Episode 1 of 2
Signing of the Ordinance
- When
- August 10, 1539
- Where
- Villers-Cotterêts
Francis I signed the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts on August 10, 1539, in Villers-Cotterêts.
The extensive reform legislation was signed into law by Francis I in the city of Villers-Cotterêts. This act established French as the administrative language of the kingdom, replacing Latin in official documents to improve clarity in justice and administration.
Sources
- Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-16
- Francis I of France Wikipedia
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.