What legal code did Napoleon establish?

What legal code did Napoleon establish? Napoleon established the Napoleonic Code, France’s landmark civil code adopted in 1804.

The code grew out of Napoleon’s effort to replace France’s patchwork of regional laws with one consistent national system. A commission of four leading jurists—Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis, François Tronchet, Félix Bigot de Préameneu, and Jacques de Maleville—drafted it. Napoleon chaired several review sessions and used his political power to secure its passage, although he did not personally write the text.

Officially called the Civil Code of the French, it organized rules covering property, contracts, inheritance, marriage, and civil status. It defended equality before the law and property rights, while also reinforcing paternal authority and limiting women’s legal independence. The name “Napoleonic Code” is therefore correct, even though “Civil Code of the French” is its formal title.

The code took effect on March 21, 1804. It influenced legal systems across Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere, and France still retains a heavily amended version today.