Dusan's code

Dušan's code is a legal code, said to be the most beautiful cultural-historical monument of medieval Serbia. It was presented by tzar Dušan in two state congresses: in 1349 in Skopje and in 1354 in Serez. The original manuscript is not preserved, but around twenty copies of it dating from 14th to 18th century remain.

The code was based partly on common law, partly on old church law, and somewhat on Greek imperial laws, but in its essence it has predominantly autonomous character. It even has some elements of constitutional law, so it could be viewed as a kind of constitution. There are around 200 articles in the code.

Translated with small changes from small encyclopedia "Sveznanje" published by "Narodno delo", Belgrade, in 1937 which is today in public domain. This article is written from the point of view of that place and time and may not reflect modern opinions or recent discoveries. Please help Wikipedia by bringing it up to date.

External links

• Dusanov Zakonik Site made on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the proclaiming of the code. Contains the full text of the code in Serbian, Russian and English.