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Resident (title)

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A Resident, or in full Resident Minister, is a state official of certain representative types, required to take up permanent residency abroad officially.

Resident Ministers

This full style was common as a diplomatic rank for the head of a mission ranking just below ambassador, usually reflecting the relatively low status of the states of origin and/or residency or not too friendly relations, but on occasion his role could become extremely important- when the Bourbon king Ferdinand IV fled his revolting mainland kingdom Naples to Sicily in 1806, Lord William Bentinck, the British resident, was the one who wrote a very liberal constitution.

Residents could also be posted with shadowy governments, e.g. by the British with the Mameluk Beys who ruled Baghdad province as an autonomous north Iraqi state, until the Ottoman sultanate regained control over it and its Wali (governor).

Even after its Vienna Congress restoration, the British posted a 'mere' Resident in Firenze, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

As international relations shifted the predominant attitude from explicit pecking order, exposing arrogant power politics, to theoretical equality (at least among sovereign nations), as in the League of Nations and the UN (but with the veto-entitled permanent members of its Security Council clearly much 'more equal'), it became customary to give the highest diplomatic rank, ambassador, to the permanent mission chief in any country, except as a 'temporary' expression of downturned relations or simply an interim arrangement.

Colonial Residents

These were official representatives of a European colonial power practicing indirect rule, usually diplomats and/or (sometimes former) military officers, who lived and worked in smaller self-governing colonial entities or various protectorates and vassal states as a political advisor to the (usually native) ruler(s) and acted like an Ambassador of their own Government, but at a lower level since even large and rich native states were usually seen as inferior to Western nations. Instead of to a single ruler, a single resident could be posted to a native grouping, or even simply to a number of native states the colonial power conveniently bunched together in an imposed artificial, at best geographical unit, which could have a name such as residency X (as in some parts of British India).

Similar positions could carry alternative titles, such as Political Agent and Resident Commissioner; see also specific histories in this and the following section. In some cases, the intertwining of colonial and traditional establishment went as far as to repeatedly employ members of the native princely houses is such posts, either in other polities (sometimes princes of the blood realistically in line for their ancestral throne) or even (especially further relatives, unlikely ever to succeed) within their own state; on the other hand, trusted residents could became de facto (prime) ministers to the native rulers.

Their real role varied enormously, depending upon the underlying power report between both parties and the personalities of the Resident and the ruler(s). Some were little more then observers and diplomatic go-betweens, others met hostility as 'face of the oppressor' or on the contrary won enough trust with the ruler to exercise great influence, on occasion even become his de facto prime minister, or even nominated by the equivalent native title such as vizier. An example that hosting a residency could really be seen as desirabla protection be the native rulers, is from 1887, when both Boers and gold prospectors of all nationalities were overrunning his country, the Swazi paramount chief Umbandine asked for a British resident, which request was refused.

This section only lists solo-Residents; see Residents-general for those organized under a thus titled superior; however those here may still work under some other higher official, such as a Viceroy or Governor(-general)

British & dominion colonial Residents

Examples of Commonwealth governments represented by Residents with such British colonies or (not always British) protectorates include:

Residents in (British) Africa

Residents in (British) Asia

For those working in the Malay states, see the British Redidents(-general) section below as they came under the authority of a Resident-general
British Residents were posted in various Princely states -major ones or groups- in British India, the jewel in Britain's colonial crown, often individually, as in Lucknow, the capital of Oudh; to the Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda; to the Maharaja Sindhya of Gwalior; to the Nizam al-Molk of Hyderabad; to the Maharaja Rana of Jhalawar; to the restored Maharaja of Mysore; to the Maharaja Sena Sahib Subah of the Mahratta state of Nagpur; to the (Maha)Raja of Manipur; to the (Maha)Raja of Travancore; to the Maharana of Mewar in Udaipur. Even when Lord Lake had broken the Mahratta power in 1803, and the Mughal emperor was taken under the protection of the East India Company, the districts of Delhi and Hissar were assigned for the maintenance of the royal family, and were administered by a British resident, till in 1832 the tract was annexed to the North-Western Provinces.

A resident could however also be posted to a group of princely states, usually because they were considered rather unimportant (or except one), as a geographical and/or otherwise linked group.

British residents were also posted in major states considered connected with India, neighbouring or on the sea route to it, notably:

And elsewhere: Even in overseas territories occupied ('preventively' or conquered) to keep the French out of strategic trade and waters, residencies could be established, e.g. at Laye onSumatra, an island returned to the Dutch East Indies

Residents in (British) European protectorates

Since on 5 November 1815 the United States of the Ionian Islands became a federal republic of 7 islands (Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante, Santa Maura, Ithaca, Cerigo and Paxos), as a protectorate (nominally of the allied Powers; de facto UK protectorate; the highest office was the -always British- Lord High Commissioner), until its 1 June 1864 incorporation into independent Greece, there were British Residents, each posted with a local Prefect, on seven individual islands, notably: Cephalonia (Kephalonia), Cerigo (Kythira), Ithaca, Paxos, Santa Maura (Leucada/Lefkada) and Zante (Zakynthos)

Residents on (British & dominion) Ocean Island states

Residents in protectorates of decolonised Commonwealth states

Dutch colonial Residents

In the Dutch East Indies, European residents and lower ranks such as assistant residents were posted alongside a number of the many native princes in present Indonesia, compare Regentschap.

For example on Sumatra, there were Dutch Residents at Palembang, at Madan in Deli sultanate; another was posted with the Sultan of and on Ternate, one on Bali etc.*

French colonial Residents

France also maintained Residents, the French word being Résident.

However the 'Jacobine' tradition of strict state authority didn't agree well with indirect rule, so often direct rule was preferred.

Many were part of a white colonial hierarchy, rather than truly posted with a native ruler or chieftain. Those under the authority of a Resident general are treated in that section, below. In the following sub-sections are only other (solo-)residencies.

Style Résident

Résident supérieur

This French title, meaning "Superior" (i.e. Senior) Resident, suggests he may have had junior Residents under him, but we have seen no data yet.

German colonial Residents

In the German the title is also Resident; the post is called Residentur.

Portuguese colonial Residents

Residents-general (& their subordinate Residents)

British Residents(-general)

In the British Malay states and possessions

At the "national" level of British Malaya, after the post of High Commissioners had been filled (1 July 1896 - 1 April 1946) by the governors of the Straits Settlements (see Singapore), Britain appointed the following Residents-general: Then there were various British Chief Secretaries 1911-1936 and two Federal Secretaries until 31 January 1942; after three Japanese Military governors, the British Governor (1 April 1946-1 February 1948) stayed on as first of four High Commissioners as de facto Governor-general of the Federation of Malaya until independence on 31 August 1957 saw the cretaion of an elective federal Paramount ruler styled Yang Dipertuan Agong (since 16 September 1961 with the addition bagi Malaysia).

There were specific Residents accredited in most constituent Malay states:

A similar position, under another title, was held in the other Malay states: In the Straits Settlements, under direct British rule: On Northern Borneo, contrary to the Malay peninsula, in Sabah and Sarawak no such officials were appointed, as there were white rulers or governors;

but to the still sovereign Sultans of Brunei, lying between those larger states, British Residents were appointed 1906 - 1959 (interrupted by Japanese commander Masao Baba 6 January 1942 - 14 June 1945), afterwards only High Commissioners for the matters not transferred under autonomy (and 1971 Self-government) until full independence went in force 1 January 1984.

French

(The French word is Résident-général)

In Africa

In Indochina

Belgian

(Belgium mainly used French in the colonies; the word in its other official language, Dutch, is Resident-generaal)

Japanese (original title?)

In the protectorate Korea, accredited to the Choson Monarch (rendered as King or Emperor) 21 Dec 1905 - 1 Oct 1910 three incumbents, all Japanese peers (new western-type styles, rendered as: Marquess/Duke or Viscount); the last stayed on as the first Governor-General after full annexation to Japan

Postcolonial Residents

On occasion, residents were maintained, notably by former colonial powers, in territories in a transitional process to a new constitutional status, such as full independence. Such function could also be performed under another title, such as Commissioner or High Commissioner.

Thus after World War I, there were Residents in some mandate territories:

Also after World War II, and not only in former mandate territories; e.g. in parts of Libya, a former Italian colony, put under UN administration since 1946 prior to their unification as a Libyan kingdom, Britain maintained a Resident in Tripolitania April 1949 - 24 December 1951 and another in Cyrenaica 17 September 1949 - 24 December 1951, and France one in Fezzan 1950 - 24 December 1951.

In a later phase a former colony could itself appoint such Residents, as India did 5 December 1950 - 16 May 1975 in its Himalayan protectorate Sikkim, then still an independent monarchy (afterwards absorbed into India as an additional constitutive state) where Britain had obtained a protectorate over the Maharaja in 1861, see above.

Variations on the title

See also

Sources and references

 


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