Talk:Constitution

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The Year that the declaration was signed was in 1776 not the 1786 like you put on there. Please fix this as soon as you can, i understand it is just a minor mistake but in the hands of the wrong people, you may never hear the end of it...;] 69.171.222.49 (talk) 17:13, 10 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

 Not done: It was not signed in 1776. That was the United_States_Declaration_of_Independence. The constitution was not signed until later. RudolfRed (talk) 17:49, 10 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

...the Constitution of the United States of America (U.S. Constitution), which is the oldest and shortest written constitution still in force...

The oldest written constitution still in force is the Constitution of the Republic of San Marino. While it was amended in 1974, the basic constitution dates from October 8th, 1600. If we argue that an amendment is a change to the codified constitution, the US constitution would date from May 7, 1992. If we argue that an amendment is not a change to the codified constitution, then the sentence is plainly wrong.

Also, the shortest written constitution is the Constitution of the Principality of Monaco, with an official word count of 3814 words - referenced in this very article.

I suggest rewording the opening sentences to "Since the late 18th century, close to 800 constitutions have been adopted and subsequently amended around the world by independent states. In 1789, Thomas Jefferson...".

However, I will not rule out that there is an oversight by me, so I opened this discussion. Mwmahlberg (talk) 10:37, 20 July 2024 (UTC)Reply

Loiyumpa Silyel was a medieval written constitution, in the Indian state of Manipur. It was the first written constitution, and was in force for more than 800 years, until modern India formed. We should, ideally, include a mention of it, or at least a link to it in the 'Middle Ages after 1000' section under 'History and Development'. ~2025-39646-49 (talk) 06:26, 10 December 2025 (UTC)Reply

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Hello.
I am somewhat surprised by the caption of the first illustration: Constitution of the Year XII (First French Republic), this constitution being that of the first empire. The text clearly states 'Napoleon, by the grace of God and the constitution of the Republic, Emperor of the French'.
The first republic had officially begun on September 21, 1792 (and we are here in the year XII-1804)
A check can be made on the following page in French: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9natus-consulte_organique_du_28_flor%C3%A9al_an_XII
Homunculus simplex (talk) 23:28, 18 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

 Done Changed "First French Republic" to "First French Empire", as this was the constitution that established the empire. Day Creature (talk) 03:54, 19 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

Hello, does this Algerian Fundamental Pact of 1657 deserve a mention in the article ? Thanks. Nourerrahmane (talk) 10:05, 22 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

The constitution of Finland is dated 1999, and it has been in force since 2000. The map says it's pre-1940. ~2026-43714-16 (talk) 04:00, 9 August 2026 (UTC)Reply