A regent is someone who rules a country temporarily when the actual monarch is unable to do so. This usually happens when a king or queen is too young to rule, too sick, or away from the kingdom. Think of a regent as a substitute ruler who keeps the throne warm until the real monarch can take over.

History is full of regents. When King Louis XV of France inherited the throne at age five in 1715, his cousin served as regent for eight years until Louis was old enough to rule. In England, when King George III suffered from mental illness in the early 1800s, his son ruled as Prince Regent, giving that era its name: the Regency period.

Regents face a tricky challenge: they hold enormous power but must remember it's not really theirs to keep. A good regent protects the kingdom and prepares for the day they'll hand power back. A bad regent might try to hold onto power forever or make decisions that benefit themselves rather than the rightful ruler.

The word comes from Latin regere, meaning “to rule.” You'll sometimes see regent used in other contexts, like members of a university's governing board, but the core idea remains the same: someone who governs on behalf of another.