of a state’s ruler. The term may be used in the governance of organisations, typically as an equivalent of "director", and held by all members of a governing board rather than just the equivalent of the chief executive.

In the Society of Jesus, a regent is an individual training to be a Jesuit and who has completed his novitiate and philosophy studies but has not yet progressed to theology studies. A regent among the Jesuits is often assigned to teach in schools or some other academic institution.

Some university managers in North America are called regents, and a management board for a college or university may be titled the "Board of Regents".^[5] In New York State, all activities related to public and private education (P-12 and postsecondary) and professional licensure are administered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, the appointed members of which are titled regents.

Europe

The term "regent" is also used for members of governing bodies of institutions such as the national banks of France and Belgium.

In the Dutch Republic, the members of the ruling class, not formally hereditary but forming a de facto patrician class, were informally known collectively as regenten (the Dutch plural for regent) because they typically held positions as "regent" on the boards of town councils, as well as charitable and civic institutions. The regents group portrait, regentenstuk or regentessenstuk for female boards in Dutch, literally "regents' piece", is a group portrait of the board of trustees, called regents or regentesses, of a charitable organization or guild. This type of group portrait was popular in Dutch Golden Age painting during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Again in Belgium and France^{[ citation needed ]} (régent in French, or in Dutch), "regent" is the official title of a teacher in a lower secondary school (junior high school), who does not require a college degree but is trained in a specialized école normale (normal school).

Southeast Asia

In the former Dutch East Indies, a regent was a native prince allowed to rule de facto colonized 'state' as a regentschap. Consequently, in the successor state of Indonesia, the term regent is used in English to mean a bupati, the head of a kabupaten (second level local government).

In Malaysia, a pemangku raja is the interim ruler of a Malay state if its king is elected to be the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the usual five-year term, or is unable to assume their role. For example, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, became Regent of Pahang after his father, Abdullah of Pahang was elected Yang di-Pertuan Agong XVI in 2019. Currently, Tunku Ismail is Regent of Johor when his father, Ibrahim Iskandar was elected as current Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 2024.

In the Philippines – specifically, the University of Santo Tomas – the Father Regent, who must be a Dominican priest and is often also a teacher, serves as the institution's spiritual head. They also form the Council of Regents that serves as the highest administrative body of the university.

Africa

In Eswatini, where succession to the throne is not immediate, the Ndlovukati (similar to a queen mother) rules as regent until the new king is determined.^[6]

In Lagos, Nigeria, the subnational Erelu Kuti rules the kingdom as regent whenever there is no Oba of Lagos. Much like in Eswatini, succession to the throne of Lagos is not immediate, and the Erelu Kuti (a high ranking functionary in her own right) is charged with serving as custodian until a successor is crowned. The use of a regency is also common in Southwestern states, predominantly Ondo and Ekiti.

Related Research Articles

A monarch is a head of state for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in the state, or others may wield that power on behalf of the monarch. Usually, a monarch either personally inherits the lawful right to exercise the state's sovereign rights or is selected by an established process from a family or cohort eligible to provide the nation's monarch. Alternatively, an individual may proclaim oneself monarch, which may be backed and legitimated through acclamation, right of conquest or a combination of means.

A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for life or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic, to fully autocratic, and may have representational, executive, legislative, and judicial functions.

Eswatini is an absolute monarchy with constitutional provisions and Swazi law and Custom. The head of state is the king or Ngwenyama, currently King Mswati III, who ascended to the throne in 1986 after the death of his father King Sobhuza II in 1982 and a period of regency. According to the constitution of Eswatini, the king and Ingwenyama is a symbol of unity and the eternity of the Swazi nation. By tradition, the king reigns along with his mother or a ritual substitute, the Ndlovukati. The former was viewed as the administrative head of state and the latter as a spiritual and national head of state, with real power counterbalancing that of the king, but during the long reign of Sobhuza II the role of the Ndlovukati became more symbolic. The king appoints the prime minister from the legislature and also appoints a minority of legislators to both chambers of Libandla (parliament), with help from an advisory council. The king is allowed by the constitution to appoint some members to parliament for special interests. These special interests are citizens who might have been left out by the electorate during the course of elections or did not enter as candidates. This is done to balance views in parliament. Special interests could be people of gender, race, disability, business community, civic society, scholars, chiefs and so on. The Senate consists of 30 members, of which some are appointed by the king on recommendation of the advisory council and others elected by the lower house. The House of Assembly has 65 seats, of which 55 are occupied by elected representatives from the 55 constituencies around the country, and 10 are appointed by the king on recommendation of the advisory council. The attorney general is the ex-officio member. Elections are held every five years.

A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity or absence.

Lord Protector was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes used to refer to holders of other temporary posts; for example, a regent acting for the absent monarch.

A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others.

An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by a monarch who is elected, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and the electors vary from case to case. Historically, it was common for elective monarchies to transform into hereditary ones by repeated election of the previous rulers' children, or for hereditary monarchies to acquire elective or semi-elective succession laws, particularly following dynastic crises.

An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next, and the concepts of interregnum and regency therefore overlap. Historically, longer and heavier interregna have been typically accompanied by widespread unrest, civil and succession wars between warlords, and power vacuums filled by foreign invasions or the emergence of a new power. A failed state is usually in interregnum.

The King of Malaysia, officially Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained independence from the United Kingdom. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected by the Conference of Rulers, comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, with the office de facto rotated between them, making Malaysia one of the world's few elective monarchies.

The Raja Permaisuri Agong, unofficially known as the Queen of Malaysia, is the consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the elected, constitutional federal monarch of Malaysia.

Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions, the following is a reasonably comprehensive list that provides information on both general ranks and specific differences. Distinction should be made between reigning families and the nobility – the latter being a social class subject to and created by the former.

A coregency is the situation where a monarchical position, normally held by only a single person, is held by two or more. It is to be distinguished from diarchies or duumvirates, and also from regencies where a single monarch has a seniority above a regent but exercises no power except legally holding the position of head of state.

The Yamtuan Besar, also known officially as Yang di-Pertuan Besar and unofficially as Grand Ruler, is the royal title of the ruler of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. The Grand Ruler of Negeri Sembilan is elected by a council of ruling chiefs in the state, or the Undangs. This royal practice has been followed since 1773. The Yamtuan Besar is elected from among the four leading princes of Negeri Sembilan ; the Undangs themselves cannot stand for election and their choice of a ruler is limited to a male Muslim who is Malay and also a "lawfully begotten descendant of Raja Radin ibni Raja Lenggang", the 4th Yamtuan.

Tengku Muhammad Ismail ibni Al-Wathiqu Billah Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin is a member of the Terengganu royal family who is the Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Terengganu and heir apparent to the Terengganu throne. He is the eldest son of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. He was the Regent of Terengganu when his father reigned as the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from 2006 to 2011.

The Raja of Perlis is the constitutional monarch and head of state of the Malaysian state of Perlis. The royal house, known as the House of Jamalullail, has been the ruling house of Perlis since 1843. The current ruler, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, has been the Raja of Perlis since 2000.

Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah is the Sultan of Pahang.

The monarchies of Malaysia exist in each of the nine Malay states under the constitutional monarchy system as practised in Malaysia. The political system of Malaysia is based on the Westminster parliamentary system in combination with features of a federation.

References

↑ Harper, Douglas. "regency". Online Etymology Dictionary . Retrieved 2014-08-18. "early 15c., "government by regents," from Medieval Latin regentia, from Latin regens (see regent). Notable instances were: France 1715–1723 (under Philip, Duke of Orleans), Britain 1811–1820 (under George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent)..."
1 2 Rees, Abraham (1819). The cyclopaedia; or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature. Vol. 29. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown. REGENT.
↑ Johnson, Samuel (1828). A Dictionary of the English Language ... Abstracted from the folio edition of the author ... Fourteenth edition, corrected, etc. London: A & H Spottiswoode. REGENT. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
↑ Oxford English Dictionary
↑ "Board of Regents". The Free Dictionary . Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
↑ A. D. C. (2019-02-09). "All About Eswatini/Swaziland – Africa.com". www.africa.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-02-22.

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[1] Harper, Douglas. "regency". Online Etymology Dictionary . Retrieved 2014-08-18. "early 15c., "government by regents," from Medieval Latin regentia, from Latin regens (see regent). Notable instances were: France 1715–1723 (under Philip, Duke of Orleans), Britain 1811–1820 (under George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent)..."

[TCUDASL-2] 1 2 Rees, Abraham (1819). The cyclopaedia; or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature. Vol. 29. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown. REGENT.

[ADOEL-3] Johnson, Samuel (1828). A Dictionary of the English Language ... Abstracted from the folio edition of the author ... Fourteenth edition, corrected, etc. London: A & H Spottiswoode. REGENT. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2020-09-26.

[4] Oxford English Dictionary

[5] "Board of Regents". The Free Dictionary . Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.

[6] A. D. C. (2019-02-09). "All About Eswatini/Swaziland – Africa.com". www.africa.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-02-22.

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