Code of Lekë Dukagjini

The Kanun of Lek Dukagjini was named after Lekë Dukagjini (1410–1481), a medieval prince who ruled in northern Albania and codified the customary laws of the highlands.[5] The code was written down in the 19th century by Shtjefën Gjeçovi and partially published in the Hylli i Drites periodical in 1913.[6] The full version appeared only in 1933 after Gjeçovi's death in 1926.[6]

Although researchers of history and customs of Albania usually refer to Gjeçovi's text of the Kanuni as the only existing version which is uncontested and written by Lekë Dukagjini, it was actually incorrect. The text of the Kanuni, often contested and with many different interpretations which significantly evolved since 15th century, was codified and only named by Dukagjini.[7]

Although the laws are attributed to Lekë Dukagjini, the laws evolved over time as a way to bring order to these lands. The Kanun is divided into 12 sections,[8] and Gjeçovi's version has 1,262 articles regulating all aspects of the mountainous life: economic organisation of the household, hospitality, brotherhood, clan, boundaries, work, marriage, land, and so on.[6] The Besa (personal honour, compare with Lat. fides) and nderi (family honour, Lat. honor) are of prime importance throughout the code as the cornerstone of personal and social conduct.[6][9] The Kanun applies to both Christian and Muslim Albanians.[6]

Some of the Kanun's most controversial rules (in particular book 10 section 3) specify how murder is to be handled, which in the past (and sometimes still now) would lead to blood feuds lasting until all men of the two involved families were killed.[10] In situations of murder, tribal law stipulates the principle of koka për kokë (head for a head) where the relatives of the victim are obliged to seek gjakmarrja (blood vengeance).[5] Regarded simply as producers of offspring, women are referred to in a discriminatory manner and not considered worthy targets as such.[10] In some parts of the country, the Kanun resembles the Italian vendetta.[11] These rules resurfaced in the 1990s in Northern Albania, as people had no faith in the powerless local government and police. There are organizations that try to mediate between feuding families and try to get them to "pardon the blood" (Albanian: Falja e Gjakut), but often the only resort is for men of age to stay in their homes, which are considered a safe refuge by the Kanuni, or flee the country. Tribal laws also held that thieves would need to pay fines for the relative amount that was stolen.[5]

Albanian tribes from the Dibra region (known as the "Tigers of Dibra") governed themselves according to the Law of Skanderbeg.[12]

The Albanian Bytyqi, Gashi, Gruda, Trieshi, Hoti, Kastrati, Kelmendi, Krasniqi, Shkrel, and Kuçi tribes are known to follow the Kanuni i Malësisë së Madhë, a variant of the Kanun. Its implementation extends from these tribal regions around Shkodër to the Highlands of Gjakova.[13]

Former communist leader of Albania Enver Hoxha effectively stopped the practice of Kanun with hard repression and a strong state police. After Communism's fall some communities, however, have tried to rediscover the old traditions, but some of their parts have been lost, leading to fears of misinterpretation. In 2014, there were still Albanian families involved in blood feuds.[10][14][15][16][17]

The Albanian Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini contains several customary concepts that have their origins in pagan beliefs, including in particular the ancestor worship, animism and totemism, which date back long before the period of Lekë Dukagjini.[18][19][20] Comparing the Albanian Kanun of the Mountains with the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Japanese scholar Kazuhiko Yamamoto has concluded that the basic ethical concepts of the stateless social structure of the Homeric Age — 'faith', 'honor', 'blood', 'revenge', 'food', and 'guest' — are the same customary concepts of the Albanian tribal society.[21][22]

British anthropologist and writer Edith Durham has suggested that the Albanian Kanun likely dates back to the Bronze Age culture.[23] Other scholars have suggested that it retains elements from Indo-European prehistoric eras.[24] Others further have conjectured that it may derive from ancient Illyrian tribal laws.[25]

• Lekë Dukagjini
• Shtjefën Gjeçovi
• Kanuns of Albania

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit.

• Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit - Wikisource (in Albanian)
• The criminal law in the "Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini"
• G. T. The albanian customary law and the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini: a clash or synergy with modern law
• Elsie, Robert (2001). A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology, and Folk Culture. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-2214-5.