Yassa

The word yasa (or Yassa) exists in both Mongolic and Turkic languages. It is believed that the word derives from the Proto-Mongolian verb *jasa- (Modern ), which means "to set in order". The Turkic verb yasa-, which means "to govern; to create", was probably borrowed from Mongolian. In the earliest text in Mongolian, the Secret History of the Mongols, the word yassa seems to refer specifically to authoritative (military) decrees. Čerig žasa- () - roughly equivalent to modern - is a phrase commonly found in the Secret History that means "to set the soldiers in order", in the sense of rallying the soldiers before a battle. In modern Mongolian, the verb zasaglakh () means "to govern". Another word, which is sometimes equated with yassa, is yosun (Modern ). This term refers, broadly, to rules deriving from tradition, including for example rules of etiquette. Early chroniclers from Europe and the Middle East oftentimes did not clearly distinguish between the two terms - sometimes for ideological reasons - resulting in sources that often contain a mixture of laws and customs. Historical and current use Jasagh during the Qing dynasty referred to native provincial governors in Mongolia. The local office (the Lifan Yuan) served as their court of the first instance, and included secretaries and other officials. The supreme executive body of the present-day Mongolian government is called the Zasgiin gazar (), which means "the place of Zasag", i.e. "the place of order". ==History==

Date and textual history manuscript. According to some scholars, the Yassa was proclaimed by Genghis Khan at the kurultai of 1206, when he officially assumed the title of Genghis Khan. In the Secret History, Genghis Khan tells his adopted son Shigi Qutuqu to create a register of jurisprudence, which implies the existence of such a document:"Furthermore, writing in a blue-script register all decisions about the distribution and about the judicial matters of the entire population, make it into a book. Until the offspring of my offspring, let no one alter any of the blue writing that Šigi Qutuqu, after deciding in accordance with me, shall make into a book with white paper. Anyone who alters it shall be guilty and liable to punishment." The Yassa may have later been written down in the Uyghur script, preserved in secret archives and known only to and read only by the royal family. Juvyani, in the Tarikh-i Jahangushay, writes of the role of the yasas during a kurultai (a military council):These rolls are called the Great book of the Yasas and are kept in the treasury of the chief princes. Whenever a khan ascends the throne, or a great army is mobilized, or the princes assemble and begin [to consult together] concerning affairs of state and the administration thereof, they produce these rolls and model their actions thereon;The Yasa decrees were thought to be comprehensive and specific, but no Mongolian scroll or codex has been found. There are records of excerpts among many chronicles including those of al-Maqrizi, Vardan Areveltsi, and Ibn Battuta. The first of these may have relied on the work of Ata-Malik Juvayni, an Ilkhanate official. Moreover, copies may have been discovered in Korea as well. In the end, the absence of any physical document is historically problematic. Historians are left with secondary sources, conjecture and speculation, which describe much of the content of the overview. Historical certainty about the Yassa is weak compared to the much older Code of Hammurabi (18th century BCE) or the Edicts of Ashoka (3rd century BCE). The latter was carved for all to see on stone plinths, 12 to 15 m high, which were located throughout Ashoka's empire (now India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan). Among the successors of Genghis Khan , early 14th century Ögedei Khan, the third son of Genghis Khan and the second Great Khan, proclaimed the Great Yassa as an integral body of precedents at his coronation at the kurultai of 1229. He confirmed the continuing validity of his father's commands and ordinances, and added his own. Ögedei codified rules of dress, as well as the conduct of the kurultais. His two immediate successors followed the tradition of proclaiming the Yassa at their coronation. The Mongols who lived in various parts of the empire began to add laws that were needed in their areas. Present-day influence In the modern Turkish language (as used presently in Turkey), the word for "law" is yasa, and the adjective "legal" is yasal. The word for a constitution, including the Constitution of Turkey, is Anayasa ("mother-law"). ==Overview of contents==

The contents of the Yassa are not known from one single document, but scholars have reconstructed their contents from numerous sources relating to them. Among these, of particular interest are of course the Secret History, but also the Tarikh-i Jahangushay of Juvyani, and other works by contemporaries. Most detailed non-Mongolian sources don't distinguish clearly between legal decrees (yassa) and customs (yosun). Contents according to the Secret History In the Secret History, Genghis Khan tells Shigi Qutuqu, his adopted son, to create a blue-script book, which may be one of the books that formed the basis for what was later understood as the Yassa. In this book, as Genghis tells Shigi Qutuqu, the following items should be collected:"[all] decisions about the distribution and about the judicial matters of the entire population" The purpose of many decrees was probably to eliminate social and economic disputes among the Mongols and future allied peoples. Among the rules were the ban on cattle raiding. It represented a day-to-day set of rules for people under Mongol control that was strictly enforced. The Yassa also addressed and reflected Mongol cultural and lifestyle norms. Death via decapitation was the most common punishment unless the offender was of noble blood, when the offender would be killed by way of back-breaking, without shedding blood. Even minor offences were punishable by death. For example, a soldier would be put to death if he did not pick up something that fell from the person in front of him. Those favored by the Khan were often given preferential treatment within the system of law and were allowed several chances before they were punished. As Genghis Khan had set up an institution that ensured complete religious freedom, people under his rule were free to worship as they pleased if the laws of the Yassa were observed. ==See also==