Legal Definitions - de medio

DE MEDIO

De medio (dee mee-dee-oh) is a legal term that refers to a writ used in medieval times to protect an undertenant from harassment by a paramount lord for rent actually due from the mesne lord. It was a writ against a mesne (i.e., middle) lord.

An example of de medio would be if a tenant rented land from a mesne lord, who in turn rented the land from a paramount lord. If the mesne lord failed to pay rent to the paramount lord, the paramount lord could demand payment from the undertenant. The undertenant could then use the writ of de medio to protect themselves from harassment by the paramount lord.

Another example would be if a tenant was being harassed by a paramount lord for rent that was already paid to the mesne lord. The tenant could use the writ of de medio to protect themselves from the harassment.

The examples illustrate how the writ of de medio was used to protect undertenants from harassment by paramount lords. It was a way for undertenants to defend themselves against demands for rent that were not their responsibility. The writ of de medio was an important legal tool in medieval times, and it helped to ensure that undertenants were not unfairly targeted by higher lords.