Le code noir ou Edit du roy
Author: France
Place of Publication: Paris
Publisher: Chez Claude Girard
Publication Date: DCC. XXXV. [1735]
Physical Description: 14, [2] p. ; 27 cm. (4to)
Description:
The infamous Code Noir served as the basis of the law of slavery in Saint-
Domingue and the other French plantation colonies. It was promulgated by Louis
XIV in 1685 at the initiative of his recently deceased chief minister, Colbert, and
reflected a combination of Roman law principles and French Caribbean legal
customs. Despite sanctioning a rigorously punitive scheme for the discipline of
slave labor, the Code Noir legalized manumission and prohibited the torture and
mutilation of slaves by other than royal authority. It also granted freed persons the
same rights and privileges as those enjoyed by whites. Predictably, these
protections fell afoul of the planters and their representatives.
Notes: 1-SIZE EB .W&A 275