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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 northern2 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.
KANUNUN KÖKENLERI: ARNAVUT TEAMÜL HUKUKUNUN GELISIMINI KESFETMEK
ÖZET
Lek Gukagin Kanunu bireysel ve kolektif davramslari düzenleyen yüzlerce yillik davranis biçimini olusturmaktadir. Ülkenin teamül hukukunun temel kaynagi olarak ortaya çikan, kuzey alt kültürünün egemen ögesi olan bu Kanun, Amavut diisiincc. inanç ve geleneklerinin tüm alanlarina nüfuz etmistir. Kanun teamül hukukunun belkemigini temsil etmekte ve yüzyillar boyu nesilden nesile sözlü olarak aktanlmaktadir. Böylelikle kuzeyli kabileler arasinda sosyal yapilarin en önemli yönünü belirlemistir. Eski Sirp Imparatorlugu'nun cökiisii ve Osmanlilarin bölgeye gelmesi arasindaki dönemde, cografyanin daglik yapisi nedeniyle bölge halki özgür ve egemen güçlerin kontrolü disinda vasanustir. Bölgenin yüksek kesimlerinde yasayan topluluklarin kendilerini yönetmeleri adina bu Kanun'un yüzyillar boyunca uygulandigi genel kabul görmektedir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Kanun, Osmanli Imparatorlugu, Tarih, Teamül Hukuku, Kan Davalari.
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 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...