Napoleonic Code
Despite popular belief that the Louisiana Civil Code derives from the Napoleonic Code, the similarities are because both stem from common sources, namely the 1800 Draft of the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code was not enacted in France until 1804, one year after the Louisiana Purchase. Historians in 1941 and 1965 discovered original notes of the 1808 Digest drafters who stated their goal was to base Louisiana law on Spanish law and who make no mention of the Napoleonic Code. The 1825 Code, however, which had the express purpose of repealing earlier Spanish law, elevated French law as the main source of Louisiana jurisprudence. Currently, the Louisiana Civil Code consists of 3,556 individual code articles.