The development of the Napoleonic Code was a fundamental change in the nature of the civil law system, making laws clearer and more accessible.

It formed the basis of the law systems across most of continental Europe and has had a lasting impact on civil law codes in other regions of the world, including the Middle East where it has been combined with the Islamic law.

It was adopted in many countries occupied by the French during the Napoleonic Wars. Although the Napoleonic Code was not the first civil code and did not represent the whole of Napoleon's empire, it was one of the most influential.The Code recognized the principles of civil liberty, equality before the law (although not for women in the same sense as for men), and the secular character of the state. Praised for its clarity, the Code spread rapidly throughout Europe and the world and marked the end of feudalism and the liberation of serfs where it took effect.Other codes were commissioned by Napoleon to codify criminal and commerce law. The development of the code was a fundamental change in the nature of the civil law legal system as it stressed clearly written and accessible law. The Code was complete by 1801 but not published until 1804.Napoleon participated actively in the sessions of the Council of State that revised the drafts of the new civil code.When Napoleon came to power in 1799, a commission of four eminent jurists was appointed in 1800, chaired by Cambacérès (now Second Consul) and sometimes by the First Consul, Napoleon himself. His drafts of 1793, 1794, and 1799, however, were adopted only partially. Specifically, Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès led the drafting process of a single civil law code.There were also exemptions, privileges, and special charters granted by the kings or other feudal lords.

Law consisted mainly of local customs, which had sometimes been officially compiled in 'customals'. Before the Napoleonic Code, France did not have a single set of laws.

Napoleon set out to reform the French legal system in accordance with the ideas of the French Revolution.

The 1804 Napoleonic Code, which influenced civil law codes across the world, replaced the fragmented laws of pre-revolutionary France, recognizing the principles of civil liberty, equality before the law (although not for women in the same sense as for men), and the secular character of the state.

The napoleonic code