Originating in ancient Roman law, rei vindicatio served as a legal mechanism for property owners to reclaim their possessions. Under this action, a plaintiff could demand that a defendant return an item that belonged to the plaintiff, provided the plaintiff held ownership and the defendant was wrongfully impeding possession.
This legal remedy was derived from the ius civile, meaning it was exclusively accessible to Roman citizens. If the property in question could not be recovered, or if the owner sought further redress, other personal actions could be pursued, such as the actio furti for punishment, the condictio furtiva for damages, or the actio legis Aquiliae for compensation.
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