Napoleonic code is also known as Code Napoléon or the Code civil des Français. It is a French civil code created under the Napoleon reign in 1804. Napoleonic code came into force on March 21, 1804 and was made by a panel of 4 distinctly qualified people. Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès lead the drafting process of the code. Most feel that the Napoleonic code was the first legal system in Europe but it's not the case as Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis (Bavaria, Germany in 1756) was the first code. It was followed by the Allgemeines Landrecht (Prussia, East Europe in 1794) and later by West Galician Code, (Galicia, then part of Austria in 1797).
It is one of the first major steps taken to set up a rule of law which was quite impossible considering the circumstances at that time. It allowed the freedom to choose one's religion. The code denied any kind of privileges based on birth. Qualification was made the criteria when it came to government jobs.
The Napoleonic Code took inspiration from Justinian's popular theory, Corpus Juris Civilis which divides civil law into three parts:
The law of people
The law of property or land
Acquisition of property or land
Napoleon was interested in reforming the French society and the legal system in particular. Old feudal laws were contradictory, no one was able to challenge them and feudal lords and their relatives were exempted. Local laws were considered dim-witted by philosophers.
The best part about the Napoleonic code was that diverse legal systems used locally all over France were dissolved and brilliantly substituted by this single legal system of law. The code is an accumulation of various local customs, Coutume de Paris being one of the major conventions on which it is based. The motto was to make the law transparent and easily accessible. Many judges protested against the act, hence the law restricted the power of the judges. The code gave supreme rights to a husband when it came to family (wife and the children). It may sound bizarre now, but considering the Europe of that time, it was very common and people readily accepted it. Divorce was allowed on mutual consent basis.
Taking all the factors into consideration, the Napoleonic code was a breakthrough in the legal process, and many historians and philosophers think that it was the basis of future democracy and equality.
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