First recorded in medieval times, the feud is typically sparked by an offense such as murder, rape, assault, or similar wrongdoing.
Among ethnic Albanians, particularly in Northern Albania and Kosovo, blood feuds are part of a centuries-old tradition.
As Montenegro became a symbol of resistance, the tribal system grew in strength through battles and the widespread goal of liberation from the Turks.
Many tribal societies, like that of Montenegro, functioned on a "self-help" principle, meaning that members would take it upon themselves to settle disputes rather than relying on the law or any other form of authority.
[4] Hence, the concepts of law and political organization were vastly different from the Western world, and the settling of disputes often took the form of blood feuds, with the lack of a centralized central power to control homicidal conflicts, allowing blood feuds to run rampant.
Despite the crackdown and steep decline in feuding, it continues to persist in the face of legal prosecution today.
[4] Hence, there is no continuous structure to the trajectory of blood feuds, and the typical course and ethics are subject to change between groups.
[4] Typically, incidents where a death was ruled accidental did not require vengeance in blood, and would instead be solely a financial liability.