Code Napoleon Timeline

(1804 - Present)

The Code Napoleon, also known as the Napoleonic Code or the French Civil Code, was a comprehensive set of civil laws established under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. It standardized legal principles such as equality before the law, property rights, and secular authority, replacing the fragmented feudal and regional laws of pre-revolutionary France. Its clear structure influenced civil law systems across Europe, Latin America, and beyond, making it one of the most enduring legal documents in history. More Less

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Origins and Precursors

Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis enacted in Bavaria

Jan 1, 1756

The Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis was a civil law code established in Bavaria in 1756, preceding the Napoleonic Code as one of the first legal codes in a European country with a civil-law legal system.

Image source: Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis

Allgemeines Landrecht issued in Prussia

Jan 1, 1794

The Allgemeines Landrecht was a comprehensive legal code for Prussia issued in 1794, another important predecessor to the Napoleonic Code among European civil-law codes.

West Galician Code enacted in Austrian Galicia

Jan 1, 1797

The West Galician Code was adopted in 1797 in Galicia, then part of Austria, making it one of the earliest civil codes in Europe and a precursor to the Napoleonic Code.

Global Influence and Legacy

Treaty of Paris transfers French Canada to Britain

Feb 10, 1763

Following the 1763 Treaty of Paris, the British continued to use the Coutume de Paris in Canada, which later formed the basis of the Civil Code of Lower Canada, itself influenced by the French Code Napoléon.

Image source: Treaty of Paris (1763)

Treaty of Paris transfers French Canada to Britain

Spain cedes Louisiana back to France

Oct 1, 1800

Spanish and French colonial forces had quarreled over Louisiana during most of the 1700s; Spain ultimately ceded the territory to France in 1800 under the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso.

Image source: Louisiana Purchase

France sells Louisiana to the United States

Apr 30, 1803

Having reacquired Louisiana from Spain in 1800, France sold the territory to the United States in 1803; French civil law traditions there later shaped Louisiana's unique legal system.

French Civil Code extended to Mauritius as Code Napoléon

Apr 21, 1808

The French Civil Code was extended to Mauritius under the title Code Napoléon by decree of Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen, Capitaine-General, on 21 April 1808.

Image source: Napoleonic Code

Felony defendants gain formal right to counsel in England

Jan 1, 1836

For comparison with continental procedure, it was only in 1836 that prisoners charged with a felony were given a formal right to counsel in England, long after similar reforms under the French codes.

Image source: Right to counsel

Romania adopts civil code influenced by Napoleonic Code

Jan 1, 1864 - Jan 1, 2011

A civil code with Napoleonic code influences was adopted in 1864 in Romania and remained in force until 2011, demonstrating the enduring international reach of the French model.

Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch replaces Napoleonic influence in Germany

Jan 1, 1900

In German regions such as the Rhenish Palatinate, the Prussian Rhine Province, the former Duchy of Berg, and the Grand Duchy of Baden, the Napoleonic Code remained influential until the introduction of the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch in 1900, the first common civil code for the entire German Empire.

Dalloz publishes annually revised editions of French codes

Jan 1, 1920

For over a century, all of the codes in force in France have been documented in the annually revised editions published by Dalloz in Paris, keeping the Napoleonic legacy accessible to jurists.

Mauritian Code embodied in Revised Laws of Mauritius 1945

Jan 1, 1945

In Mauritius, the Code was modified and embodied in Chapter 179 of the Revised Laws of Mauritius 1945, edited by Sir Charlton Lane, former Chief Justice of Mauritius.

Civil Code of Quebec replaces Civil Code of Lower Canada

Jan 1, 1994

The term 'Napoleonic Code' is also used to refer to legal codes influenced by the French Code Napoléon, especially the Civil Code of Lower Canada, which was replaced in 1994 by the Civil Code of Quebec.

Image source: Civil Code of Quebec

Government responds encouragingly on public service code plan

Mar 1, 2013

In March 2013, the French government responded encouragingly regarding plans for codification efforts, including a proposed public service code (code général de la fonction publique).

Image source: Napoleonic Code

Commission criticizes abandoned public service code plan

Jan 1, 2014

In 2014, the Commission complained that the government's encouraging response had not been followed through, noting in particular that the government had abandoned its plan for a public service code.

Drafting of the Civil Code

Constituent Assembly votes for codification of French laws

Oct 5, 1790

On 5 October 1790, the Constituent Assembly voted for a codification of French laws, an early step toward creating a unified civil code for France.

Image source: Napoleon

Constitution of 1791 promises a unified legal code

Sep 3, 1791

The Constitution of 1791 promised the establishment of a code of laws common to the entire realm, advancing the goal of legal unification in revolutionary France.

Image source: French Constitution of 1791

National Assembly resolution for a common code of civil laws

Sep 4, 1791

On 4 September 1791, the National Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution providing that 'there shall be a code of civil laws common for the entire realm.'

National Convention establishes drafting commission under Cambacérès

Jan 1, 1793

In 1793, the National Convention established a special commission headed by Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès to oversee the drafting of the civil code, giving him a one-month deadline.

Image source: Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès

Cambacérès' first draft code rejected by National Convention

Jan 1, 1793

Cambacérès' first draft of the civil code, completed in 1793 under a one-month deadline, was rejected by the National Convention amid revolutionary turmoil.

Second draft code by Cambacérès rejected

Jan 1, 1794

A second draft of the civil code prepared by Cambacérès in 1794 was likewise rejected by the National Convention.

Third draft code by Cambacérès rejected by the Directory

Jan 1, 1796

Cambacérès' third draft, presented in 1796, was rejected as well; the French Directory was more preoccupied with wars and strife with other European powers than with codification.

New commission established after coup of 18 Brumaire

Dec 1, 1799

Another commission, established in December 1799 following Napoleon's rise to power, produced a fourth outline drafted in part by Jean-Ignace Jacqueminot (1754–1813).

Napoleon appoints four-jurist commission to draft civil code

Aug 12, 1800

Returning to Paris, Napoleon appointed on 12 August 1800 a commission of distinguished jurists — Jacques de Maleville, François Denis Tronchet, Félix-Julien-Jean Bigot de Préameneu, and Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis — to draft a civil code.

Civil code preliminary bill rejected by Legislative Body

Dec 1, 1801

After the drafting process finished, the Code was sent to the Legislative Body as a preliminary bill in December 1801, where it was narrowly rejected by a vote of 142 to 139.

Napoleon suspends legislative projects and berates the Sénat

Jan 2, 1802

In response to the rejection, Napoleon announced on 2 January 1802 that he was suspending all projects, effectively closing the assemblies' sessions, while simultaneously berating members of the Sénat conservateur.

The Napoleonic Codes

Le Peletier presents new criminal code to Constituent Assembly

Jan 1, 1791

In 1791, Louis Michel le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau presented a new criminal code to the National Constituent Assembly, which did not contain provisions for religious crimes, incest, or homosexuality.

Image source: French Penal Code of 1810

Divorce by mutual consent abolished

Jan 1, 1804

The Napoleonic Code abolished divorce by mutual consent in 1804, reflecting its more restrictive provisions regarding marriage and family law compared to earlier revolutionary legislation.

Napoleonic Code comes into effect in France

Mar 21, 1804

The Napoleonic Code, officially the Civil Code of the French, finally came into effect on 21 March 1804 during the French Consulate, establishing a unified civil law for France that remains in force today despite frequent amendments.

Draft Military Code presented to Napoleon by Daru commission

Jun 1, 1805

The draft Military Code was presented to Napoleon in June 1805 by a special commission headed by Pierre Daru; however, as the War of the Third Coalition progressed, the code was set aside and never implemented.

Code de procédure civile adopted

Jan 1, 1806

After an overhaul of the entire legal system, the new code of civil procedure was adopted in 1806; civil procedure had previously been part of the civil code before being moved into this separate code.

Commercial code (Code de commerce) adopted

Jan 1, 1807

The commercial code (code de commerce) was adopted in 1807, extending the Napoleonic codification project into commercial law and regulating merchants, trade, and bankruptcy.

Image source: French company law

Code d'instruction criminelle published

Jan 1, 1808

In 1808, the code d'instruction criminelle was published, laying out criminal procedure as part of Napoleon's broader program of codifying French law.

New Penal Code issued under Napoleon

Jan 1, 1810

In 1810, a new criminal code was issued under Napoleon. As with the Penal Code of 1791, it contained no provisions for religious crimes, incest, or homosexuality.

Key Facts

The Code Napoleon was promulgated on March 21, 1804, under the official name 'Code civil des Français'.
It was drafted by a commission of four jurists and overseen personally by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The code established key principles including legal equality for men, protection of private property, abolition of feudal privileges, and secularization of the state.
Its influence spread widely as it became the foundation for civil law systems in countries across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Despite numerous revisions, the Code Napoleon remains the basis of French civil law today, over two centuries after its creation.

Source

This Code Napoleon timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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