Why did the English aristocracy speak French?

More stuff from the Italy website. 7th of September 2002: 8 years old. I honestly have no idea whether the stuff that my brother and I wrote was more mature or advanced than our peer group. I was entirely homeschooled until we moved to Italy.

Mum likes to call it unschooling: like, we did Correspondence School courses that were apparently aimed at intermediate-aged children. For her, the trip was partly a way of pushing us sideways, so that we wouldn't end up going to uni at 12, or so that we'd know some cultured stuff rather than being brainy scientists ... despite this, Mum thought that we should cure cancer. Mixed messages!

The current philosophy is that it's ok to skip kids several years ahead, but that wasn't the view when I was young.

They spoke French because William the bastard was Norman meaning he was from Normandy, France. The French-speaking aristocracy lasted even in The Hundred year's war when the English fought France for French territory. The Stuart Dynasty helped stop this but Georgian Britain was the end because George I was from Hanover in Germany and Victorian Britain was when Britain realized they were not French. Even so British children still learn French at High school since France once had an empire.

They spoke French because William the bastard was Norman meaning he was from Normandy, France. But Normandy was not French. Viking Raiders raided and King Charles the Simple who feared Viking control of France gave Normandy to them as a gift. William also had the right to rule England through being promised the throne by Edward the Confessor. So forgein aristocracy can change the language your aristocracy speaks.

The French-speaking aristocracy lasted even in The Hundred year's war when the English fought France for French territory. The battle of Agincourt in 1415, in which Henry V gained France from Charles VII, was a great day for the English archers. But Henry died and his infant son later lost all of England's French territories. The major turning point was the battle of Orlean when the French forces successfully defeated the English and later battles made the French win back territories and by 1453 only Calais remained English. So this proves that England kept their old custom though a war with France.

The Stuart Dynasty helped stop this but Georgian Britain was the end because George I was from Hanover in Germany and Victorian Britain was when Britain realized they were not French. (Just like New Zealanders didn't realise until the 1970's that they weren't British.)

That's my Dad. He was full of quips like that: one of his favourites was to blame the poor quality of mountain water on tourists pissing in the streams! The Stuart Dynasty had been ruling Scotland since 1371 and took the throne of England in 1603 when Elizabeth I died. The Stuart Dynasty ended in 1735 at the battle of Culloden. This may have been why the Stuart Dynasty helped stop the French speaking aristocracy.

England was conquered by a Frenchman from a Viking territory in France. That is why it seems odd that the Vikings didn't change the language of Normandy to Viking.This shows why French aristocracy changed the language the English aristocracy spoke. Many famous documents such as the Magna Carta were written in the French speaking English aristocracy time. I have enjoyed writing about why the English aristocracy spoke French.