Middle English is the form of the English language spoken from roughly 1066 (following the Norman Conquest) until the late 15th century (around 1500). It evolved as a bridge between Old English and Early Modern English. After the 1066 invasion, French became the language of the court, law, and upper classes for about three centuries, introducing thousands of new French loanwords (such as mansion). And along with Viking settlements in northern and eastern Britain left a strong imprint, contributing common words like they, sky, take, and knife. Medieval texts retained some older letters like thorn (þ) and edh (ð) for "th" sounds, and yogh (Ȝ) for "y", "g", or "gh".
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