English becomes the language of parliament
1362
The Pleading in English Act and the Chancellor's opening of parliament in the vernacular signaled that Middle English had returned to formal political use after three centuries of Anglo-Norman monopoly. Law courts followed within the decade, allowing commoners to understand proceedings that affected their lives. The language of Chaucer was becoming respectable in court and lecture hall at the same time.
In context
Also in 1362 (3 other events on record)
- William Langland begins Piers Plowman · Europe · Culture
- St. Marcellus's Flood drowns the German coast · Europe · Disaster
- Tamerlane wounded in the leg · Central Asia · Politics
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Culture
Era
Late Middle Ages (1301–1500), one of 874 events from that era on Saeculum.