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The earliest known mention of Albanian writings comes from a French Catholic church document from 1332. Written either by archbishop Guillaume Adam or the monk Brocardus Monacus the report notes that Licet Albanenses aliam omnino linguam a latina habeant et diversam, tamen litteram latinam habent in usu et in omnibus suis libris. Scholars warn that this could mean Albanians also wrote in the Latin language, not necessarily just Albanian with a Latin script. The history of the later Albanian alph

The modern Latin-based Albanian alphabet is the result of long evolution. Before the creation of the unified alphabet, Albanian was written in several different alphabets, with several sub-variants

Fundamental terms that define Albanian tribal structure are shared by all regions. Some terms may be used interchangeably with the same semantic content and other terms have a different content depending on the region. No uniform or standard classification exists as societal structure showed variance even within the same general area. The term fis is the central concept of Albanian tribal structure. The fis is a community whose members are linked to each other as kin through the same patrilineal

The northern Albanian tribes are fiercely proud of the fact that they have never been completely conquered by external powers, in particular by the Ottoman Empire. This fact is raised on the level of historical and heritage orthodoxy among the members of the tribes. In the 18th century the Ottomans instituted the system of bajrak military organization in northern Albania and Kosovo. From the Ottoman perspective, the institution of the bajrak had multiple benefits. Although it recognized a semi-a

Northern Albanians

Among Gheg Malësors the fis, is headed by the oldest male and formed the basic unit of tribal society. The governing councils consist of elders. The idea of law administration is so closely related to the "old age", that "to arbitrate" is me pleknue, and plekní means both ...

Southern Albanians

In southern Albania, the social system is based on the house and the fis, consisting of a patrilineal kinship group and an exogamous unit composed by members with some property in common. The patrilineal kinship ties are defined by the concept of "blood" also implying physical an

Autonomy, Kanun and Gjakmarrja

Malisor society used tribal law and participated in the custom of bloodfeuding. Ottoman control mainly existed in the few urban centres and valleys of northern Albania and was minimal to almost non-existent in the mountains, where Malisors lived an autonomous existence according

Besa

Besa is a word in the Albanian language meaning "pledge of honour. The besa was an important institution within the tribal society of the Albanian Malisors. Albanian tribes swore oaths to jointly fight against the government and in this aspect the besa served to uphold tribal aut

The Malisors lived in three geographical regions within northern Albania. Malësia e Madhe contained five large tribes with four having a Catholic majority and Muslim minority with Gruda evenly split between both religions. Within Malësia e Madhe there were an additional seven small tribes. During times of war and mobilisation of troops, the bajraktar of Hoti was recognised by the Ottoman government as leader of all forces of the Malësia e Madhe tribes having collectively some 6,200 ...