Middle French

Middle French is the form of French used from the mid-14th to the early 17th century, between Old French and Modern French. It developed amid major changes in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.

Old French: The Romance language used in northern France from roughly the ninth to the 14th century. Its regional varieties and inherited forms supplied the starting point for Middle French.
French phonological history: The study of sound changes through the history of the French language. Middle French underwent sound changes that distinguish it from both Old and Modern French.
Hundred Years' War: A series of conflicts between the English and French crowns from 1337 to 1453. War and political upheaval accompanied the emergence of Middle French.
Les Cent Nouvelles nouvelles: A collection of one hundred French prose tales composed in the 15th century. Its lively prose illustrates vernacular Middle French beyond formal verse.
Anglo-Norman: A variety of Old French used in England and parts of the British Isles after the Norman Conquest. Its history outside France distinguishes it from the later French variety centered in the kingdom of France.
Early Modern French: The transitional form of French used from the late 16th through the 17th century. It captures the later transition from Middle French toward standardized modern usage.
French orthography: The conventional system for spelling words in French. Middle French spelling varied widely before later standardization.
Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts: A 1539 royal edict that required French in legal and administrative records in France. It gave French a stronger official role during the later Middle French period.
Le Roman de la Rose: A French allegorical poem begun by Guillaume de Lorris and continued by Jean de Meun in the 13th century. Its earlier language offers a comparison with later Middle French literary forms.
Latin: An ancient Indo-European language that remained central to scholarship, religion, and administration in medieval Europe. Latin continued to compete with French in formal writing and institutions.

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Jean FroissartRelated: Froissart wrote in the evolving French of his era.