Marie de France was a poet, possibly born in what is now France, who lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an unknown court, but she and her work were almost certainly known at the royal court of King Henry II of England. Virtually nothing is known of her life; both her given name and its geographical specification come from manuscripts containing her works. However, one written description of her work and popularity from her own era still exists. She is considered by scholars to be the first woman known to write francophone verse.
Marie de France from an illuminated manuscript
"Marie de France presents her book of poems to Henry II of England" by Charles Abraham Chasselat
The Woman and the Wolf in Marie de France’s “Bisclavret”
Anglo-Norman, also known as Anglo-Norman French, was a dialect of Old Norman that was used in England and, to a lesser extent, other places in Great Britain and Ireland during the Anglo-Norman period.
Manuscript miniature of the coronation of Henry III; accompanied by a short account of his reign in Anglo-Norman prose.