HSY 2601 SOLUTION FOR ASSIGNMENT 1 2023

Question 1 French gradually became one of the pillars of the state during the Ancien Régime. It is usual to quote, in this respect, Francis 1st ’s edict of Villers-Cotterets of 1539, which made French the sole official language of law and administration throughout the country, as the start of the process. In effect, however, it can be seen as the culmination of previous edicts, tending to displace Latin in favor of the vernaculars for both legalistic and practical reasons. The fact that the vernaculars were gradually whittled down to French was due to it being the language of the king. A century later, French became a justification for policy when Louis XIV annexed the Franche-Comté on the grounds that it was French speaking.