INTERDICT

in Roman and civil law, a remedy granted by a magistrate on the sole basis of his authority, against a breach of civil law for which there is no stipulated remedy. Interdicts can be provisionary (opening the way for further action) or final. An exhibitory interdict, which usually involves rights over things, is an order requiring that a person or thing be produced. A restorative interdict is an order requiring someone to restore something taken away, undo something that has been done, or end a specific type of interference with a right. In medieval canon law, an interdict involves the withholding of certain sacraments and clerical offices from certain persons and even territories, usually to enforce some type of obedience. The power to impose interdict on states or dioceses belongs to the pope and general councils of the church, but individual parishes, groups, or persons may be placed under interdict by local bishops. Interdicts were frequently used, either actually or as a threat, against recalcitrant monarchs throughout the Middle Ages.