Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts
- When
- 1539
- Where
- Villers-Cotterêts
- Episodes
- 2
In August 1539, Francis I of France signed the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, establishing French as the administrative language for legal acts and official legislation to replace Latin and reduce linguistic confusion.
Episodes
- Signing of the Ordinance
Francis I signed the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts on August 10, 1539, in Villers-Cotterêts.
- Mandate for French Language
Articles 110 and 111 required French for legal acts and official legislation to avoid confusion.
Background and detail
Issuance of the Ordinance. Francis I signed the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts on August 10, 1539, in the city of Villers-Cotterêts. This extensive reform legislation was enacted to bring clarity to the complex systems of justice and administration prevailing in different parts of France.
Linguistic Provisions. Articles 110 and 111 mandated the use of French in all legal acts, notarized contracts, and official legislation. This replaced Latin as the administrative language, aiming to avoid linguistic confusion, though Article 111 failed to explicitly define the French mother tongue.
Legal Legacy. The Ordinance is the oldest French legislation still used partly by French courts. Articles 110 and 111 remain the most famous provisions and are the oldest still in use in French legislation, reflecting the enduring impact of Francis I's reforms on the legal system.
People involved
- Francis I of France · King of France who signed the Ordinance
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.