Yassa
Sign in to saveThe Yassa (alternatively Yasa, Yasaq, Jazag or Zasag; ) was the oral law code of the Mongols, gradually built up through the reign of Genghis Khan. It was the de facto law of the Mongol Empire, even though the "law" was kept secret and never made public. The Yassa seems to have its origin in wartime decrees, which were later codified and expanded to include cultural and lifestyle conventions. By keeping the Yassa secret, the decrees could be modified and used selectively. It is believed that the Yassa was supervised by Genghis Khan himself and his adopted son Shigi Qutuqu, then the high judge
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Article
17 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Historical and current use
- History
- Date and textual history
- Among the successors of Genghis Khan
- Present-day influence
- Overview of contents
- Contents according to the ''Secret History''
- Contents according to the ''Tarikh-i Jahangushay''
- Further conjectured laws
- See also
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Ancient sources
- Modern sources
- External links
The Yassa (alternatively Yasa, Yasaq, Jazag or Zasag; ) was the oral law code of the Mongols, gradually built up through the reign of Genghis Khan. It was the de facto law of the Mongol Empire, even though the "law" was kept secret and never made public. The Yassa seems to have its origin in wartime decrees, which were later codified and expanded to include cultural and lifestyle conventions. By keeping the Yassa secret, the decrees could be modified and used selectively. It is believed that the Yassa was supervised by Genghis Khan himself and his adopted son Shigi Qutuqu, then the high judge (in ) of the Mongol Empire. Genghis Khan appointed his second son, Chagatai (later Chagatai Khan), to oversee the laws' execution.
==Etymology== 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.