The Code Napoleon; Or, the French Civil Code. Literally Translated from the Original and Official Edition, Published at Paris, in 1804, by a Barrister of the Inner Temple

Reprint of the second English edition. A comprehensive reformation and codification of French civil law, the Code Napoleon was enacted in March 21, 1804, after a three-year period of 87 sessions. Produced by a commission appointed by Napoleon, it embodies a typically Napoleonic mix of liberalism and conservatism. Most of the freedoms won by the revolution, such as equality before the law, freedom of religion and the abolition of feudalism were preserved. At the same time, the Code reinforced patriarchal power by making the husband the ruler of the household. Renamed the Civil Code after the Bourbon restoration and still in force, it has served as the model for the legal codes of more than twenty nations throughout the world. According to the Dictionary of National Biography, this work was translated by George Spence [1787-1850], an English jurist and Barrister of the Inner Temple. Dictionary of National Biography XVIII:743.