The Code Noir (French pronunciation: [kɔd nwaʁ], Black Code) was a decree originally passed by France's King Louis XIV in 1685. The Code Noir defined the conditions of slavery in the French colonial empire, restricted the activities of free Negroes, forbade the exercise of any religion other than Roman Catholicism, and ordered all Jews out of France's colonies.
The Code Noir resulted in a far higher percentage of blacks being free people of color(13.2% in Louisiana compared to 0.8% in Mississippi[1]) They were on average exceptionally literate, with a significant number of them owning businesses, properties, and even slaves.
The code has been described by Tyler Stovall as "one of the most extensive official documents on race, slavery, and freedom ever drew up in Europe".
