Is there a word for the time span between an old king and a new king?

Solution 1:

You may be thinking of the word interregnum, but unless there is no clear line of succession, or there is disputed succession, it does not apply when a monarch dies. Certainly not in an established monarchy like the British one, and probably not in most others either.

You have perhaps heard the expression "the king is dead, long live the king"? It's not just a saying, it has legal effect. It doesn't matter whether the heir has been notified or not, s/he becomes the new monarch immediately upon the death of the old one. You also have to bear in mind that the monarch alone is not the exclusive arm of government, and never has been. Even before the era of Parliamentary democracy as we know it today the kingdom had ministers of state, who were still free to carry on the business of government. Their offices were not vacated immediately upon the death of the previous monarch, though of course the new one was free to terminate their office. (Or, as sometimes happened, terminate their bodies at the neck.)

Also it isn't necessary to be crowned to be the monarch. Queen Elizabeth II became queen immediately upon the death of her father in 1952 (while she was on a different continent, in fact), but her coronation wasn't until the following year. That didn't mean that she wasn't queen, or that Britain had no queen, during the intervening time.

Source: My musty old constitutional law textbooks, which regrettably lack a URL link and which admittedly I haven't seen myself for a few years now...

Solution 2:

interregnum noun:

1: the time during which a throne is vacant between two successive reigns or regimes

2: a period during which the normal functions of government or control are suspended

(Merriam-Webster online)

Solution 3:

Yes, there is. That word is interregnum, plural either interregna or interregnums. Per the OED it means the following, with the first sense now obsolete. You’re looking for the second sense.

1. †Temporary authority or rule exercised during a vacancy of the throne or a suspension of the usual government. Obs.

2. The interval between the close of a king’s reign and the accession of his successor; any period during which a state is left without a ruler or with a merely provisional government.

3. A cessation or suspension of the usual ruling power; a period of freedom from some authority. Also fig.

4. A breach of continuity; an interval, pause, vacant space.

Solution 4:

As there is an ample number of answers pointing out the correct answer (being Interregnum), I provide a slightly different answer here.

The Regent

If a monarch's heir is too young or unfit to rule the domain for other reasons, a Regent can be installed to rule in his name.

A notable example for this is the Prince Regent of Bavaria, Luitpold.

The Regency Era

The time period during which a Regent is the de-facto ruler is called Regency

The time between 1811 to 1820 in the United Kingdom has been called the Regency Era where George IV ruled as Prince Regent in his father's stead, who was still alive at the time but unfit to rule.

I realize this is not the precise answer to your question but might be useful nonetheless.

Solution 5:

interregnum

Wikipedia:

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.

Dictionary.com:

1. an interval of time between the close of a sovereign's reign and the accession of his or her normal or legitimate successor.
2. any period during which a state has no ruler or only a temporary executive.
3. any period of freedom from the usual authority.
4. any pause or interruption in continuity.