A
blood feud is a feud with a cycle of retaliatory violence, with the relatives or associates of someone who has been killed or otherwise wronged or
dishonored seeking vengeance by killing or otherwise physically punishing the culprits or their relatives. In the
English-speaking world, the Italian word
vendetta is used to mean a blood feud; in Italian, however, it simply means (personal) 'vengeance' or 'revenge', originating from the
Latin vindicta (
vengeance), while the word
faida would be more appropriate for a blood feud. In the English-speaking world, "vendetta" is sometimes extended to mean any other long-standing feud, not necessarily involving bloodshed. Sometimes it is not mutual, but rather refers to a prolonged series of hostile acts waged by one person against another without reciprocation. , Archeologist,
War Before Civilization) The blood feud has certain similarities to the ritualized warfare found in many
pre-industrial tribes. For instance, more than a third of
Ya̧nomamö males, on average, died from
warfare. The accounts of missionaries to the area have recounted constant infighting in the tribes for women or prestige, and evidence of continuous warfare for the
enslavement of neighboring tribes, such as the
Macu, before the arrival of European settlers and government.
History Blood feuds were common in societies with a weak rule of law (or where the state did not consider itself responsible for mediating this kind of dispute), where family and kinship ties were the main source of
authority. An entire family was considered responsible for the actions of any of its members. Sometimes two separate branches of the same family even came to blows, or further, over some dispute. The practice has mostly disappeared with more centralized societies where
law enforcement and
criminal law take responsibility for punishing lawbreakers.
Feuds in Antiquity Ancient Greece In
Homeric ancient Greece, the practice of personal vengeance against wrongdoers was considered natural and customary: "Embedded in the Greek morality of retaliation is the right of vengeance... Feud is a war, just as war is an indefinite series of revenges; and such acts of vengeance are sanctioned by the gods".
Hebrew Law In ancient
Hebrew law, it was considered the duty of the individual and family to avenge unlawful bloodshed, on behalf of God and on behalf of the deceased. The executor of the law of blood-revenge who personally put the initial killer to death was given a special designation: ''
go'el haddam, the blood-avenger or blood-redeemer (Book of Numbers 35: 19, etc.). Six Cities of Refuge were established to provide protection and due process for any unintentional manslayers. The avenger was forbidden from harming an unintentional killer if the killer took refuge in one of these cities. As the Oxford Companion to the Bible'' states: "Since life was viewed as sacred (
Genesis 9.6), no amount of
blood money could be given as recompense for the loss of the life of an innocent person; it had to be
"life for life" (
Exodus 21.23;
Deuteronomy 19.21)".
Early Confucianism Confucius had demanded vengeance for the killing of parents, older brothers, and friends, and viewed this as a matter of duty.
Book of Rites quotes Confucius saying: "(a son whose parent was killed) should sleep on straw, with his shield for a pillow; he should not take office; he must be determined not to live with the slayer under the same heaven. If he meet with him in the marketplace or the court, he should not have to go back for his weapon, but instantly fight with him."
Feuds in the Middle Ages and Renaissance era ('Bridge of Fists') in
Venice was used for an annual fist fight competition between the inhabitants of different zones of the city.
Medieval Europe in general According to historian
Marc Bloch:
Rita of Cascia, a popular 15th-century Italian saint, was canonized by the
Catholic Church due mainly to her great effort to end a feud in which her family was involved and which claimed the life of her husband.
Northern Europe The
Celtic phenomenon of the
blood feud demanded "an eye for an eye", and usually descended into murder. Disagreements between
clans might last for generations in Scotland and Ireland. In
Scandinavia in the
Viking era, feuds were common, as the lack of a central government left dealing with disputes up to the individuals or families involved. Sometimes, these would descend into "blood revenges", and in some cases would devastate whole families. The ravages of the feuds as well as the dissolution of them is a central theme in several of the
Icelandic sagas. An alternative to feud was
blood money (or
weregild in the
Norse culture), which demanded a set value to be paid by those responsible for a wrongful permanent disfigurement or death, even if accidental. If these payments were not made, or were refused by the offended party, a blood feud could ensue. Violence was common in
Viking Age Norway. An examination of Norwegian human remains from the Viking Age found that 72% of the examined males and 42% of the examined females had suffered weapon-related
trauma. Violence was less common in Viking Age Denmark, where society was more centralized and complex than the
clan-based Norwegian society. In
Iceland, blood feuds occurred until the 16th century.
Holy Roman Empire At the
Holy Roman Empire's
Reichstag at Worms in 1495 AD, the right of waging feuds was abolished. The
Imperial Reform proclaimed an "eternal
public peace" (
Ewiger Landfriede) to put an end to the abounding feuds and the anarchy of the
robber barons, and it defined a new
standing imperial army to enforce that peace. However, it took a few more decades until the new regulation was universally accepted. In 1506, for example, knight Jan Kopidlansky killed a family rival in
Prague, and the town councillors sentenced him to death and had him executed. His brother, Jiri Kopidlansky, declared a private war against the city of Prague. Another case was the
Nuremberg-Schott feud, in which Maximilian was forced to step in to halt the damages done by robber knight Schott.
Spain In the Spanish
Late Middle Ages, the
Vascongadas was ravaged by the
War of the Bands, which were bitter partisan wars between local ruling families. In the region of
Navarre, next to Vascongadas, these conflicts became polarised in a violent struggle between the Agramont and Beaumont parties. In
Biscay, in Vascongadas, the two major warring factions were named Oinaz and Gamboa. (
Cf. the
Guelphs and Ghibellines in Italy). High defensive structures ("towers") built by local noble families, few of which survive today, were frequently razed by fires, and sometimes by royal decree.
Samurai honours and feuds In Japan's feudal past, the
samurai class upheld the honor of their family, clan, and their lord by
katakiuchi (), or revenge killings. These killings could also involve the relatives of an offender. While some vendettas were punished by the government, such as that of the
Forty-seven Ronin, others were given official permission with specific targets.
Feuds in modern times in the Dades valley,
High Atlas. Historically, tribal feuding and banditry were a way of life for the
Berbers of Morocco. As a result, hundreds of ancient kasbahs were built. . Blood feuds are still practised in some areas in: • France (especially
Corsica and within
Manush communities) •
Sardinia where a blood feud is called
in the local language "Disamistade". • Ireland (especially
Dublin and
Limerick) • Between
Mafia families in
Southern Italy (especially
Sicily,
Campania,
Calabria,
Apulia and other areas of the same territory) and neighbouring
Malta •
Greece (
Mani and
Crete) • Between
White British,
British Asian or
Black British working-class families, crime groups, street gangs, football firms and family clans throughout Britain and Ireland. Feuds amongst
Traveller clans are also relatively common throughout Britain and Ireland. Multiple diaspora communities also partake in feuding, such as
Turkish,
Albanian and
Kurdish communities. • Between rival
crime families in
Galicia, Spain • Between so-called
woonwagenbewoners (ethnic
Dutch people who live in
mobile homes) in the
Netherlands • Among
Kurdish and
Turkish clans in
Turkey (as well as between Kurdish clans in
Iraq and
Iran) • Between
Turkish Cypriots • Between rival clans in northern
Albania and
Kosovo • Between
Canadian Aboriginal tribes • Among
Pashtuns in
Afghanistan • Among
tribes of Montenegro • Among
Somali clans • Among the
Berbers of
Algeria and
Morocco •
Egypt (especially among the
Saidi people in
Upper Egypt) • Between
Yoruba and
Igbo clans over land in
Nigeria • Between clans in India and between rival tribes in the north-east Indian state of
Assam • Among
Sikh clans in
Punjab •
Rayalaseema of
Andhra Pradesh in India • Between
Mirpuri clans in
Azad Kashmir (as well as between
British Pakistanis of Mirpuri descent in
England) • Among rival clans in China, and especially in
Fujian and
Guangdong provinces • In the
Philippines (especially in
Mindanao between Muslim
Moro and Christian
Cebuano clans) • Between
Burakumin clans in Japan • In the lawless
Wa territories of northern
Burma • Among the Arab
Bedouins and other
Arab tribes inhabiting the mountains of
Yemen • Between
Shiites and
Sunnis in
Iraq • Between
Maronite clans, and between
Shiites and
Sunnis, in
Lebanon • Between
Mhallami clans in
Lebanon • Among the
Amhara in
Ethiopia • Among the highland tribes of
New Guinea • In
Svaneti, in
Georgia (especially between
Svan clans) • In the mountainous areas of
Dagestan • Between
Kyrgyz and
Uzbek clans • Between
Yazidi clans in
Armenia and
Azerbaijan • In republics of the northern
Caucasus, such as
Chechnya and
Ingushetia • Among
Chechen teips where those seeking retribution do not accept or respect the local law enforcement authority • Among the
Madurese people in Indonesia (
carok)
Gang warfare/mob war in Watts'
Nickerson Gardens housing project, pictured in 2019 During a fight at a carnival celebration in 1991 two young men from the
'Ndrangheta crime organization were killed, leading to a
series of feuds between rival clans. Blood feuds within
Russian communities do exist (mostly related to criminal gangs), but are neither as common nor as pervasive as they are in the
Caucasus. In the United States,
gang warfare also often takes the form of blood feuds. A mob war is a time when two or more rival families/gangs begin open warfare with one another, destroying each other's businesses and assassinating family members. Mafia/Mob wars are generally disastrous for all concerned, and can lead to the rise or fall of a family or gang.
African-American,
Italian-American,
Cambodian,
Cuban Marielito,
Dominican,
Guatemalan,
Haitian,
Hmong, Sino-Vietnamese
Hoa,
Irish-American,
Jamaican,
Korean,
Laotian,
Puerto Rican,
Salvadoran and
Vietnamese gangs and organized crime conflicts very often have taken the form of blood feuds, in which a family member in the gang is killed and a relative takes revenge by killing the murderer as well as other members of the rival gang. This can also be observed in particular cases in conflicts among
Colombian,
Mexican,
Brazilian, and other Latin American gangs,
drug cartels, and paramilitary groups; in turf wars among
Cape Coloured gangs in
South Africa; in gang fights among
Dutch Antillean,
Surinamese and
Moluccan gangs in the
Netherlands; and in criminal feuds between
Scottish,
White British,
Black and
Mixed British gangs in the
United Kingdom. This has resulted in gun violence and murders in cities like
Chicago,
Detroit,
Los Angeles,
Miami,
Ciudad Juárez,
Medellín,
Rio de Janeiro,
Cape Town,
Amsterdam,
London,
Liverpool, and
Glasgow, to name just a few. The Five Families of New York City New York go to great lengths to avoid a war, as not only do the families lose considerable money and valuable men, gangland killings also cause public outrage and can trigger mass crackdowns from authorities like the FBI.
Southern United States Blood feuds also have a long history within the
White Southerner population (and in particular among the
"Scots-Irish" or Ulster Scots American population) of the
Southern United States, where it is called the "
culture of honor", and still exists to the present day. A series of prolonged violent engagements in late nineteenth-century
Kentucky and
West Virginia were referred to commonly as feuds, a tendency that was partly due to the nineteenth-century popularity of
William Shakespeare and
Sir Walter Scott, both of whom had written
semihistorical accounts of blood feuds. These incidents, the most famous of which was the
Hatfield–McCoy feud, were regularly featured in the newspapers of the eastern U.S. between the
Reconstruction Era and the early twentieth century, and are seen by some as linked to a
Southern culture of honor with its roots in the
Scots-Irish forebears of the residents of the area. Another prominent example was the
Regulator–Moderator War, which took place between rival factions in the
Republic of Texas. It is sometimes considered the largest blood feud in American history.
Greece , a typical Maniot village famous for its towers In Greece, the custom of blood feud is found in several parts of the country, for instance in
Crete and
Mani. Throughout history, the
Maniots have been regarded by their neighbors and their enemies as fearless warriors who practice
blood feuds, known in the Maniot dialect of Greek as "Γδικιωμός" (Gdikiomos). Many vendettas went on for months, some for years. The families involved would lock themselves in their towers and, when they got the chance, would murder members of the opposing family. The Maniot vendetta is considered the most vicious and ruthless; it has led to entire family lines being wiped out. The last vendetta on record required the
Greek Army with
artillery support to force it to a stop. Regardless of this, the Maniot Greeks still practice vendettas, even today. Maniots in America, Australia, Canada and
Corsica still have on-going vendettas which have led to the creation of
mafia families known as "Γδικιωμέοι" (Gdikiomeoi).
Corsica In
Corsica, vendettas were a social code (mores) that required Corsicans to kill anyone who wronged the family honor. Between 1821 and 1852, no less than 4,300 murders were perpetrated in Corsica.
Caucasus , in the
Caucasus mountains
Leontiy Lyulye, an expert on conditions in the
Caucasus, wrote in the mid-19th century: "Among the
mountain people the blood feud is not an uncontrollable permanent feeling such as the vendetta is among the Corsicans. It is more like an obligation imposed by the public opinion." In the
Dagestani
aul of
Kadar, one such blood feud between two antagonistic clans lasted for nearly 260 years, from the 17th century until the 1860s.
Albania . In
Albania,
gjakmarrja (blood feuding) is a tradition. Blood feuds in Albania trace back to the
Kanun, this custom is also practiced among the Albanians of
Kosovo. It returned to rural areas after more than 40 years of being abolished by Albanian Communists led by
Enver Hoxha. In 1980, Albanian author
Ismail Kadare published
Broken April, about the centuries-old tradition of hospitality, blood feuds, and
revenge killing in the highlands of
north Albania in the 1930s.
The New York Times, reviewing it, wrote: "
Broken April is written with masterly simplicity in a
bardic style, as if the author is saying: Sit quietly and let me recite a terrible story about a blood feud and the inevitability of death by gunfire in my country. You know it must happen because that is the way life is lived in these mountains. Insults must be avenged; family honor must be upheld...." The novel was made into a 2001 movie entitled
Behind the Sun by filmmaker
Walter Salles, set in 1910 Brazil and starring
Rodrigo Santoro, which was nominated for a
BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and a
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. There are now more than 1,600 families who live under an ever-present death sentence because of feuds. and since 1991, some 12,000 people were killed in them.
Kosovo Blood feuds have also been part of a centuries-old tradition in
Kosovo, tracing back to the
Kanun, a 15th-century codification of Albanian customary rules. In the early 1990s, most cases of blood feuds were reconciled in the course of a large-scale reconciliation movement to end blood feuds led by
Anton Çetta. The largest reconciliation gathering took place at Verrat e Llukës on 1 May 1990, which had between 100,000 and 500,000 participants. By 1992, the reconciliation campaign ended at least 1,200 deadly blood feuds, and in 1993, not a single homicide occurred in Kosovo.
Republic of Ireland Criminal gang feuds also exist in
Dublin, Ireland and in the Republic's third-largest city,
Limerick.
Traveller feuds are also common in towns across the country. Feuds can be due to personal issues, money, or disrespect, and grudges can last generations. Since 2001, over 300 people have been killed in feuds between different drugs gangs,
dissident republicans, and
Traveller families.
Philippines Family and clan feuds, known locally as
rido, are characterized by sporadic outbursts of retaliatory violence between families and kinship groups, as well as between communities. It can occur in areas where the government or a central authority is weak, as well as in areas where there is a perceived lack of justice and security.
Rido is a
Maranao term commonly used in
Mindanao to refer to clan feuds. It is considered one of the major problems in Mindanao because, apart from numerous casualties,
rido has caused destruction of property, crippled local economies, and displaced families. Located in the southern Philippines, Mindanao is home to a majority of the country's Muslim community, and includes the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Mindanao "is a region suffering from poor infrastructure, high poverty, and violence that has claimed the lives of more than 120,000 in the last three decades." There is a widely held stereotype that the violence is perpetrated by armed groups that resort to terrorism to further their political goals, but the actual situation is far more complex. While the Muslim-Christian conflict and the state-rebel conflicts dominate popular perceptions and media attention, a survey commissioned by
The Asia Foundation in 2002—and further verified by a recent
Social Weather Stations survey—revealed that citizens are more concerned about the prevalence of
rido and its negative impact on their communities than the conflict between the state and rebel groups.
Resolution Rido conflicts are either resolved, unresolved, or reoccurring. Although the majority of these cases remain unresolved, there have been many resolutions through different conflict-resolving bodies and mechanisms. These cases can utilize the formal procedures of the Philippine government or the various indigenous systems. Formal methods may involve official courts, local government officials, police, and the military. Indigenous methods to resolve conflicts usually involve elder leaders who use local knowledge, beliefs, and practices, as well as their own personal influence, to help repair and restore damaged relationships. Some cases using this approach involve the payment of
blood money to resolve the conflict. Hybrid mechanisms include the collaboration of government, religious, and traditional leaders in resolving conflicts through the formation of collaborative groups. Furthermore, the institutionalization of traditional conflict resolution processes into laws and ordinances has been successful with the hybrid method approach. Other conflict-resolution methods include the establishment of ceasefires and the intervention of youth organizations. == Well-known blood feuds==