| Abstract: | Abstract The modernist theory of the nation is criticised for being unable to explain the existence of the idea of the nation and of national sentiments in the medieval period. By focusing on the central role played by the monarchy in the making of the French state in the Middle Ages it is possible to show the legitimating importance of French language and of French culture in that period. Furthermore, the appearance of the idea of France as an 'imagined community', even if it was only shared by a small minority of people, proves that by the end of the Middle Ages there was a clear sense of national identity. |
