[Turkey] - empire Ottoman - Code de Commerce - 1850

Code of Commerce of the Ottoman Empire - Constantinople, 1850 - 59 p - 21 x 13 cm

The Commercial Code of the Ottoman Empire of 1850 was one of the first modern commercial laws of the Ottoman Empire, drafted in Constantinople during the Tanzimat period. It aimed to harmonize commercial rules with European models, especially French commercial law.

Goal: To modernize the trade legislation of the Ottoman Empire and to establish a uniform legal framework for trade and enterprises.

Influence: Strongly inspired by the Code de Commerce of France (1807), which served as a model for many countries in the 19th century.

Part of the Tanzimat reforms (1839–1876), a period during which the empire tried to modernize its institutions and adapt to European standards.


The Commercial Code regulated among other things.
Trade contracts: agreements between merchants, credit, and debts.
Companies: formation and organization of commercial companies.
Shipping and maritime trade: rules for transport, insurance, and liability.
Bankruptcy and insolvency: procedures for debt relief and protection of creditors.

Commercial courts: establishment of special courts to resolve commercial disputes.
It was a legal bridge between traditional Islamic legal systems and modern European legislation.
It gave foreign traders and diplomats more confidence in transactions within the Ottoman Empire.
It formed the basis for later codifications, such as the Législation Ottomane (1873–1888), a multi-part collection of Ottoman laws in French.