The Impact of the Napoleonic Legislation on the Periphery of the Empire – a Failure? The Polish Elite's Attitude Towards the Napoleonic Code (1807–1812)

Abstract

This article examines the attitude of the Polish elite towards the Napoleonic legislation at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Based on the primary sources – such as letters, reports, and memoirs – it seeks to prove that this attitude was not as hostile as is commonly believed. From a broader perspective, the article challenges the assumption that the integration of the Napoleonic periphery into the Empire was limited and that the Napoleonic legal project was doomed to failure.