Napoleon Bonaparte’s own copy of the French Civil Code he created has been sold for around £330,000 in Paris.
The book was auctioned by Tajan auction house, who put an estimate of 100,000 to 200,000 euros on the document.
The buyer has not been named, but it has been reported that the French state may have purchased the book, in which case it will probably be displayed in a national collection.
Tajan said that only four copies of this edition of the civil code still exist and two are already in the French National Library.
The book is the “first and only official edition” of the French Civil Code. It is beautifully bound and bears Napoleon’s personal seal.
The Napoleonic Code or Civil Code of the French is still used as the basis for French law today.
Napoleon was First Consul when it was drafted and enacted.
Napoleon crowns himself Emperor in 1805, he was First Consul in 1804 when he helped update France’s laws.
While he did not write it himself, he drove the process that saw it completed and enacted. The laws replaced France’s pre-Revolutionary mishmash of traditional and feudal laws. It was designed to be accessible and understandable so that every citizen of France could understand the rules that governed their life.
It is now considered a foundational document of the modern state. Thanks to Napoleon’s subsequent imperial project, the Napoleonic Code became a bedrock for laws in many other states transitioning from absolute monarchies to liberal democracy of some sort.
The Emperor is said to have believed the code to be his greatest achievement.
The First and Only Official edition that still shapes French life today. Image courtesy Tajan.
Napoleon is a hugely collectible historical figure, and not just in France.
The most valuable items associated with the Little Corporal are military: a sword sold for £5.2 million in 2007. His trademark bicorn hats are also highly sought after. In 2023, an example sold for £1.7 million. It’s believed to be one of 4 or 5 survivors outside museums of the 120 that Napoleon had made.
