The French Civil Code

This book charts the formation of the French Civil Code, examining both its public and private effects.

From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, French private law was very different in the various parts of the country. In northern and central France, there were as many as sixty-five general customs in force, as well as over three hundred local customs, often differing from them in detail. As the feeling of nationhood grew, so did the idea of replacing the existing variety of laws by a single private law, possibly a code, common to all of France. ‘A single body of law, called the Code Civil is to be created’ proclaimed the Law of 21 March 1804, which was created by the amalgamation of thirty-six texts.

The French Civil Code analyzes the Code using contemporary and modern sources, including the beautiful and concise extract from H.A.L. Fisher’s History of Europe which gives an English historian’s appraisal of Napoleon’s contribution to the Code Civil.

This text will appeal to all students of and those with an interest in international law.