The Continuation of the Roman and Byzantine Family Law Tradition in 18 th -19 th -Century Southern Albania Project Title: The continuation of the Roman and Byzantine Family Law Tradition in 18 th -19 th -Century Southern Albania. Project Leaders: Dr. K. Giakoumis: kgiakoumis@unyt.edu.al Dr. E. Olldashi, enkelejdaolldashi@unyt.edu.al Project Participants: Esmeralda Doku, B.A. in Law student. Anton Gurra, B.A. in Law student. Aldo Hoxha, B.A. in Law student. Klaudjo Kavaja, B.A. in Political Science / Int l Affairs student. Project Duration: April December 2012.
Project Summary: A total of 44 identified and transcribed divorce acts of Orthodox Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire, dating from 1786 to 1864, are being translated from the original Greek to English and Albanian, annotated and commented for the purpose of identifying the Roman and Byzantine sources of law used to rationalize decisions of the ecclesiastical courts of Gjirokastër and Korçë during this period, as well as the development of legal provisions in the Ottoman Empire. The acts were extracted from MS. F. 139, D. 2 (the Codex of Bishop Dositheos of Dryinoupolis and Gjirokastër) and MS. 99 of Korçë (former F. 141, D. 622). The acts considered from both manuscripts are indispensable sources for deep insights on the social history in regions of Southern Albania and to some extent North- Western Greece in the 18 th and 19 th century. The sources provide glimpses to every-day-life problems (e.g. quarrels, accusations, slanders, assassination attempts, adultery, impotency, or incurable pre-matrimonial and post-matrimonial health problems), as well as socioeconomic problems (e.g. immigration or criminality) leading to marriage dissolution. The project demonstrates the remarkable continuity of Roman Family Law, both in substance and procedure, to 18 th and 19 th -century Southern Albania through the Byzantine Family Law, the development of family law thought in the course of the Ottoman rule, as well their local customary adaptations. The rights of women and children and matters pertaining to gender relations and issues are of particular focus in the project. Sample of Work: ff. 85 r 85 v 1838, 28 Σεπτεμβρίου / September 28, 1838 Διὰ τοῦ παρόντος ἡμετέρου ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ διαζυγίου γρά 2 μματος δῆλον ἀποκαθίσταται, ὅτι παραστᾶσα ἐνώπιον τῆς 3 ἡμῶν ταπεινότητος, ἡ Ἑλένη θυγάτηρ τοῦ Τήλιου Νότου ἀπὸ χω 4 ρίον Κεστοράτες, τῆς καθ ἡμᾶς ἐπαρχίας, ὡμολόγησεν τὴν 5 ἀπέχθειαν ἥν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἔχει ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς Ἀναστά 6 σιος ἡὸς τοῦ Στεφάνου Τζολάκη ἀπὸ χωρίον Σαρακήνισταν 7 ὅστις πρὸ τριῶν ἤδη χρόνων ἐδίωξεν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τὸ 8 ὀσπήτιον αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς γονεῖς της, χωρὶς νὰ τὴν ἐπισκε 9 φθῇ καὶ περιθάλψῃ κατὰ τὸ ἀπαραίτητον αὐτοῦ χρέος ποσῶς 10 καὶ μετὰ τὴν τριετίαν συνεφώνησεν μετὰ τοῦ οἰκείου 11 αὐτοῦ πατρὸς Στεφάνου, καὶ ἐξαποστείλαντες ἐκ τῆς Βασιλευού 12 σης μὲ ὑψηλὸν βασιλικὸν προσκυνητὸν φερμάνι τὸν 13 Ἀντώνιον ἡὸν τοῦ Κυρίτζη Οἰκονόμου ἀπὸ χωρίον 14 Να[γ]ωπούλους διὰ νὰ ἀσικώσῃ τὴν μητέρα τοῦ Ἀναστασίου 15 καὶ σύζυγον τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ Στεφάνου, καὶ λοιπὴν This present ecclesiastical divorce letter of ours 2 is to state that Helene, daughter of Tilios Notou 3 from the village Qestorat of our province presented herself 4 before our Humbleness and testified her 5 bonded the aversion which her husband Anastasios, 6 son of Stephanos Tzolakes from the village Saraqinishtë, had against her. 7 [Her husband] had evicted her from their house at least three years ago 8 and [sent her] to her parents, without visiting 9 and taking care of her whatsoever [as was] his essential duty. 10 After these three years he agreed with his own 11 father Stephanos and, after dispatching from the Queen [of Cities, i.e. Constantinople] 12 Antonios, son of Kyritzes Oikonomou from the village of Nagopouloi [Stegopull] 13 with a supreme royal binding firman 14 he took Anastasios mother 15 and wife of his father Stephanos and the rest of his 16 family to Constantinople. My Humbleness 17 summoned once and twice and many times the 18 said Antonios, [legal]
οἰ 16 κογένειάν των εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἡ ἐμὴ τα 17 πεινότης προσκαλέσασα ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ πολλάκις τὸν 18 ῥηθέντα Ἀντώνιον ἐπίτροπον τοῦ εἰρημένου Ἀνα 19 στασίου καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ Στεφάνου διὰ νὰ ἐλθῇ ἐνταῦθα 20 εἰς τὴν ἁγιωτάτην Μητρόπολιν, καὶ νὰ δώσῃ λόγον 21 περὶ τῆς ῥηθείσης Ἑλένης τὶ μέλλει γενέσθαι, ἤ νὰ λά 22 βῃ αὐτὴν μετὰ τῆς πενθερᾶς της καὶ λοιπῆς οἰκο 23 γενίας καὶ μετακομίσῃ εἰς τὸν εἰρημένον ἄνδρα της 24 (f. 85 v ) Ἀναστάσιον, ἤ ἄν ἔχῃ ὀρδενίαν νὰ πληρώσῃ τὰ ἔξο 25 δα ὁποῦ ἔκαμεν εἰς τὸ ὀσπήτιον τοῦ πατρός της εἰς 26 τὸ διάστημα τῆς τριετίας, καὶ τὸ προικεῖον αὐτῆς 27 σῶον καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ λόγῳ χωρισμοῦ χρήματα, κατὰ 28 τὴν τοπικὴν συνήθειαν καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν 29 ἡ ῥηθεῖσα Ἑλένη τοῦτο μαθοῦσα ἐπρόστρεξεν εἰς τὴν 30 αὐθεντικὴν διοίκησιν, καὶ ὡμολόγησεν ἅπαν 31 τα τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῇ, καὶ διὰ μέσον τῆς αὐθεντικῆς διοικήσεως, καὶ δυνάμει τῆς ἱερᾶς κρίσε 32 ως, ἔλαβε τὸ προικεῖον αὐτῆς σῶον καὶ ἐπὶ λόγῳ 33 χωρισμοῦ καὶ διὰ τὰ ἔξοδα τῆς τριετίας γρ(όσια) Ν 3500 34 ἤτοι τρεῖς χιλιάδες καὶ πεντακόσια καὶ οὕτως ἀπηλλάχθη 35 ὁ εἰρημένος Ἀντώνιος καὶ ἀπῆλθε μετὰ τῆς προειρημένης 36 φαμηλίας εἰς Βασιλεύουσαν, ὅστις ἄφησεν ἐπίτροπόν 37 του, τὸν τιμιώτατον κύριον Ἐλευθέριον Ἰωάννου ἀ 38 πὸ χωρίον Νόκοβον διὰ νὰ πληρώσῃ τὰ προειρημέ 39 να χρήματα αὐτῇ, καὶ νὰ λάβῃ τὸ παρὸν ἡμέτερον 40 ἐκκλησιαστικὸν διαζύγιον γράμμα, καὶ ἐξαποστείλῃ 41 αὐτὸ ἀσφαλῶς εἰς χεῖρας τοῦ εἰρημένου Ἀναστασίου ἐλ 42 θὼν δὲ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ πολλάκις ὁ κὺρ Ἐλευθέριος 43 πρὸς τὴν ἐμὴν ταπεινότητα, ἐξαιτήσατο μετὰ πολλῶν 44 παρακλήσεων καὶ θερμῶν δεήσεων τὴν τούτου ἔκδοσιν 45 καὶ κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν αὐτῶν representative of the said 19 Anastasios and of his father Stephanos to come here 20 at the Holy Metropolis and account for 21 what will happen with the said Helene. [We asked him] either to 22 take her together with her mother in law and the rest of the 23 family and move to Constantinople to her said husband, or, 24 (f. 85 v ), if he had [related] order, to pay for the 25 expenses she incurred in her father s house in 26 the course of these three years and for her complete dowry 27 and for the money [for the penalty] upon divorce, according 28 to the local custom, but he did not respond. 29 When the said Helene was informed about this, she pledged to the 30 authoritative administration [local Ottoman court] and testified all 31 what happened to her and by way of the authoritative administration and by force of the Holy Court [i.e. Sheri c at], 32 she received her complete dowry and 3500 kuruş, that is three thousand and five hundred, 33 against [the penalty] upon divorce and the expenses 34 of the three years. Thus, 35 the said Antonios was discharged and departed together with his said 36 family to the Queen [of Cities], having appointed the most honourable 37 Mr. Eleutherios Ioannou from the village 38 Nokovë as his [legal] representative to pay the aforementioned 39 sum to her, get this present 40 ecclesiastical letter of divorce and hand 41 it safely to the said Anastasios. Mr. Eleutherios 42 came once and twice and many times 43 to my Humbleness and pleaded with multiple 44 queries and warm requests its issuance. 45 [My Humbleness] divorced them from each other according to 46 their mutual consent and they are hereafter to be and be called 47 estranged and alienated, having no marital 48 intercourse or matrimonial relation. After 49 justice was completely restituted to the last
εὐχαρίστησιν διέζευξεν 46 αὐτοὺς ἀπ ἀλλήλων καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς εἶναι καὶ λέγεσθαι αὐ 47 τοὺς ξένους καὶ ἀλλοτρίους, μηδεμίαν γαμικὴν συ 48 νάφειαν ἤ μετοχὴν γαμικὴν ἔχοντες, ὡς δικαιω 49 θεῖσα ἡ προειρημένη Ἑλένη μέχρι λεπτοῦ ὀβολοῦ, δέ 50 δωκε δὲ καὶ ἄδειαν τῷ προειρημένῳ Ἀναστασίῳ ἵνα συ 51 ζευχθῇ μεθ ἑτέρας γυναικὸς νομίμου. Διὸ εἰς ἔνδειξιν 52 ἐγένετο τὸ παρὸν ἡμέτερον ἐκκλησιαστικὸν διαζύγιον 53 γράμμα καὶ ἐδόθη τῷ κυρίῳ Ἐλευθερίῳ Ἰωάννου ἵνα ἐξα 54 ποστείλλῃ αὐτὸ τῷ Ἀναστασίῳ φέρειν δι ἀσφάλειαν: 55 τῇ 28 7βρίου 1838 Ἀργυρ(όκαστρον). penny towards the said Helene, [our Humbleness] 50 gave the said Anastasios permit to 51 marry another woman according to the Law. As evidence [thereof] 52 this, our present ecclesiastical letter 53 of divorce was issued and given to Mr. Eleutherios Ioannou 54 to send it for Anastasios to bear it for security. 55 September 28, 1838. Gjirokastër. Literature Related to the Manuscripts: Giakoumis K. (2005), Paraqitja e Parë e Kodikut të Gjirokastrës (1760-1851) [La Première presentation de Codex de Gjirokastra (1760-1851)], Arkivi Shqiptar, Nr. 1-2, pp. 57-71 [French synopsis on pp. 70-71]. Giakoumis K. (2008), Archival Codices in the Central Archives of the State, Tirana: First Presentation of the Codex of Gjirokastër (F. 139, D. 2: 1760-1858), Albanohellenica, v. 3, pp. 35-52. Giakoumis K. (2012), Ο Κώδικας του Δοσιθέου, Επισκόπου Δρυϊνουπόλεως και Αργυροκάστρου: A.Q.Sh. F. 139, D. 2 (1760-1858) [The Codex of Dositheos, Bishop of Dryinoupolis and Gjirokastër: A.Q.Sh. F. 139, D. 2 (1760-1858], Athens [forthcoming]. Rembeci A. (2009), Ο Κώδικας Μηυτροπόλεως Κοριτσάς: Έκδοση και Ιστορική Τεκμηρίωση, Master s dissertation submitted at the Ionian University, Department of History, Corfu. Related Links: Post-Byzantine Family Law: https://sites.google.com/site/postbyzlaw/bibliography/family-law.