Promulgation of the Napoleonic Code
- Date
- 21 March 1804
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- France
- Era
- Modern
- Significance
On 21 March 1804 France promulgated the Civil Code of the French, soon known as the Code Napoléon.
Comprising more than 2,000 articles arranged around persons, property and the acquisition of property, it swept away the patchwork of feudal customs, royal ordinances and regional charters that had governed pre-revolutionary France. The Code enshrined civil equality before the law, the secular character of the state, freedom of contract, protection of private property and the right to choose one's profession, while also entrenching a strongly patriarchal family law that subordinated married women. Written in clear, accessible language and intended to be intelligible to ordinary citizens, it became one of the most influential legal documents in history. Carried abroad by French armies and later adopted voluntarily, it shaped the nineteenth-century civil codes of much of continental Europe, Latin America and beyond, and remains the foundation of civil law in France and many other jurisdictions today.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in 21 March 1804
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Russian Empire1721 CE – 1917 CE
- Qing Dynasty1636 CE – 1912 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Mughal Empire1526 CE – 1857 CE
Related politics & governance events
- Napoleon crowned Emperor of the French2 December 1804
- Britain abolishes the transatlantic slave trade25 March 1807
- Congress of Vienna and the Concert of EuropeSeptember 1814 – June 1815
- The Slavery Abolition Act ends slavery across the British Empire28 August 1833 (in force 1 August 1834)
- The Revolutions of 1848 (the Springtime of Peoples)1848–1849
- Commodore Perry forces the opening of Japan1853–1854 (Treaty of Kanagawa, 31 March 1854)
Further reading
The wider story
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
Fast-paced narrative of Portugal's seaborne empire.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.