Regencies in Egypt
Encyclopedia
Regencies in Egypt date back to Pharaonic times
. Throughout Egypt's long history, there have been several instances of regent
s assuming power due to the reigning monarch's minority
, physical illness or poor mental health. There have also been several cases of coregencies where two monarchs ruled simultaneously.
, who initially served as regent for her young stepson Thutmose III
before taking the throne herself and reigning for more than twenty years. Nefertiti
is also thought to have acted as regent at some point, although this has never been fully confirmed. Coregencies were also very common, and aging monarchs often appointed their sons and heirs as coregents towards the end of their reigns.
, Egypt was ruled by a succession of Islamic dynasties, and regencies were not uncommon. A famous example of a female regent is that of the Fatimid
Sitt al-Mulk
, who became regent for her nephew Ali az-Zahir
in 1021.
, which ruled Egypt from 1805 until 1953, witnessed three different regencies.
presided the Regency Council that was formed on 15 April 1848 to run Egypt due to Muhammad Ali Pasha's
declining physical and mental health. Legal documents were still written in the latter's name; however, Ibrahim Pasha became the de facto ruler of the country from this moment on. On 20 July of the same year, an extraordinary envoy of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I
arrived in Alexandria with the firman by which the Porte recognized Ibrahim Pasha as Egypt's new wāli. The latter then travelled to Istanbul
, where his investiture
took place on 25 August in the presence of the Ottoman Sultan. However, his reign was very brief, and his death occurred shortly after his return to Cairo
. He died on 10 November 1848 due to ill health, thus predeceasing his father.
, since his son Farouk
was still a minor
. Prior to his death, Fuad I had named in a formal document the three members who were to serve on the Regency Council: Adli Yakan Pasha
(a former Prime Minister who had already died by the time Farouk I became King), Tawfiq Nasim Pasha
(another former Prime Minister) and Mahmoud Fakhri Pasha (a former Foreign Minister married to Fuad I's eldest daughter Princess Fawkia). However, Parliament
rejected King Fuad I's choices, and appointed three totally different regents: Prince Muhammad Ali
(son of the late Khedive Tawfiq Pasha
and thus first cousin of King Farouk I), Aziz Ezzat Pasha (a former Foreign Minister married to Behiye Yakan Hanem, another cousin of Farouk I) and Sherif Sabri Pasha
(Farouk I's maternal uncle). The Regency Council was formally sworn in on 8 May 1936 in front of a joint session of Parliament. King Farouk I assumed his full constitutional powers upon reaching his age of majority
(fixed at 18 years and calculated according to the Islamic calendar
) on 29 July 1937.
abdicated in favour of his six-month-old son Ahmad Fuad, who ascended the throne as King Fuad II
. However, the latter only reigned as a nominal king-in-exile. Initially, his powers were assumed during a week by the Cabinet
, headed at the time by Ali Maher Pasha
. On 2 August 1952, a temporary regency "body" (not a formal Regency Council) was created. Headed by Prince Muhammad Abdel Moneim (son of the late Khedive Abbas Helmi II
and Fuad II's second cousin), the three-member Regency Body also included Bahey El Din Barakat Pasha (a former Minister of Education and Speaker of Parliament) and Rashad Mehanna (a colonel appointed as representative of the Army). The Regency Body was dissolved on 7 September 1952, and Prince Muhammad Abdel Moneim was appointed as sole Prince regent
. However, throughout this period, real powers lay in the hands of the Revolutionary Command Council
. The monarchy was formally abolished on 18 June 1953: Egypt was declared a republic for the first time in its history, and Muhammad Naguib
became its first ever President
.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. Throughout Egypt's long history, there have been several instances of regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
s assuming power due to the reigning monarch's minority
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
, physical illness or poor mental health. There have also been several cases of coregencies where two monarchs ruled simultaneously.
Ancient Egypt
Regencies were very frequent during the Pharaonic era. The most famous Ancient Egyptian regent is probably HatshepsutHatshepsut
Hatshepsut also Hatchepsut; meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies;1508–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
, who initially served as regent for her young stepson Thutmose III
Thutmose III
Thutmose III was the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose's reign he was co-regent with his stepmother, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh...
before taking the throne herself and reigning for more than twenty years. Nefertiti
Nefertiti
Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a religious revolution, in which they started to worship one god only...
is also thought to have acted as regent at some point, although this has never been fully confirmed. Coregencies were also very common, and aging monarchs often appointed their sons and heirs as coregents towards the end of their reigns.
Medieval Egypt
During the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Egypt was ruled by a succession of Islamic dynasties, and regencies were not uncommon. A famous example of a female regent is that of the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
Sitt al-Mulk
Sitt al-Mulk
Sitt al-Mulk , Ruler of the Fatimids , was the elder sister of Al-Hakim.After the death of her father Ali al-Aziz , she tried with the help of a cousin to force her brother from the throne, but was arrested by the eunuch Barjuwan. However, she became regent for his son and successor Ali az-Zahir...
, who became regent for her nephew Ali az-Zahir
Ali az-Zahir
ʻAlī az-Zāhir was the Seventh Caliph of the Fātimids . Az-Zāhir assumed the Caliphate after the disappearance of his father Tāriqu l-Ḥakīm bi Amr al-Lāh...
in 1021.
Modern Egypt
The Muhammad Ali DynastyMuhammad Ali Dynasty
The Muhammad Ali Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, from the 19th to the mid-20th Century. It is named after its progenitor, Muhammad Ali Pasha, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt. It was also more formally known as the Alawiyya Dynasty...
, which ruled Egypt from 1805 until 1953, witnessed three different regencies.
Regency during Muhammad Ali's illness
Ibrahim PashaIbrahim Pasha of Egypt
Ibrahim Pasha was the eldest son of Muhammad Ali, the Wāli and unrecognised Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. He served as a general in the Egyptian army that his father established during his reign, taking his first command of Egyptian forces was when he was merely a teenager...
presided the Regency Council that was formed on 15 April 1848 to run Egypt due to Muhammad Ali Pasha's
Muhammad Ali of Egypt
Muhammad Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha was a commander in the Ottoman army, who became Wāli, and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan...
declining physical and mental health. Legal documents were still written in the latter's name; however, Ibrahim Pasha became the de facto ruler of the country from this moment on. On 20 July of the same year, an extraordinary envoy of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I
Abdülmecid I
Sultan Abdülmecid I, Abdul Mejid I, Abd-ul-Mejid I or Abd Al-Majid I Ghazi was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on July 2, 1839. His reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories...
arrived in Alexandria with the firman by which the Porte recognized Ibrahim Pasha as Egypt's new wāli. The latter then travelled to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, where his investiture
Investiture
Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...
took place on 25 August in the presence of the Ottoman Sultan. However, his reign was very brief, and his death occurred shortly after his return to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. He died on 10 November 1848 due to ill health, thus predeceasing his father.
Regency during Farouk I's minority
A Regency Council was established following the death of King Fuad IFuad I of Egypt
Fuad I was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and Sudan, Sovereign of Nubia, Kordofan, and Darfur. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, he became Sultan of Egypt and Sudan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Sultan Hussein Kamel...
, since his son Farouk
Farouk of Egypt
Farouk I of Egypt , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936....
was still a minor
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
. Prior to his death, Fuad I had named in a formal document the three members who were to serve on the Regency Council: Adli Yakan Pasha
Adli Yakan Pasha
Adli Yakan Pasha , sometimes referred to as Adly Pasha, was an Egyptian political figure. He served as Prime Minister of Egypt between 1921 and 1922, again between 1926 and 1927, and finally in 1929. He held several prominent political posts including Foreign Minister, Interior Minister and...
(a former Prime Minister who had already died by the time Farouk I became King), Tawfiq Nasim Pasha
Muhammad Tawfiq Nasim Pasha
Muhammad Tawfiq Nasim Pasha was an Egyptian political figure of Turkish origin. He served as the prime minister of Egypt between May 1920 and 1921, again from 1922 until 1923, and finally between 1934 and 1936...
(another former Prime Minister) and Mahmoud Fakhri Pasha (a former Foreign Minister married to Fuad I's eldest daughter Princess Fawkia). However, Parliament
Parliament of Egypt
The Parliament of Egypt is the currently dissolved bicameral legislature of Egypt. The Parliament is located in Cairo, Egypt's capital. As the legislative branch of the Egyptian government, the Parliament enacts laws, approves the general policy of the State, the general plan for economic and...
rejected King Fuad I's choices, and appointed three totally different regents: Prince Muhammad Ali
Mohammed Ali Tewfik
Prince Mohammed Ali Tewfik was the heir presumptive of Egypt and Sudan from 1892-1899 and 1936-1952.-Regent:...
(son of the late Khedive Tawfiq Pasha
Tewfik Pasha
HH Muhammed Tewfik Pasha ' was Khedive of Egypt and Sudan between 1879 and 1892, and the sixth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty.-Early life:...
and thus first cousin of King Farouk I), Aziz Ezzat Pasha (a former Foreign Minister married to Behiye Yakan Hanem, another cousin of Farouk I) and Sherif Sabri Pasha
Sherif Sabri Pasha
Sherif Sabri Pasha was the brother of Nazli Sabri, Queen consort of Egypt. He was thus the maternal uncle of Nazli's son King Farouk I, and served on the three-member Regency Council that was formed in 1936-37 during the latter's minority...
(Farouk I's maternal uncle). The Regency Council was formally sworn in on 8 May 1936 in front of a joint session of Parliament. King Farouk I assumed his full constitutional powers upon reaching his age of majority
Age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of...
(fixed at 18 years and calculated according to the Islamic calendar
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
) on 29 July 1937.
Regency during Fuad II's minority
The Revolution of July 1952 did not immediately lead to the abolition of the monarchy. King Farouk IFarouk of Egypt
Farouk I of Egypt , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936....
abdicated in favour of his six-month-old son Ahmad Fuad, who ascended the throne as King Fuad II
Fuad II of Egypt
Fuad II was the last King of Egypt and Sudan.- Biography :He ascended the throne on 26 July 1952 upon the abdication of his father King Farouk I following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952...
. However, the latter only reigned as a nominal king-in-exile. Initially, his powers were assumed during a week by the Cabinet
Cabinet of Egypt
The Cabinet of Egypt is the chief executive body of the Arabic Republic of Egypt. It consists of the Prime Minister and the cabinet ministers....
, headed at the time by Ali Maher Pasha
Ali Mahir Pasha
Ali Mahir Pasha was an Egyptian political figure. He served as Prime Minister of Egypt from 30 January 1936 to 9 May 1936, a second term from 18 August 1939 to 28 June 1940, a third term from 27 January 1952 to 2 March 1952 and a final fourth term from 23 July 1952 to 7 September 1952...
. On 2 August 1952, a temporary regency "body" (not a formal Regency Council) was created. Headed by Prince Muhammad Abdel Moneim (son of the late Khedive Abbas Helmi II
Abbas II of Egypt
HH Abbas II Hilmi Bey was the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan .-Early life:...
and Fuad II's second cousin), the three-member Regency Body also included Bahey El Din Barakat Pasha (a former Minister of Education and Speaker of Parliament) and Rashad Mehanna (a colonel appointed as representative of the Army). The Regency Body was dissolved on 7 September 1952, and Prince Muhammad Abdel Moneim was appointed as sole Prince regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
. However, throughout this period, real powers lay in the hands of the Revolutionary Command Council
Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council
The Revolutionary Command Council was the body established to supervise Egypt and Sudan after the Revolution of 1952. It initially selected Ali Maher Pasha as Prime Minister, but forced him to resign after conflict over land reform. At that time, the Council took full control of Egypt...
. The monarchy was formally abolished on 18 June 1953: Egypt was declared a republic for the first time in its history, and Muhammad Naguib
Muhammad Naguib
Muhammad Naguib was the first President of Egypt, serving from the declaration of the Republic on June 18, 1953 to November 14, 1954. Along with Gamal Abdel Nasser, he was the primary leader of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, which ended the rule of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in Egypt and Sudan...
became its first ever President
President of Egypt
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state of Egypt.Under the Constitution of Egypt, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Egyptian government....
.