Code Noir

The Code Noir (English: Black Code) was a decree passed by in 1685, regulating the legal conditions and requirements of the slave trade throughout the French colonies.

The Code Noir contained a number of restrictions on how slave owners could treat their slaves, including forbidding: cruel and unusual punishments, the separation of slave families, and the murder of a slave.

Despite this, the Code was largely ignored by slave owners throughout the Caribbean, and transgression typically went unpunished.

Reference

 * Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Freedom Cry