Interregnum

For other uses, see Interregnum (disambiguation).

An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin inter-, "between" + rēgnum, "reign" [from rex, rēgis, "king"]), and the concepts of interregnum and regency therefore overlap.

The term also refers to the periods between the election of a new parliament and the establishment of a new government from that parliament in parliamentary democracies, usually ones that employ some form of proportional representation that allows small parties to elect significant numbers, requiring time for negotiations to form a government. In the UK, Canada and other "first past the post" electoral systems, this period is usually very brief, except in the rare occurrence of a hung parliament as occurred in both the UK and Australia in 2010. In parliamentary interregnums, the previous government usually stands as a caretaker government until the new government is established.

Historical periods of interregnum

Particular historical periods known as interregna include:

The period of 206–202 BC in China, after the death of the final Qin emperor, when there was a contest to the throne. It ended with the accession of Liu Bang, ushering in the Han Dynasty.
The 575–585 period in the Kingdom of Lombards.
The 840–843 period in the Carolingian Empire
The 1022–1072 period in Ireland, between the death of Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill and the accession of Toirdhealbhach Ua Briain, is sometimes regarded as an interregnum, as the High Kingship of Ireland was disputed throughout these decades. The interregnum may even have extended to 1121, when Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair acceded to the title.
The Great Interregnum (1254–1273 period) in the Holy Roman Empire after the deposition of the last Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II by Pope Innocent IV and the death of his son King Conrad IV of Germany until the election of the Habsburg scion Rudolph as Rex Romanorum.
First Interregnum 1290–1292 in Scotland
Second Interregnum 1296–1306 in Scotland
The 1301–1308 period in Hungary when the male line of the Árpáds ended.
The 1332–1340 period in Denmark when the country was mortgaged to a few German counts.
The 1383–1385 Crisis in Portugal
The 1402–1413 Ottoman Interregnum
The 1410–1412 crisis in Aragon and the Compromise of Caspe
The 1453–1456 in Kingdom of Majapahit (now in Java, Indonesia)
The 1481–1483 in Norway
The Time of Troubles in Russia (1598–1613) between the Rurikid and Romanov dynasties
The English Interregnum from 1649–1660 was a republican period in Britain, comprising the Commonwealth and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell after the regicide of Charles I and before the restoration of Charles II
A second English interregnum occurred between 23 December 1688, when James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution, and the installation of William III and Mary II as joint sovereigns on 13 February 1689 pursuant to the Declaration of Right.

In some monarchies, such as the United Kingdom, an interregnum is usually avoided due to a rule described as "The King is dead. Long live the King", i.e. the heir to the throne becomes a new monarch immediately on his predecessor's death or abdication. This famous phrase signifies the continuity of sovereignty, attached to a personal form of power named Auctoritas. This is not so in other monarchies where the new monarch's reign begins only with coronation or some other formal or traditional event. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for instance, kings were elected, which often led to relatively long interregna. During that time it was the Polish primate who served as an interrex (ruler between kings).

Pope's interregnum (or sede vacante)

An interregnum occurs also upon the death of the Pope, though this is generally known as a sede vacante (vacant seat). The interregnum ends immediately upon election of the new Pope by the College of Cardinals.

Japanese era names

While not describing true interregna, the Japanese era name or nengō system which was introduced in reign of Emperor Kōtoku was abandoned at the end of his reign, thus resulting in sitting emperors without era names; these era names were not updated for some time, except for a very brief re-occurrence near the close of Emperor Temmu's reign.

During the nearly half-century after Emperor Kōtoku, the reigning sovereigns were

Saimei-tennō (斉明天皇)
Tenji-tennō (天智天皇)
Kōbun-tennō (弘文天皇)
Temmu-tennō (天武天皇)
Jitō-tennō (持統天皇)
Mommu-tennō (文武天皇).

The first year of Emperor Mommu's rule (文武天皇元年; 686) could be arguably abbreviated as "the first year of Mommu" (文武元年; 686), but this is nowhere understood as a true era name. The reigns of Japanese emperors and empresses were not considered to also be the same as the era name until the Meiji era. References to the emperors of Japan who ruled during this period are properly written as, for example, "the 3rd year of Emperor Mommu" (文武天皇３年; Mommu is the emperor's name, not that of the era), and not "the 3rd year of Mommu" (文武３年; this second writing implies that Mommu is the era name).

The two periods in the pre-Taihō years without era names are 654 (the end of the Hakuchi era) through 686 (the reinstatement of the Shuchō era), and again from 686 (the Shuchō era) to 701 (some time in the middle of the reign of Emperor Mommu), when the Taihō era was declared and nengō reinstated.

Interregnum in Fiction

The events of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy take place during the galactic interregnum in his Foundation Universe, taking place in the 25th millennium. Foundation begins at the end of the Galactic Empire and notes in the novels from the Encyclopedia Galactica imply that a Second Galactic Empire follows the 1000 year interregnum.

The Old Kingdom Trilogy takes place after 200 years of interregnum, where the reigning Queen and her two daughters were murdered by Kerrigor, 180 years of regency first and 20 years of anarchy following the death of the last Regent.

The Vlad Taltos series is set in a fantastical world of magic, at a time directly following a 1,000-year interregnum wherein magic was impossible.

Notes

References

Giorgio Agamben's State of Exception (2005)
Ernst Kantorowicz's The King's Two Bodies (1957).