French language is one of the Romance languages, and is spoken by about 72 million people in France, Canada, Switzerland, Belguim and in many former territories and protectorates. Old French, or Ancient French became a literary language in 842, with the chansons de geste that told tales of the paladins of Charlemagne and the heroes of the Crusades.

In 1539 King Francis I of France made French the official language of administration and court proceedings throughout France, replacing the Latin that had been used before then. Many regional dialects were superceded by Parisian French, and with the arrival of a standardised dialect and the loss of the declension system, "Middle French" was born. Following a period of unification, regulation and purification, the French of the 17th to the 18th centuries is sometimes referred to as Classical French, although many linguists simply refer to it as Modern French.

French spread in the 17th to the 19th centuries as France was the leading power of Europe. Because of this, together with the influence of the Enlightenment, French was the lingua franca of educated Europe, especially with regards to the arts, literature, and diplomacy. It was during this time that French established itself in the Americas. Today French is the language of about 10 million people (not counting French-based creoles) in the Americas.