Feud
Originally, a vendetta was a blood feud between two families. Kinsmen of the victim wanted to take revenge for his or her death by killing either those responsible for the killing or some of their relatives. Usually, the closest male relative of the person killed or wronged  maintains the vendetta, but other members of the family may do so as well. If the culprit had disappeared or was already dead, the vengeance could extend to other relatives.