An edict is a decree or announcement of a

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, often associated with

monarchism Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...

, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement". ''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum.

Notable edicts

Telepinu Proclamation Telipinu (or Telepinu) Proclamation is a Hittite edict, written during the reign of King Telipinu, c. 1525-1500 BCE. The text is classified as CTH 19 in the Catalogue of Hittite Texts. The edict is significant because it made possible to reconst ...

, by

Telipinu Telipinu was the last king of the Hittites Old Kingdom, living in 16th century BC, reigned c. 1525-1500 BC in middle chronology. At the beginning of his reign, the Hittite Empire had contracted to its core territories, having long since lost all ...

, king of the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing first a kingdom in Kussara (before 1750 BC), then the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom (c. 1750–1650 BC), and next an empire centered on Hattusa in north-centra ...

. Written c. 1550 BC, it helped archeologists to construct a succession of Hittite Kings. It also recounts

Mursili I Mursili I (also known as Mursilis; sometimes transcribed as Murshili) was a king of the Hittites 1620-1590 BC, as per the middle chronology, the most accepted chronology in our times, (or alternatively c. 1556–1526 BC, short chronology), and w ...

's conquest of Babylon. *

Edicts of Ashoka The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire who reigned from 268 BCE to 232 BCE. Ashoka used the exp ...

, by the

Mauryan The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

emperor,

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

, during his reign from 272 BC to 231 BC. * Reform of

Roman Calendar The Roman calendar was the calendar used by the Roman Kingdom and Roman Republic. The term often includes the Julian calendar established by the reforms of the dictator Julius Caesar and emperor Augustus in the late 1stcenturyBC and sometim ...

Julian Calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

, took effect on 1 January AUC 709 (45 BC). *

Edictum perpetuum The Praetor's Edict ''(Edictum praetoris)'' in ancient Roman law was an annual declaration of principles made by the new ''praetor urbanus'' – the elected magistrate charged with administering justice within the city of Rome.Such Edicts were also ...

(129), an Imperial revision of the long-standing

Praetor's Edict The Praetor's Edict ''(Edictum praetoris)'' in ancient Roman law was an annual declaration of principles made by the new ''praetor urbanus'' – the elected magistrate charged with administering justice within the city of Rome.Such Edicts were also ...

, a periodic document which first began under the late

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

(c.509–44 BC). *

Edict on Maximum Prices The Edict on Maximum Prices (Latin: ''Edictum de Pretiis Rerum Venalium'', "Edict Concerning the Sale Price of Goods"; also known as the Edict on Prices or the Edict of Diocletian) was issued in 301 AD by Diocletian. The document denounces mon ...

(301), by Roman Emperor Diocletian. It attempted to reform the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

system of taxation and to stabilize the coinage. *

Edict of Toleration An edict of toleration is a declaration, made by a government or ruler, and states that members of a given religion will not be persecuted for engaging in their religious practices and traditions. The edict implies tacit acceptance of the religion ...

(311), by

Galerius Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus (; 258 – May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sasanian Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across th ...

before his death. This proclamation removed all previous restrictions on the Christian religion, allowing it and all other religions to be practiced throughout the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

. *

Edict of Milan The Edict of Milan ( la, Edictum Mediolanense; el, Διάταγμα τῶν Μεδιολάνων, ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 AD agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Frend, W. H. C. ( ...

(313), by

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...

, and

Licinius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan, AD 313, that granted official toleration to C ...

, the Eastern

tetrarch Tetrarch, Tetrarchs, or Tetrarchy may refer to: * Tetrarchy, the four co-emperors of the Roman Empire instituted by the Emperor Diocletian * Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs - a sculpture of the four co-emperors of the Roman Empire * Herodian Tetrarc ...

. It declared that the

would be neutral with regard to religious worship, officially ending all government-sanctioned religious persecution, especially of Christianity. *

Edict of Paris The Edict of Paris was promulgated 18 October 614 (or perhaps 615) in Paris by Chlothar II, the Merovingian king of the Franks. It is one of the most important royal instruments of the Merovingian period in Frankish history and a hallmark in the ...

(614), by

Clotaire II Chlothar II, sometime called "the Young" (French: le Jeune), (May/June 584 – 18 October 629), was king of Neustria and king of the Franks, and the son of Chilperic I and his third wife, Fredegund. He started his reign as an infant under the r ...

of Neustria. It tried to establish order by standardising the appointment process for public officials across the realm. It guaranteed the nobility their ancient rights, and in this respect has been seen as a French Magna Carta. * Edict of Pistres (864), by Charles the Bald. It reformed the West Franks, West Frankish army and laid the foundations for the famous French chivalry of the High Middle Ages. It also ordered the construction of fortified bridgeheads to deal with Viking raiders. * Edict on the Transfer of the Capital (1010), by Lý Thái Tổ, founder of the Lý dynasty. The capital of Đại Cồ Việt was shifted from Hoa Lư to Đại La as a result. * :zh:建国号诏, Edict on the Proclamation of the Dynastic Name (1271), by Kublai Khan (Emperor Shizu) of the Yuan dynasty of China. The edict promulgated the dynastic title of "Great Yuan", officially established the Yuan dynasty as a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese dynasty, and explicitly claimed political succession from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the Tang dynasty. * Edict of Expulsion (1290), by King Edward I of England. It ordered the expulsion of all Jews from England and the confiscation of their real property. * Diet of Worms, Edict of Worms (1521), by the Diet of Worms, with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V presiding. It declared Martin Luther to be an outlaw and banned the reading or possession of his writings. The edict permitted anyone to kill Luther without legal consequence. * Edict of Saint-Germain (1562), by Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France, in January 1562. It was an edict of toleration that recognized the existence of the Protestants and guaranteed freedom of conscience and private worship. It forbade Huguenot worship within towns (where conflicts flared up too easily), but permitted Protestant synods and session (Presbyterianism), consistories. * Edict of Nantes (1598), by King Henry IV of France. It granted all of the above listings the French Protestants (also known as Huguenots) substantial rights in France, a Catholic nation. * Edict of Restitution (1629), by Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II. It attempted to restore the religious and territorial settlement after the Peace of Augsburg (1555). It forbade the secularization of land and property belonging to the Catholic Church. * Sakoku Edict of 1635, Sakoku Edict (1635), the third of a series issued by Tokugawa Iemitsu, ''shōgun'' of Japan from 1623 to 1651. The Edict of 1635 is considered a prime example of the Japanese desire for isolationism (). This decree is one of the many acts that were written by Iemitsu to eliminate Catholic influence, and enforced strict government rules and regulations to impose these ideas. The Edict of 1635 was written to the two commissioners of Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, a port city located in southwestern Japan. * Edict of Fontainebleau (1685), by Louis XIV of France. It revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598) and ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches. * Sacred Edict of the Kangxi Emperor, Sacred Edict (1670), by the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty of China. Made up of 16 maxims, it served to instruct the average Chinese people of the basic principles of Confucianism. The Sacred Edict was subsequently expanded upon in a separate edict issued by the Yongzheng Emperor in 1724. * A France, French edict by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Finance Minister Colbert (17th century) was intended to improve the quality of cloth. This law declared that if a merchant's cloth was not found to be satisfactory on three occasions, then he was to be tied to a post with the cloth attached to him. * Edict of Toleration (Hawaii), Edict of Toleration (1839), by King Kamehameha III of Kingdom of Hawaii, Hawaii. It allowed for the establishment of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, Catholic Church in Hawaii. * Hatt-ı Hümayun of 1856 (Reform Edict of 1856) by Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I, promised equality in education, government appointments, and administration of justice to all regardless of creed. * Imperial decree of declaration of war against foreign powers, Imperial Decree of the Declaration of War Against Foreign Powers (1900), issued in the name of the Guangxu Emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, declared war against the Russian Empire, the United States, United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Empire of Japan, the French Third Republic, French Republic, the German Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, the Restoration (Spain), Kingdom of Spain, the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the Belgium, Kingdom of Belgium, and the Netherlands simultaneously, which culminated in the Eight-Nation Alliance, Eight-Nation Alliance Invasion. * Imperial Edict of the Abdication of the Qing Emperor (1912), issued in the name of the Puyi, Xuantong Emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, marked the end of the dynasty and 2133 years of imperial rule in China, whilst simultaneously transferred the sovereignty of China (including Manchuria under Qing rule, Manchuria, Mongolia under Qing rule, Mongolia, Xinjiang under Qing rule, Xinjiang, and Tibet under Qing rule, Tibet) to the nascent Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China.

References

{{Authority control Edicts, Sources of law

Notable edicts

See also

References