The Kanun — the medieval code that still echoes in modern Albania
Codified by Lekë Dukagjini in the 15th century, the Kanun governed family, honour, marriage and blood feuds in the Albanian highlands for half a millennium. Its echoes are still detectable today.
The Kanun (or Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit) is one of Europe's most fascinating customary law systems. It regulated everything from how a guest must be received (besa — sacred hospitality), to inheritance, marriage age, blood feud rules (gjakmarrja) and the building of houses.
Why it mattered
In the highlands of northern Albania, where Ottoman rule was patchy at best, the Kanun filled the legal vacuum. Even Ottoman governors deferred to it for highland affairs.
What survived
The blood feud system was largely dismantled by communism but resurfaced briefly in the 1990s. Besa — sacred guest-hospitality — is alive and well; you'll feel it when a stranger refuses to let you pay for coffee.
Where to learn more
The Lock-in Tower (Kulla e Ngujimit) in Theth is a small museum dedicated to the Kanun era. The book Broken April by Ismail Kadare is the literary masterpiece on the subject.