Entry
The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts — The 1539 ordinance imposing French in official acts
An ordinance of justice which, among many procedural articles, imposed French in place of Latin in official acts and required parishes to keep registers of baptisms. It gave the kingdom its administrative language and historians their sources. (Editorial synthesis)
The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts took place in 1539 (Julian calendar). (source: Encyclopædia Universalis)
The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts ended in French substituted for Latin in notarial and judicial acts. (source: Encyclopædia Universalis)
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