Regent
A
regent, from the
Latin regens "who reigns" is anyone who acts as head of state, especially if not the monarch (who has higher titles). Thus, the common use is for an acting deputy governor. In a monarchy, a regent usually rules 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 (
1569-
1795), 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).
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.
Anhalt
*
Prince Aribert (1918), during the minority of Duke
Joachim ErnstBaden
*
Prince Frederick (1852-1856), during the incapacity of his brother, Grand Duke
Louis IIBavaria
*
Prince Luitpold (1886-1912), during the incapacity of his nephews,
Ludwig II and
Otto*
Prince Ludwig (1912-1913), during the incapacity of his cousin,
OttoBelgium
*
Prince Charles of Belgium, regent of
Belgium from 1944 to 1950
Brunswick
*
George, Prince of Wales, later King
George IV of the United Kingdom (1815-1823), during the minority of his cousin, Duke
Charles II*
Prince Albrecht of Prussia (1885-1906), during the interregnum following the death of Duke
Wilhelm in
1884, when the throne could not be filled due to the status of the heir, the
Duke of Cumberland, as an enemy of the Reich.
*
Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1907-1913), for the same reason
Bulgaria
* Prince
Kyril of Preslav, during the minority of his dead brother (
Boris III)'s son,
Simeon II (
1943 to
1944).
China
* See
Empress dowager and
Grand Empress Dowager* Prince
Dorgon from
1638 to
1650 for his nephew
Fulin,
Shunzhi Emperor*
2nd Prince Chun between
1908 and
1911 for his son
Emperor Xuantong (aka Puyi)
Egypt
*
Hatshepsut of Egypt for
Thutmose III of Egypt*
Mohammed Ali Tewfik for
King Farouk I of Egypt
*
Prince Muhammad Abdul Moneim for King
Fuad II of EgyptEngland
*
William Longchamp (intermittently 1189-1199), during the absences of
Richard I on crusade, in prison, and in France.
*
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1216-1219) and then
Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent (1219-1227), during the minority of King
Henry III* A regency council headed by
Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster (1327-1330) during the minority of
Edward III*
John, Duke of Bedford (1422-1435) and
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (1422-1437), during the minority of their nephew,
Henry VI*
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (1454-1455; 1455-1456), during the incapacity of his cousin, Henry VI
*
Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1483), during the minority of his nephew,
Edward V*
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (1547-1550), during the minority of his nephew,
Edward VI*
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1550-1553), during the minority of Edward VI
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.
*
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, installed in January 1918, resigned in late 1918.
*
General C.G.E. Mannerheim, resigned 1919 with the passing of the new constitution.
France
*
Anne of Kiev and
Baldwin V, Count of Flanders (1060-1067), during the minority of her son and his nephew
Philip I*
Suger, Abbot of St. Denis (1147-1149), during the absence of
Louis VII on crusade
*
Alix of Champagne and
Guillaume de Champagne, Archbishop of Reims (1190-1191), during the absence of her son
Philip II on crusade.
*
Blanche of Castile (1226-1234), during the minority of her son
Louis IX*
Blanche of Castile (1248-1252) and
Alphonse, Count of Poitou and Toulouse (1248-1254), during the absence of her son and his brother Louis IX on crusade.
*
Mathieu de Vendôme, Abbot of Saint-Denis and
Simon de Clermont, Sieur de Nesle, during the absence of
Philip III on crusade.
*
Philip the Tall (1316), during the interregnum between the death of his brother
Louis X and the birth of Louis' posthumous son
John I, and during the minority of the short-lived John I.
*
Philip, Count of Valois and Anjou (1328), from the death of his cousin
Charles IV until the birth of a posthumous daughter to the late king brought about Valois' own accession to the throne.
*
Charles, the Dauphin (1356-1360), during the Captivity of his father in England
*
Louis I, Duke of Anjou (1380-1382), during the minority of his nephew
Charles VI*
Jean, Duke of Berry,
Philippe II, Duke of Burgundy, and
Louis II, Duke of Bourbon (1382-1388), during the minority of their nephew,
Charles VI*
Louis II, Duke of Bourbon and
John, Duke of Berry (1388-1407), during the insanity of their nephew, Charles VI
*
Isabella of Bavaria (1417-1420)and then
Henry V of England, during the insanity of her husband and his father-in-law, Charles VI; they were opposed by
*
Charles, the Dauphin (1417-1422), Charles VI's eldest surviving son, who also claimed the regency.
*
John, Duke of Bedford (1422-1435), acting as regent on behalf of his nephew, the young
Henry VI of England, whose supporters controlled much of the country in opposition to the legal king
Charles VII*
Anne of France and her husband
Pierre de Beaujeu (1483-1492), during the minority of her brother,
Charles VIII*
Louise of Savoy (1515-1516), during the absence of her son,
Francis I, in Italy.
*
Louise of Savoy (1523-1526), during the absence at war in Italy, and then the captivity, of her son,
Francis I*
Catherine de' Medici:
**(1552) While her husband
Henry II left the kingdom for the campaign of Metz.
**(1560-1563) During the minority of her second son,
Charles IX**(1574) During the absence of her third son,
Henry III, in Poland
*
Marie de' Medici (1610-1614), during the minority of her son,
Louis XIII*
Anne of Austria (1643-1651), 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 era and style are commonly referred to as the
Régence (analogous to the British
Regency period).
** A 136 carat (27.2 g) diamond he acquired in 1717 is known as 'le régent'
*
Louis-Stanislas-Xavier, Comte de Provence, while living in exile, self-declared Regent for his nephew
Louis XVII of France after the 1793 guillotining of
King Louis XVI, until the young pretender's death in 1795.
*
Empress Eugenie, three times for her husband,
Napoleon III, during his absence.
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.
Hanover
*
George, Prince of Wales (1813-1820), due to the insanity of his father, King
George IIIHesse-Kassel
*
Electoral Prince Frederick William (1831-1847), due ot the incapacity of his father, Elector
William IIHungary
*
John Hunyadi, during
László V's minority
*
Mihály Szilágyi in
1458, between László V's death and the crowning of
Matthias I*
Lodovico Gritti (1530-1534), governor of Eastern Hungary
*
Johann Kaspar Ampringen (1673-1681), when Hungary lost its independence
*
Lajos Kossuth, under the 1848
Hungarian Revolution*
Miklós Horthy (1920-1944), during the period of the "restored" Hungarian monarchy, when there was no king.
Iceland
*
Sveinn BjörnssonJapan
*
Fujiwara Regents as
Kanpaku or
Sessho*
Hojo Regents as
Shikken, regents of the
Kamakura shogunate*
Prince Regent Hirohito or
Showa Tenno, for his father
Taisho Tenno*
Prince Regent Naruhito, for his father Emperor
AkihitoKorea
*
Daewon-gun, Lord Regent for his son King
Gojong of JoseonLiechtenstein
*
Hereditary Prince Alois has been Regent since
August 15,
2004.
Lippe
*
Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe (1895-1897), due to the incapacity of his cousin, Prince
Alexander*
Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1897-1904), for the same reason
*
Count Leopold of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1904-1905), for the same reason
Luxembourg
*
Duke Adolph of Nassau was Regent from
April 8 1889 to
May 3 1889 and from
November 4 1890 to
November 23 1890, during the terminal illness of
Grand Duke William III.
*
Grand Duchess Marie Anne was Regent to her husband,
Grand Duke William IV, during his terminal illness from
November 19 1908 to
February 25 1912, and then Regent to her daughter,
Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, during her minority from
February 25 1912 to
June 18 1912.
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
*
Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1897-1901), due to the minority of his nephew, Grand Duke
Friedrich Franz IVMecklenburg-Strelitz
*
Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1918), due to the near extinction of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz line.
Monaco
*
Prince Albert was Regent from
March 31,
2005 to
April 6,
2005, when he succeeded his father as
Albert II of MonacoNetherlands
*
Queen Emma (1890-1898), during the minority of her daughter
Wilhelmina of the NetherlandsNorway
* King
Magnus Eriksson after stepping down from the throne in favour of his son
Haakon Magnusson*
Crown Prince Haakon was Regent from
November 25,
2003 to
April 12,
2004 and again on
March 29 to
June 7,
2005 during the illness of his father
King Harald VParma
*
Louise of Artois (1854-1859), during the minority of her son
Robert I.
Prussia
*
Prince William (1858-1861), during the incapacity of his brother
Frederick William IVSaxe-Coburg and Gotha
*
Prince Ernst of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1900-1905), during the minority of his cousin Duke
Charles EdwardSaxe-Meiningen
*
Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe (1803-1821), during the minority of her son, Duke
Bernard IISaxe-Weimar
*
Anna Amalia of Brunswick (1758-1775), during the minority of her son, Duke
Carl AugustScotland
* A large regency council (1286-1290) during the minority of
Margaret, Maid of Norway.
*
William Wallace (1298), claiming to act as regent on behalf of the deposed King
John*
Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray (1329-1332), during the minority of
David II*
Donald, Earl of Mar (1332), during the minority of David II
*
Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Fife (1388-1393), during the incapacity of his father,
Robert II and of his brother,
Robert III*
David Stewart, 1st Duke of Rothesay (1399-1401), during the incapacity of his father, Robert III
*
Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany (1401-1420), during the incapacity of his brother Robert III, and then during the minority and captivity of his nephew
James I*
Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (1420-1424), during the captivity of his cousin James I
*
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas (1437-1439), during the minority of
James II*
William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton and
Sir Alexander Livingston (1439-1445), during the minority of James II
*
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas (1445-1449), during the minority of James II
*
Mary of Gueldres (1460-1463), during the minority of her son,
James III*
James Kennedy and
Gilbert Kennedy, 1st Lord Kennedy (1463-1466), during the minority of James III
*
Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd (1466-1469), during the minority of James III.
*
Patrick Hepburn (1488-1494), during the minority of
James IV*
Margaret Tudor (1513-1514), during the minority of her son,
James V*
John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (1514-1524), during the minority of his cousin,
James V*
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus and Archbishop
James Beaton (1524-1528), during the minority of the former's step-son James V
*
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran (1542-1554), during the minority of his cousin,
Mary Stuart*
Mary of Guise (1554-1560), during the minority of her daughter
Mary Stuart*
James Stuart, 1st Earl of Moray (1560), during the absence of his half-sister Mary Stuart
* James Stuart, 1st Earl of Moray (1567-1570), during the minority of his nephew
James VI*
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (1570-1571), during the minority of his grandson James VI
*
John Erskine, 1st Earl of Mar (1571-1572), during the minority of James VI
*
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (1572-1581), during the minority of James VI
Spain
*
Cardinal Cisneros, twice regent of Spain in the late 15th and early 16th century.
*
Maria Christina of Austria, regent for the infant
Alfonso XIII of Spain in the early 20th century.
*
Francisco Franco, became
de facto regent in 1947, after reinstating the monarchy with a vaccant throne.
Sweden
*
Karl Knutsson (Bonde) (1438-1440), during the interrgnum following the deposition of king
Eric XIII; later became king as Charles VIII
*
Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1457), during the interregnum following the first deposition of King
Charles VIII, and again (1465-1466), following his second deposition.
*
Kettil Karlsson Vasa (1464), during the interregnum following the first deposition of King
Christian I; and again (1465), following the second deposition of Charles VIII
*
Erik Axelsson Tott (1466-1467), following the end of Jöns Oxenstierna's second regency.
*
Sten Sture the Elder (1470-1497, 1501-1503) the longest serving regent during the
Kalmar Union*
Svante Nilsson Sture (1503-1512), succeeding Sten Sture the Elder
*
Erik Trolle*
Sten Sture the Younger (1512-1520), succeeding Svante Sture
*
Gustav Eriksson Vasa was firstly Regent (1521-1523) after the final dissolution of Kalmar Union, but soon was proclaimed King
* Duke
Charles of Sudermannia (1599-1604) after ousting his Catholic nephew King
Sigismund, until he himself clamed the throne.
*
Axel Oxenstierna (1632-1644), during the minority of Queen
Christina* Dowager Queen
Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (1660-1672), during the minority of her son King
Charles XI*
Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (1697-1699), during the minority of her grandson King
Charles XII*
Charles, Duke of Sudermannia (1792-1796) for his underage nephew
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden* Crown Prince
Charles John (1810-1818), for his adoptive father King
Charles XIIIUnited Kingdom
*
George IV (1811-1820),
Prince Regent during the incapacity of his father,
George III.
Waldeck
*
Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (1845-1852), during the minority of her son, Prince
George VictorOccasionally, 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 Indies, a regent was a native prince allowed to rule de facto colonized 'state' as a
regentschap (see that term)
** Hence, in the succeeding republic
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.
* 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 = normaalschool.
*
Regency
