Medieval French on the Move

When Keith Busby published his field-shaping Codex and Context in 2002, the work was referred to as groundbreaking and monumental. It prompted scholars of medieval literature to return to manuscripts in their droves. However, Busbys Codex and Context would also enact another, more gradual movement. His formulation of the term medieval Francophonia to describe the presence, power and effect of French outside France would filter steadily into academic enquiry. The term and concept are now widely recognised and applied in global scholarship, including in multiple major projects dedicated to the topic. This volume brings together a series of cutting-edge studies of medieval Francophonia, covering in one place and for the first time the fullest scope of the concepts remit, with contributions on history, historiography, language, literature, culture, society and authority. At the same time as offering a timely contribution to the field, this volume pays tribute to Busbys life work not only to pioneer medieval Francophonia, but also, and moreover, to encourage the study of the medieval through material philology. Each of the studies here, written by Busbys friends and colleagues, thus roots its approach in a material context.