- Regencies in Egypt
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.Ancient Egypt
Regencies were very frequent during the Pharaonic era. The most famous Ancient Egyptian regent is probably
Hatshepsut , who initially served as regent for her young stepsonThutmose 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.Medieval Egypt
During the
Middle Ages , Egypt was ruled by a succession of Islamic dynasties, and regencies were not uncommon. A famous example of a female regent is that of theFatimid Sitt al-Mulk , who became regent for her nephewAli az-Zahir in 1021.Modern Egypt
The
Muhammad Ali Dynasty , which ruled Egypt from 1805 until 1953, witnessed three different regencies.Regency during Muhammad Ali's illness
Ibrahim Pasha 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. On20 July of the same year, an extraordinary envoy of Ottoman SultanAbdülmecid I arrived in Alexandria with the "firman" by which thePorte recognized Ibrahim Pasha as Egypt's new "wāli". The latter then travelled toIstanbul , where hisinvestiture took place on25 August in the presence of the Ottoman Sultan. However, his reign was very brief, and his death occurred shortly after his return toCairo . He died on10 November 1848 due to ill health, thus predeceasing his father. [cite book | last = Sinoué | first = Gilbert | authorlink = Gilbert Sinoué | title = Le dernier pharaon | publisher = Pygmalion/Gérard Watelet | date = 1997 | location = Paris | pages = 417-420 | isbn = 9782857045175 | oclc = 231771745]Regency during Farouk I's minority
A Regency Council was established following the death of King Fouad I, since his son Farouk was still a minor. Prior to his death, Fouad 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) andMahmoud Fakhri Pasha (a former Foreign Minister married to Fouad I's eldest daughter Princess Fawkia). However, Parliament rejected King Fouad 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) andSherif Sabri Pasha (Farouk I's maternal uncle). The Regency Council was formally sworn in on8 May 1936 in front of a joint session of Parliament. King Farouk I assumed his full constitutional powers upon reaching hisage of majority (fixed at 18 years and calculated according to theIslamic calendar ) on29 July 1937 .cite journal | last = Rizk | first = Yunan Labib | title = Royal help | journal =Al-Ahram Weekly | issue = 727 | date = 27 January - 2 February 2005 | url = http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/727/chrncls.htm | issn = 1110-2977 | oclc = 163624446 | accessdate = 2008-07-27]Regency during Fouad II's minority
The Revolution of July 1952 did not immediately lead to the abolition of the monarchy. King Farouk I abdicated in favour of his six-month-old son Ahmad Fouad, who ascended the throne as King Fouad 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 byPrince Muhammad Abdel Moneim (son of the late Khedive Abbas Helmi II and Fouad II's second cousin), the three-member Regency Body also includedBahey El Din Barakat Pasha (a former Minister of Education and Speaker of Parliament) andRashad Mehanna (a colonel appointed as representative of the Army). The Regency Body was dissolved on7 September 1952 , andPrince Muhammad Abdel Moneim was appointed as solePrince regent . However, throughout this period, real powers lay in the hands of the Revolutionary Command Council. The monarchy was formally abolished on18 June 1953 : Egypt was declared a republic for the first time in its history, andMuhammad Naguib became its first ever President.References
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