Talk:Constitution

Semi-protected edit request on 10 October 2023

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)

 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)

Inconsistencies in History and development

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

— History and development

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)

No mention of Loiyumpa Silyel

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)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 January 2026

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)

 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)

Fundamental Pact of 1657

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

• Nourerrahmane, interesting. I don't know, but that it's a (kind of) constitution seems real enough. On the other hand, the article's job is not to name or list every single constitution in the world. If I were in on this, I'd see about improving that actual article first; right now most of it is the text of the document and that is actually not what that article should do. I'd also see about its categorization; I imagine there's a category for articles on constitutions. I say all this blissfully unaware of what this specific article contains, but if it has a list of all the constitutions I would remove it. Including your Pact into this article, then, would be a matter of writing up a few sentences or paragraphs that explains that it is a document important enough to be included in an overview/discussion of "constitution". Good luck, Drmies (talk) 22:00, 28 September 2026 (UTC)
• Ugh--that "18th century" chapter contains what I had hoped not to find: a random, unverified, and disparate list of factoids. Drmies (talk) 22:02, 28 September 2026 (UTC)
• Nourerrahmane, go see what I did. Drmies (talk) 22:16, 28 September 2026 (UTC)

  I just checked your addition and I think it does justice to the article in question since it highlights an earlier constitutive document in the Islamic world. I do believe few words and a link are enough to give it due importance. Thank you for this contribution. Nourerrahmane (talk) 03:23, 29 September 2026 (UTC)

An error in the map

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)

• Constitution of Finland: 1919. Drmies (talk) 21:52, 28 September 2026 (UTC)