5 Most Oldest Constitutions in the World

A constitution is a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed. Without a constitution, any state can not move forward and never be successful.

Following are 5 most oldest constitutions in the world.

1. San Marino (October, 1600)

The Republic of San Marino is believed to have the oldest surviving Constitution in the world. However, instead of being a single document, the Constitution of San Marino is comprised by a series of six books written in Latin, collectively referred to as the "Statutes of 1600". These came into effect on the 8th of October, 1600. However, a number of historians and legal scholars abstain from recognizing the San Marino Constitution as the oldest, surviving national constitution in the world. They argue that the multiple texts that define the governance and laws of San Marino do not fall under the category of constitution. Meanwhile, the single text document serving as the Constitution of the United States does meet these stipulations, and therefore many consider it the oldest. However, the debate rages on, and so does the ambiguity of the definition of any given country's constitution.

2. United States (June, 1788)

The United States Constitution is one of the most well known constitutions in the world, and is the supreme law of the United States of America. It came into force in 1789, following its initial ratification in June of 1788. Since its implementation, the U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times. The first 10 Amendments, collectively referred to as the "Bill of Rights", made provisions for protections of individual freedoms and met the need for equal justice, all the while curbing the powers of the government in certain cases. The majority of the remaining amendments have focused on the expansion and protection of civil rights. The Constitution of the United States is the shortest documented Constitution in the world, and has influenced the drafting of the constitutions of many other countries since then.

3. The Netherlands (March, 1814)

The Constitution of the Netherlands was adopted in March of 1814, and it declared the country as a hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. The national government of the monarchy is comprised by three institutions, these being the Monarch as the Dutch Head of State, and the Council of Ministers and the Parliament. The Constitution of the Netherlands also designates 12 provinces in the region. These regions are to be governed by a locally elected provincial council, with the Commissioner of the Queen (elected by the crown) as the formal head of each province.

4. Norway (May, 1814)

After 434 years of a Danish-Norwegian monarchial union, Norway finally became its own sovereign state with the adoption of the Norwegian Constitution on the 17th of May, 1814. Three principles define the Constitution of Norway. Namely, these are the separation of powers, the establishment and protection of civil rights, and the sovereignty of the people and recognition of them as a peasant-free society in the country. Every year, the 17th of May is celebrated with great pomp throughout Norway, the date having been declared as the National Day of the country.

5. Belgium (February, 1831)

A year after Belgium’s independence from the Netherlands, the Belgian Constitution was adopted by its National Congress on the 7th of February, 1831. It established the country as a constitutional monarchy. A significant amendment to the Constitution was made on the 14th of July, 1993, transitioning Belgium's form of government from that of a constitutional monarchy to that of a federal state. The most recent amendments to the Belgian Constitution were made in 2012.