Also known as: Black Code, Edict of 1685, French Slave Code
Last updated: April 23, 2026
The Code Noir ("Black Code") was the comprehensive legal framework governing slavery in the French Atlantic empire. Promulgated by Louis XIV in 1685, it was the first imperial slave code written by a European monarch specifically for colonial territories.
Julien Raimond - Campaigned for Code Noir's promise of equality for freed people
noir — 1685 slave code promulgated under Louis XIV.
The Loix et Constitutions supplements and extends the Code Noir, compiling the ordinances and administrative rulings that translated the foundational slave code into daily colonial governance.
Vincent Ogé - Demanded enforcement of rights for gens de couleur
The case exposed the contradiction between the Code Noir's nominal protections and planter impunity in practice
Code Noir
Code Noir
noir -- Legal framework
noir --- Legal framework that regulated enslaved people's dress and behavior
French Revolution - Would ultimately challenge the Code Noir's racial hierarchy
Code Noir - Legal framework
de-couleur - Mixed-race population whose status was progressively restricted
Code Noir - The legal system the revolution destroyed
Code Noir
Code Noir - The legal framework (including feast day requirements)
Legal framework governing possessions
Code Noir
Code Noir - The law that governed (and was ignored)
Code Noir
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"Code Noir." Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/concepts/code-noir. Accessed 2026-05-05.