Early English

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What was the language of the early English kings?

I was told early English kings, even those Shakespeare wrote about like Richard the 3rd, did not actually speak English. What was their language and when did English became their everyday language?

Hi Sue;
Isn't it annoying when people do not take you seriously.. You have asked a very valid question.
It depends on what you mean by 'early kings'.
Before the Norman Conquest most of them would speak some version of Anglo-Saxon, a Germanic language, somewhat different from our modern English and High German. One still finds words in dialects that are closer.
The Viking kings like Canute obviously spoke an early version of Scandinavian (Danish/Norwegian) which again was a Germanic language. (Incidentally my 'offspring' at Atlantic College observed modern Scandinavian youngsters speaking their own languages but able to converse understanding each other!)
After the Norman Conquest the language at Court was Norman French; Early English-Middle English was the language of the peasants and those conquered. Latin tended to be the international language and especially in documents. Chaucer did much to make 'English' respectable and Shakespeare etc. continued the trend. Elizabeth I could speak several languages and even learned Irish Gaelic to meet Kate O Malley. It may be that French continued as the official language till the Tudor Kings, after all the English Kings had French possessions till finally Mary I lost Calais.

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