French Constitution of 1791
The short-lived French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. One of the basic precepts of the revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing popular sovereignty.
Constitution
The oldest written document still governing a sovereign nation today is that of San Marino. The "Leges Statutae Republicae Sancti Marini" was written in Latin and consists of six books. The first book, with 62 articles, establishes councils, courts, various executive officers and the powers assigned to them. The remaining books cover criminal and civil law, judicial procedures and remedies. Written in 1600, the document was based upon the "Statuti Comunali" (Town Statute) of 1300, itself influenced by the "Codex Justinianus", and it remains in force today.