Balkan Araştırma Enstitüsü Dergisi, Cilt/Volume 3, Sayı/Number 2, Aralık/December 2014,

ss. 77-95.

THE ORIGINS OF THE KANUN: EXPLORING THE

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ALBANIAN CUSTOMARY LAW

Mirjona SADIKU

ABSTRACT

The Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini1 constitutes a centuries-old code of behavior,

regulating both individual and collective conduct. Emerging as the primary source
of the country's customary law, the dominant element of northern 2 subculture has
emblematically influenced the entire sphere of Albanian ideas, beliefs and customs.
The code represents the body of traditional law and has been orally transmitted from
generation to generation, resisting in an unwritten version throughout the centuries
and governing the most important aspects of the social structures among northern
tribes. In the period between the collapse of Old Serbian Empire and the arrival of
the Ottomans, the population of this area was free and uncontrolled and the peculiar
mountainous territory was out of reach for the dominants. The code has been
generally accepted for many centuries as a self-adjusting rule applied in the
administration of the highland communities.

Keywords: Kanun, Ottoman Empire, History, Customary Law, Blood feuds.


University of Sarajevo and University of Bologna, E-mail: mirjona.sadiku@gmail.com.
1
The Kanun of Lek Dukagjini developed in the geographical zone of Dukagjin, a
mountainous region in Eastern part of Shkodër. It embraces nearby areas such as Lezhë,
Miriditë, Shalë, Shosh, Nikaj and the western plain of current Kosovo. The codification of
the tribal law is attributed to Lekë Dukagjini (1410-1481), a prince and chieftain from a noble
tribe, who ruled north Albania during the fifteenth century. See Elsie Robert, Historical
Dictionary of Albania, Scarecrow Press, Lanham 2010.
2
Albanians are divided in two different ethnic groups: the Ghegs and the Tosks, characterized
by a distinguishable dialect and a diverse collective organization. This division is essentially
related to geographical obstructions such as the Shkumbi River; the tribal and mountainous
Ghegs are located in its north, while the Tosk live in the flatland areas of river’s south and
supported themselves mainly through agricultural activities. See Miranda Vickers, The
Albanians: A Modern History, LB.Tauris & Co Ltd, London 1999, p.5.

77
 MİRJONA SADIKU

KANUNUN KÖKENLERİ: ARNAVUT TEAMÜL

HUKUKUNUN GELİŞİMİNİ KEŞFETMEK

ÖZET

Lek Gukagin Kanunu bireysel ve kolektif davranışları düzenleyen yüzlerce

yıllık davranış biçimini oluşturmaktadır. Ülkenin teamül hukukunun temel kaynağı
olarak ortaya çıkan, kuzey alt kültürünün egemen öğesi olan bu Kanun, Arnavut
düşünce, inanç ve geleneklerinin tüm alanlarına nüfuz etmiştir. Kanun teamül
hukukunun belkemiğini temsil etmekte ve yüzyıllar boyu nesilden nesile sözlü
olarak aktarılmaktadır. Böylelikle kuzeyli kabileler arasında sosyal yapıların en
önemli yönünü belirlemiştir. Eski Sırp İmparatorluğu’nun çöküşü ve Osmanlıların
bölgeye gelmesi arasındaki dönemde, coğrafyanın dağlık yapısı nedeniyle bölge
halkı özgür ve egemen güçlerin kontrolü dışında yaşamıştır. Bölgenin yüksek
kesimlerinde yaşayan toplulukların kendilerini yönetmeleri adına bu Kanun’un
yüzyıllar boyunca uygulandığı genel kabul görmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Kanun, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu, Tarih, Teamül Hukuku, Kan

Davaları.

Introduction

Deeply interwoven in the events of Albanian history,3 Kanun’s

provisions have forged the existential principles among northern Albanians,4
determining all the dispositions and the essential values in the organization
of tribal life.5 The influxes of the Kanun found their breeding ground in the
north; however due to the limited extension of Albanian territory, the south
of the country was not spare from its influence where the Kanuni i

3
The survival of Kanun during Ottoman occupation expresses the perseverance of the self-
rule among northern clans, free from the control of invaders and from the externally imposed
restraints on their social organization.
4
Northern Albania is a highly mountainous region, bordering on the Adriatic only for a
restricted seaside area and characterized by plentiful abysses. The tribal life of the population
was based on three fundamental components: the family, brotherhood and the clan or the fis.
This kind of organizational structure persisted in the region, until it was dismantled by the
communist regime. See: Kazuhiko Yamamoto, The Ethical Structure of the Kanun and its
Cultural Implications, printed in the United States of America, 2005, p.16.
5
Villari defines the highland tribes as a small aristocratic republic. It is ruled by the chief or
voivoda and the bajraktar with the support of the elderly council. See Salvatore Villari, Le
consuetudini giuridiche dell’Albania nel Kanun di Lek Dukagjin, Società editrice del libro
italiano, Roma 1940, p.18.

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Skenderbeut (The Kanun of Skenderbeu), another variation of the code, was

observed. Two expressions refer to the highland customary law: ‘Kanuni i
Lekës’, and ‘Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit’ and both of them allude to the
highlander prince. In this direction, it’s significant to notice the indication
from a Venetian journeyer in the 16th century Albania. In his travel notes, he
defined the mountainous area over the Mat River as Dukagjin, while the
other side as ‘the area between the river Drin and Mat’. From his statement,
it can be deduced that the Dukagjin included all the northern mountainous
areas, inhabited by catholic Albanians who were free to maintain their
customs and religion.6 In present day Albania, despite the legal penal code,
the highland population has remained aware of many Kanun’s provisions
and respects certain prescripts attributable to it.

As Father Gjergj Fishta noticed in the introduction to the Kanun, it

is hard to define exactly the area in which the Kanun was observed.7
Generally speaking the code had a legal value among the “Lekë”, so among
the highlanders near the city of Shkodër and in the Dukagjin region that
included the areas of Shala, Shosh, Pukë, Iballë, Mirditë, Malësia and
Lezhë. The specific characteristics of the mountainous area encouraged the
implementation of the code. The preservation of independence and
traditional customs was therefore related to the impenetrability of the region,
as Durham pointed out, “the mountain tribesman has never been more than
nominally conquered, empires pass over him and run off like water from a
duck's back.”8 Although the Ottomans dominated the country for almost five
centuries9, in the northern area their control was limited only to the main
villages. Margaret Hasluck observed that in cases of reprisal offensives, the
territories were hard to control as a result of the retreat of the population in
insidious internal shelters up to the withdrawal of invaders.10 Moreover, as a
consequence of their limited fortune, all the goods were easily transportable
with them. In case of administrators sent by the Turkish central government,

6
Tonin Çobani, Princi i përfolur Lekë Dukagjini [The argued prince Lekë Dukagjini],
Lisitan, Tiranë 2003, p. 21.
7
Gjergj Fishta, “Introduction” in Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit, by Shtjefën Gjeçovi, Kuvendi,
Tiranë 2001, XXVI.
8
Mary Edith Durham, High Albania, Edward Arnold, London 1909.
9
From 1430 till 28th November 1912, when Albania declared its independence.
10
Margaret Haluck, author of The Unwritten Law of Albania, was a nineteenth century writer
who lived and traveled in Albania for more than thirteen years between the 1920s and 30s.
The long sojourn in the northern part of the country provided her a deep knowledge of
Albanian culture and folklore.

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the tribes defended themselves by using fire. Hence the Ottomans had no
other choice but to leave the Ghegs uncontrolled and free to self-rule.11 In
addition to that, there wasn’t any connecting infrastructure within the
highland area. The northern mountaineers managed to remain autonomous
from central government thanks to the impervious soil and to their fighting
and combative attitude towards invaders. The highland tribes succeeded in
avoiding external interference thanks to “the mountains in which they live
prove to be a true refuge, difficult of access, conservative in every sense”.12

1. The Kanun Throughout The History

Throughout Albanian history in fact highland tribes had little contact

with the rest of the country. They established their own culture and
developed their distinctive way of doing things, rejecting foreign dominion.
Among northern Albanian tribes, Kanun’s prescripts replaced state
enforcement creating a specific system of values, institutions, patterns of
interactions and customs. In other words, the highland tribal society was not
a lawless community; contrarily they were regulated by Kanun’s provisions,
which governed everything in people’s lives from the cradle to the grave.
Kadare observes the ascendancy and the imposition of the Kanun: “The
Kanun was stronger than it seemed. Its power reached everywhere, covering
lands, the boundaries of fields; it made its way into the foundations of
houses, into tombs, to churches, to roads, to markets, to weddings”.13

During the Turkish occupation although the highland area was self-
governed according to customary law, it coexisted with the bodies of the
Ottoman rule. In the areas dominated by Turkish administrators, like in
Dukagjin, an agreement took place between the local population and
Ottoman invaders.14 The Turkish government recognized the local
customary also because it covered some areas of the legislative field which
were not subject to the Islamic law. In the city of Shkodër, a special office
named Gibal15 was involved in the resolutions of conflicts taking place in

11
Margaret Hasluck, The Unwritten Law of Albania, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
1954, p. 9.
12
Carleton Coon, The Mountains of Giants: A Racial and Cultural Study of the North
Albanian Mountain Ghegs, Peabody Museum, Cambridge 1950, p.9.
13
Ismail Kadare, Broken April, Vintage Classics, London 2003, p. 27.
14
Martin Camaj, “Foreword” in Gjeçov Shtjefën, The Code of Lekë Dukagjini, trans. by
Leonard Fox, Gjonlekaj Publishing Company, New York 1989, XIII.
15
“Gibal” (dağ) in Turkish language indicates the mountain.

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the mountains. Instituted between 1856 and 1858 by Mustafa Pasha, the
special court represented a judicial commission which functioned according
to the prescripts of Albanian customary law and its establishment implied
the Turkish recognition of Kanun as a source of law. Each Gibal had a
representative, called “bölükbaşı”, appointed by the Turkish government.16
However the commission did not alter the relationship between the
highlanders and the central government; which did not increase its
interference in the mountainous region. The highland area remained self-
administered without any external Turkish intervention, while the big cities
and the villages (non-mountainous areas) were governed by the Ottoman
Sharia.17 Oral tradition ascribed the paternity of the Kanun to Lekë
Dukagjini, even though there are no evidences to prove his authorship.

The determination of the period to which the Kanun belongs is a key

element for an accurate understanding of the code. In the first part of the 15th
century, Albania was fighting both Ottomans and the Venetians and in that
stage the highland tribes played a fundamental role in the relations with
European states. Villari attributes the authorship of the Kanun to Lekë
Dukagjini, he advances the hypothesis that, as a consequence of the wartime
moment, the prince Lekë Dukagjini considered necessary to assemble a code
of conduct for his tribes.18 According to Hasluck, Dukagjini “framed the
laws by which the mountaineers still live. More probably, like Solon of
Athens, he revised and codified existing laws, though apparently without
setting them down on paper. Numerous items in his code resemble those
known among the Romans and other ancient peoples, and in the versions we
have there are many signs of evolution from earlier forms”.19 Did Lekë
Dukagjini elaborated the laws or his contribution is limited only to its
collection and diffusion? The discussion in this direction is still open since
the absence of written evidences makes difficult the attribution of Kanun's
origin. However, the code has been stored in the memory of the people, who
transmitted its values from generation to generation and behaved ‘as Leka
said’. Different scholars have collocated the origin of tribal law in various
historical periods. For some authors (Camaj, Fox), the code can be dated
back to Illyrian times; while according to others, (Valentini) it is
characterized by Indo-European prehistoric factors. Durham has attributed

16
Durham, op.cit., p. 24.
17
Villari, op.cit., p. 50.
18
Ibidem, p.14.
19
Hasluck, op.cit., p. 13.

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its origin to the Bronze Age. Undoubtedly Dukagjini contributed with the
arrangement of the orally transmitted prescripts; however, as Vickers
explains, the norms date from very long before and are connected with
ancient Illyrians, ancestors of modern Albanians.20 The association to
Illyrian elements appears to be convincingly, since the precursors of
Albanians were free to apply their customary norms if they did not contrast
with Roman laws. Moreover the code presents some affinities with the
traditional norms of Homeric Greece, which collocates its origins before the
migrations of Indo-Europeans.21

In addition to this, similarities between the Kanun and other codes

spread in the Balkan Peninsula have been pointed out. The Albanian
historian Hoti notes that the Slavic literature describes the Kanun as adopted
from the Zakonik of Stefan Dushani; however the professor sustains that the
code was formulated by Illyrians and partially influenced by some pre-
roman institutions. Therefore the code resisted throughout the Roman,
Byzantine, Bulgarian and Serbian domination.22 Moreover, there are
analogies between the prescripts of the Kanun and the customs described in
the Manava Dharma Satra or Laws of Manu23 that make think about their
same derivation. The Kanun shares also some common elements such as the
hospitality principle and the blood feuds with the Caucasian code.

From an etymological point of view, the word Kanun derives from

Greek “κανών” indicating any straight rod, bar, rule, or standard of
excellence. In ancient Greek, the ‘mastar’ suggested the straight edge useful
for drawing orderly lines. The terms indicate the rule and the law, which
represent the fundamental components for a good administration. The
association to the straight rod denotes the integrity and moral rectitude of
Kanun and its intention of maintaining order in the uncontrolled Albanian
mountainous region. In Arabic it has been associated with the set of laws
and codes. In the Ottoman Empire the word indicated the regulations of
20
Vickers, op.cit, p. 5.
21
Fatos Tarifa, “Of Time, Honor and Memory: Oral Law in Albania”, Oral Tradition, Vol.
23, No.1, 2008, available at http://journal.oraltradition.org/issues/23i/tarifa, (Last accessed 31
October 2014).
22
Buran Hoti, “Albanian opposition against the medieval kingdom of Serbia and the laws in
Zakonik of Stefan Dushani” in Kanun and the Law, Center for Justice and Peace, Shkodër
1999, p. 113.
23
The volumes of the Hindu law, divided in twelve books and dealing with the organization
of social life. See Leonard Fox, “Introduction” in Gjeçov Shtjefën, The Code of Lekë
Dukagjini, trans. by Leonard Fox, Gjonlekaj Publishing Company, New York 1989, XVI.

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provincial governments in the financial, administrative and penal field. The

term has been transmitted to Albanian language subsequently to the
Ottoman occupation. Originally, the Albanian word used to connote the
customary law was doke, from the verb dukem (to appear). Therefore, the
term indicated the set of norms that pointed out how to behave.24 As Hasluck
reported through the words of Professor H.A.R. Gibb, “the Greek word was
very early incorporated into Arabic as qanun, pl. qawanin.

The Islamic jurists adopted it to designate an administrative

regulation, as distinct from the revealed law (Sharì’a) and many centuries
later the Ottoman Sultans adopted it as the designation of their legislative
prescripts”.25 The Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini is not the only Albanian code of
customary code. There are other similar versions of the traditional law and
almost every region had its own collection of laws, such as Kanuni i vjetër
(The old Kanun) the most ancient which functioned in Illyrian times,
Kanuni i Çermenikës (The Kanun of Çermenikë), Kanuni i Papa Zhulit, (the
Kanun of Papa Zhuli), Kanuni i Labërisë (The Kanun of Labëria)26 practiced
in the southern region and in the city of Vlorë and Kanuni i Skenderbeut
(Kanun of Skanderbeg), in use in the princedom of Skenderbeu, known also
as Kanuni i Arbërisë (Kanun of Arbëria).27 Although the Kanun of Lekë
Dukagjini is not the only variant of customary law that circulates in Albania,
the analysis focuses only on this version, which represents the most accurate
and complete codification. Moreover, this version of the code is the most
well-known and practiced in the northern area.

2. The Oral Codification of Lekë Dukagjini

Lekë Dukagjini (1410-1481) was an enigmatic prince living in the

15th century and contemporary of the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti

24
Ibidem, p. XV.
25
Hasluck, op.cit., p.14.
26
The oral tradition has connected the Kanun of Laberia with Papa Zhuli, the founder of
Zhulat village (the today city of Gjirokastër). Between 1840 and 1850 in Zhulat was held the
assembly of Laberia and some modifications were introduced to the Kanun of Papa Zhuli.
27
This canon, an alternative to the Kanun of the mountains, circulated in the area under the
influence of Skenderebeu's princedom; such as : Diber, Mat, Kruje, Kurbin, Bende, Tomadhe
and Martanesh. The verbally transmitted culture attributes the code to the figure of
Skanderbeu, who implemented some changes in the old customary right, taking into
consideration the economic conditions and the social demands in the wartime against the
Ottoman invaders. See Albanian Accademy of Sciences, Fjalor Enciklopedik Shqiptar [The
Albanian Encyclopedic Dictionary], Tiranë: Kristalina-KH, 2008.

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Skenderbeu (1405-1468). His impressive contribution consisted in

collecting the orally transmitted norms and in accomplishing them in the
regions controlled by himself. Shtjefën Gjecovi in the written codification of
the Kanun presents some accounts about Dukagjini’s life, however until the
present day there are no distinct biographic volumes about northern prince’s
life. For this reason, historians and scholars interested in this mysterious
figure, rely mainly on the sources dealing with Skenderbeg. Therefore, all
those who have written about the Albanian national hero, gave also
important contributions about Dukagjini’s role. Marin Barleti (1450-1512),
one of the most important Albanian writers and biographer of Skenderbeu,
described the relations between the two as conflicting because of the
hostility among Skenderbeu and Venetians. Çobani defines Lekë Dukagjini
as one of the allies of Skanderbeg and as an independent and authoritarian
prince. He played an active role in many situations such as in Lezha’s
covenant of 1444, in the resistance against Ottomans alongside Skenderbeu
and in substituting him after his death as commander of Albanian army.28

There are different hypothesis about the predecessors of prince Lekë

and his family. The Dukagjin family has ancient origins and its derivation
has even been related to the city of Troy.29 According to Villari, the ancestor
of the Dukagjin’s established himself in the Zadrima plain and their
successors exercised the power in the northern-eastern part of Shkodër and
Lezhë.30 As Fox reports in the introduction to the Kanun, some scholars
have presumed a Western European31 origin, while according to other
studies the family was autochthon of Albania.32 However, Lekë is presented
as the last hereditary prince of the rich Dukagjini family; after the Ottoman
conquest of Albania, the aristocratic structure disappeared and was
substituted by the clan structure. The history of the Dukagjin region is
related to the province of Pul, mentioned for the first time in Byzantine
sources in 877. The territory was called Pult and it extended in the areas of
Shkodër, Pukë and Prizren. Pult, described as a village with 727 houses, was
included in the lists of provinces not subject to Turkish rule till 1630. After
the Turkish occupation, Pulti-denomination disappeared and turned into

28
Çobani, op.cit., p. 13.
29
Villari, op.cit., p.13.
30
Ibidem.
31
The “duc” suffix of Dukagjin is a Western suffix that could indicate a foreign origin of the
family.
32
Fox, op.cit.

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Dukagjin.33

After Dukagjini’s codification, the Kanun was commonly followed

and accepted in the whole northern region. As Hasluck observed, “Lekë
Dukagjini framed the laws by which the mountaineers still live, revisiting
and codifying the existing laws, although in an unwritten version”.34 Thanks
to his contribution, the northern tribes didn’t allow any external influence to
affect their beliefs and managed to preserve their own social structures and
cultural values from Ottomans. As a result of the freedom permitted by
Turkish occupiers, the northern tribes were autonomous and free to organize
their social life according to their customary law. The invaders didn’t
proceed in the impervious mountainous area. The tribes were equipped with
weapons and the power of chieftains was extremely high among the
population. Northern tribes firmly observed the normative prescripts
contained in the Kanun and every action was conducted to Lekë Dukagjini
and to his words.

The Kanun had a primary importance in daily practices, to such a

degree that it was more relevant than the provisions of the Church and the
Islamic precepts: “The teachings of Islam and of Christianity, the Sharia and
Church law, all have to yield to the Canon of Lek[…] For all their habits,
laws, and customs, the people, as a rule, have but one explanation: it is in
the Canon of Lek”.35 There are few historical information about his
relationship with Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeu. At that time, before the
Ottoman occupation, Albania was constituted by many principalities. In
order to face the Turkish enemy, Skenderbeu managed to unify all the
principalities into a single center. The prince Lekë is mentioned in
Skenderbeu’s biography and described as a courageous prince of medieval
time. Sometimes they are described as friends and allies fighting side by
side against Ottomans, while others like rivals and opponents. Both of them
were controlling different areas of the country. Lekë was ruling the area of
Dukagjini, with the city of Lezhë as the main center, imposing his rule in the
region of Zadrima, in other areas near Shkodër and Prizren. Skenderbeu was
ruling the princedom of Kastrioti, constituted by the region of Mat and
Dibra, with Kruja as its center.

33
Voc Deda, Thesare Dukagjinase, Camaj-Pipa, Shkodër 2004, p. 30.
34
Hasluck, op.cit., p.13.
35
Durham, op.cit., p. 25.

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After the Ottoman invasion of Albania in 1430, Lekë Dukagjini lost

the control of many areas and even his own residence; for this reason he was
forced to seek refuge in the highland region. He assured to the northern
tribes a high level of autonomy and independence on their social structures
and organization by officially recognizing the several Councils of Elders in
the region. It was approximately in this period that the Kanun was
formulated, when Lekë Dukagjini was directing the local assemblies and the
committees of Elders. It was precisely in that context, that Lekë’s opinions
and considerations, which later constituted the body of Kanun, were
acquired and stared to be practiced through generations. There is little more
historical information about Lekë Dukagjini; Hasluck describes him as an
acute and temperamental figure, able to implement the unwritten law
through his discipline and character. Until his death in 1481, Lekë Dukagjini
led northern Albanians in their anti-Ottoman resistance for at least 12 years
after Skenderbeu’s death and gave up only after the invaders consented on
recognizing the local customary law; after that he escaped to Hungary.36
Controversies arouse about his burial place; according to Resta,37 Dukagjini
died in Ragusa in 1479 after the Ottoman invasion of the northern region,
while Albanian historical sources don’t report any evidences about the
dynamics concerning his death.

3. The Contribution of Shjefën Gjeçovi

Albanians referred to an unwritten version of the Kanun till 1933,

when the code was codified and published by Shtjefën Konstantin Gjeçovi
(1874-1929), one of the most well-known personalities of Albanian
literature. Gjergj Fishta collaborated with Gjeçovi while he was assembling
the customary law. Considering the relevance of Gjecovi’s written
codification, in the introduction to the Kanun, Fishta observed that he
“provided his nation with a desirable service”38 that would contribute to the
conservation of Albanian spirit and character. The author was a Franciscan
priest and in his activities as a researcher, he collected parts of Albanian
folklore, wrote poetry, prose and drama, and made many important studies
on ethno-Albanian culture. Gjeçovi worked for more than 30 years for the
written version of the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjin, his most relavant work.
Form 1898 till his death in 1929 he published several sections of the
36
Hasluck, op.cit., p. 14.
37
Patizia Resta, Il Kanun di Lek Dukagjini: Le basi morali e giuridiche della società
Albanese, Besa editrice, Lecce 2000, p. 153.
38
Fishta, op.cit.

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customary law, but the final work was published only posthumously. Father
Gjeçovi collected the available information concerning the unwritten law
and already in 1898 and 1899 published some parts of it in on the periodical
Albania, directed by Faik bey Konitza.

Other segments of the content of Kanun were published in the

periodical created by Franciscan priests of the city of Shkodra, Hylli i
Dritës, from 1913 to 1924. Since he was a child, Gjeçovi initiated a
theological education, firstly attending the religious college in Lezhë and
then continuing his education in Albania (Shkodër) and in Bosnia
Herzegovina, and then he joined the Franciscan order in 1888. Gjevoçi was
a great explorer of Albanian ethnology. The compiler of the written version
of the Kanun, demonstrated a great nationalist zeal by teaching Albanian
language and culture. As a priest, he came back to live in northern Albania
where he worked as a teacher and collected folk material about the
mountainous tribes, such as traditional songs and dances, fairy tales, myths
and legends. Gjecovi took an active role in the uprisings of Kurbin in 1906
and his nationalistic activities placed him in dangerous position with Serbs,
who considered him as an enemy. Gjecovi’s political activities were in the
defense of Albanian people and the priest fought Serb nationalistic policies
addressed against Albanian population. As Dodaj noted, his commitment on
the behalf of Albanian culture can be noticed from his endorsement of
Kurbini’s local laws.39 After the end of the Balkan Wars in 1912-1913 when
Kosovo Vilayet was separated from Albania and given to Serbia, Gjecovi
was a priest in Zym, near Prizren. In 1929, after being threatened several
times by the Serbian police, Gjecovi was killed on his way back from
Prizren to Zym. Subsequently to his death, the Franciscan priests assembled
the remaining materials and published the code under his name in 1933.
Venerated as a martyr among his compatriots, Gjeçovi’s enormous
contribution in the transmission of the code and in the preservation of its
original content is considered as inestimable.

4. The Kanun During the Reign of King Zog

The Kanun didn’t restrict its relevance only to Ottoman times; the
influence of the ancient system of customary law was outstanding also
during King Zog’s rule and throughout the forty years of communist regime.

39
Paolo Dodaj, Codice di Lek Dukagjini ossia diritto consuetudinario delle montagne
d’Albania, Roma Reale Accademia d'Italia, Roma 1941, p. 7.

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After the 1914–18 war, Albania was badly administrated, the connections
were inadequate and without a strong central state, the highland
communities persisted the self-ruling strategy. Hasluck explains that
immediately after the war, the communities were characterized by two main
components: the family and the tribe. Within this framework, the member of
the families were in close contact with each other; if an offense was made to
one of the components, then all the members considered themselves as
injured. As a consequence, the whole community might respond to the
offender. In case of murder, “eye for eye” logic took place; even though
sometimes happened that the conflict was solved by the payment of a certain
amount of money or by the exclusion of the guilty from the community.40

The monarchy was proclaimed on November 1928 with Ahmet

Zogu as king. The state establishment was funded on the statue of December
1928 and other complementary laws. A civil and criminal code, similar to
the western versions, was approved as well. The criminal code prohibited
blood feud and revenge killings. During the monarchic years, rule and order
progressed considerably and remarkable efforts were made to eradicate the
phenomenon of revenge killings. In the northern area, the clergy and priest
played a significant role in the reduction of the phenomenon by the
reconciliation of families involved in blood feuds. In addition to this, the
kingdom legislation considerably improved the safety of the citizens' life.
The implementation of the campaign against the weapons considerably
decreased of murders. Several policies were implemented in order to enforce
legal order and these efforts resulted also in a significant de-escalation of
revenge killings. King Zog managed to enlarge his control in remote areas
of Albania thanks to investments in infrastructure. New roads were built
during his rule; the infrastructural development helped not only to improve
communication but also to increment the abolition of banditry and blood
feuds. Intentioned on modernizing Albania, the King thought that the law
execution was a necessary condition to achieve development. Thus, he
managed to control revenge killings and outlawed the holding of weapons to
civilians. Only his Mati tribe41 and the inhabitants of Mirditë were allowed
keep arms. As Vickers noted, “by 1936 the prefect of the Mati valley told
one traveler that whereas he used to have at least one vendetta murder a
week in his valley, now the average was only one in six weeks”.42 According

40
Hasluck, op.cit., p. 381.
41
Mat is an area in the northern-central region of Albania.
42
Vickers, op.cit., p. 135.

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THE ORIGINS OF THE KANUN: EXPLORING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ALBANIAN
CUSTOMARY LAW

to the research of Shala,43 throughout the five years of fascist occupation,

33% of 872 murders have been attributed to blood feud motivation.
However, the analysis shows a reduction of blood feud killings if compared
to the total number of general murders.

The decrease is explained on the basis of two historical

explanations: first of all it should be considered the harshness of the fascist
legislation that didn't leave any space for self-justice. Moreover, the efforts
made by Albanians in remaining united against the Fascist enemy and in
refraining from killing each other, produced concrete results. In order to
avoid the loss of other compatriots, Albanians rejected blood feuds and
resorted to reconciliation processes. As a consequence, the freed areas were
characterized by a limited number of murders while in the territories
occupied by the enemy revenge killings remained widespread and they were
frequently incited by the invaders. Elezi observes the inclination of the
national liberation councils towards blood reconciliation, “in the resolution
of Peze’s Conference, 16 September 1942, the national councils were
required to fight the crimes and to mediate blood feuds, especially as long as
the occupier is in our country”, while the councils’ statute of 1943 reports
that “the national liberation councils are entitled to fight against revenge
killings”.44 The author concludes that the anti-blood feud strategy
throughout fascist occupation significantly reduced revenge killings; in 1944
there were only 745 murders for revenge across Albania.46

5. The Kanun Under the Communist Rule

With the communist seizure of power various changes were

implemented in the legislative field. The party of Enver Hoxha prohibited
the practice of the Kanun. During the communist period (1944–1991) the
number of killings for revenge was reduced evidently, thanks to the
implementation of policies and the impact of laws against revenge killings
and general murders. The adoption of a new constitution, the establishment

43
Xhavit Shala, Blood Feuds and National Security, Albanian Center for National Security
Studies, 11 February 2003, available at http://www.acnss.com/ ang/st /pdf/2/
blood%20feud%20and%20national%20security.pdf, (Last accessed 31 October 2014).
44
Ismet Elezi, Vrasjet për hakmarrje e për gjakmarrje në Shqipëri, (Tiranë Qendra Shqiptare
për të Drejtat e Njeriut 2000), p. 53.
45
The data refer only to the murders senteced by the courts; while the number of undetected
killings remains unknown.
46
Ibidem, p. 54.

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 MİRJONA SADIKU

of public order throughout the whole territory, the economic development,

the higher levels of education and the application of death penalty to the
perpetrators of the murders, rapidly decreased the sphere of Kanun’s
influence.

Enver Hoxha defined blood feud as a legacy of feudalism and

officially outlawed the use of the Kanun. Tribal law was considered by the
regime as a huge obstacle to the creation of a real communist state. To fight
the backward customs, new schools were built in rural areas, energy was
provided to the population and order was established through strict
governmental policies. The communist party implemented a strong
propaganda aimed at eliminating the habits related to the customary law and
who referred to the Kanun as a code for the resolution of conflict, was
severely condemned. The communist leader considered the Kanun as “the
black spider of backwardness”47 and every action connected with it became
condemnable. In order to remove the social backwardness, the regime
improved the educational system in undeveloped areas and interned people
who followed Kanun’s norms, considering them as betrayers of the nation.

The communist regime tried also to reform marriage, a central topic

in the Kanun. Enver Hoxha transformed the rules related to the choice of the
partner. As a first step, he decreased the marriage ban among blood related
couples from seven generations to three. Moreover, he encouraged love
matches, by supporting young people in showing their emotions without
reserve. As De Waal wrote, “On the very rare occasion when a couple
married for love, or married in spite of fictive kinship ties, Enver Hoxha
would personally write them a letter of congratulations, praising those
involved for braking out of the bonds of backwardness.”48 A strong
propaganda against the Kanun related values was implemented during
communist time which harshly punished the Kanun’s practices. Hoxha
considered the code as a primitive set of laws and prohibited its use;
therefore the murders in the name of Kanun and in the preservation of the
honor were severely punished. If somebody committed a murder and
explained it on Kanun basis, he would have been sentenced to death and his
family persecuted.

47
See Clarissa De Waal, Albania Today: A Portrait of Post-Communist Turbulence,
I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd., London 2005, p.73.
48
Ibidem, p. 81.

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CUSTOMARY LAW

In 1967 Albania was proclaimed the first atheist nation of the world
and all faiths and traditions were outlawed. The same happened to the
customary law, which was banned and northern tribes eliminated.49 The
regime’s opposition towards blood feuds was reflected in the judicial
practices. Elezi reports about a Supreme Court decision of 20 May 1946
according to which “revenge, this antiquated custom damages our civilized
society (...) Individual are private justice are not allowed; only the state
exercises justice through its impartial courts”. According to another decision
of the court, “the anti-social habits such as revenge will be punished without
mercy.”50 The criminal codes of 1952 and 1977 envisaged death penalty for
the convicted and the deportation of families for the individuals involved in
blood feuds.

The communist fight against Kanun led to a significant decrease of

revenge killings. 872 general murders were accomplished in the period
1946-50; 17% of them (153 out of 872) have been classified as revenge
killings. As it can be noticed from table 1, 48% of the murders in the
considered years were concentrated in the city of Shkodër.

City Revenge and blood feud killings

Tiranë 32
Vlorë 1
Shkodër 67
Korçë 13
Elbasan 19
Gjirokastër 3
Durrës 15
Berat 0
Total 153

Table 1: Geographical distribution of revenge and blood feud

49
Jana Arsovska, Social Confusion on the Road to Modernity: The Meaning of Violence and
Crime in Ethnic Albanian Context, (CERGE-EI GDN Project, June 2007), 235, available at
https://iweb.cergeei.cz/pdf/gdn/RRCVI_54_pap er_01.pdf, (Last accessed 31 October 2014).
50
Elezi, op.cit., p. 56.

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killings51

Due to the communist state law enforcement, the number of revenge

murders significantly decreased throughout the regime years. Shala reports
some data concerning the period.52 From 1951 to 1955, 13.5 % (37 out of
274 general murders) resulted as blood feud killings, 0.01% in the period
1956-60 (2 cases out of 180) and 0.018% refers to 1961-65 (3 murders out
of 161). From 1966 to 1982 blood feuds disappeared as phenomenon, while
few cases emerged again from 1983 as a consequence of the subsequent
economic decline.

Interval of Years % of blood feuds compared to total

murders
1946-1950 17.5%
1951-1955 13.5%
1955-1960 1.1%
1961-1965 1.8%
Year
1983 5%
1984 0%
1985 0%
1986 0%
1987 8%
1988 0%
1989 8%
1990 10%
1991 18%

Table 2: Blood feud killings compared to general murders53

51
Ismet Elezi, Murders for blood feuds and revenge in Albania, Albanian Center of Human
Rights, Tiranë 2000, p. 55.
52
Shala, op.cit., p. 7.
53
Ibidem.

92 BAED 3/2, (2014), 77-95.

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CUSTOMARY LAW

Conclusion

The purpose of the current analysis has been to explore the origin of
the Kanun, the Albanian code of customary law, and to analysis its impact
throughout different historical moments. Firstly the etymology and the
geographical collocation of the code in the northern area have been
explained, and then a review of its status during the Ottoman Empire
followed. Specific attention is paid to the application of the code in the
northern and mountainous areas, free from the Turkish intervention. The
contributions of the Albanian prince Lekë Dukagjini (1410-1481) in
collecting the oral circulation of the code, and of its first author, Shtjefën
Gjecovi in assembling the written codification of the Kanun norms have also
been included. Afterwards, the approach applied during the monarchic years
was explored. In an effort to modernize Albania, King Zogu implemented
several policies, aimed also at reducing blood feuds. The complete ban on
Kanun’s usage was established in communist times leading to a significant
decrease of revenge killings. Enver Hoxha highly condemned the customary
law, considering its application as an expression of backwardness. In
conclusion, the analysis shows the relevant influence of the code in the
construction of Albanian identity, considering its persistence throughout
centuries stemming from its role in the organization of tribal life.

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