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Reference.org
Middle Low German
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<p>Middle Low German is a developmental stage of <a href="/facts/Low_German/BPxhrjlB">Low German</a>. It developed from the <a href="/facts/Old_Saxon/9DDedJAM">Old Saxon</a> language in the <a href="/facts/Middle_Ages/RqzEKB9v">Middle Ages</a> and has been documented in writing since about 1225–34 (<i><a href="/facts/Sachsenspiegel/AllW9xW7">Sachsenspiegel</a></i>). During the <a href="/facts/Hanseatic_League/oA756xvs">Hanseatic</a> period (from about 1300 to about 1600), Middle Low German was the leading written language in the north of <a href="/facts/Central_Europe/VdxzSbJz">Central Europe</a> and served as a <a href="/facts/Lingua_franca/dlGrD7ra">lingua franca</a> in the northern half of Europe. It was used parallel to <a href="/facts/Medieval_Latin/gyLMjaCX">medieval Latin</a> also for purposes of <a href="/facts/Diplomacy/s5dRkAhk">diplomacy</a> and for <a href="/facts/Deed/UJl4lShS">deeds</a>. </p>