The rule of lapse can refer to two different concepts in law and history:

1. Doctrine of Lapse: This was a policy of annexation initiated by the East India Company in the Indian subcontinent about the princely states, and applied until the year 1858, the year after Company rule was succeeded by the British Raj under the British Crown. The policy was initiated by James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie. According to this doctrine, if any Indian ruler dies without leaving a male heir, his kingdom would be annexed by the British.

2. Lapse Statute: This is a rule of construction in trusts and estates law that prevents a devise from lapsing. Under common law, if a person devised a gift to a devisee and the devisee passed prior to the testator, the gift would “lapse” or fail, leaving the property to intestacy laws. Instead of allowing this to occur, lapse statutes would let the gift go to the descendants of the devisee in order to better reflect the testator’s intentions. Lapse statutes vary greatly by state with some only allowing children to benefit from lapse statutes while others allow descendants of other relatives.

Therefore, the meaning of the rule of lapse depends on the context in which it is used.