Latin

Latin originates from the Etruscan province of Italy back from the age of antiquity. With the growth of the Roman Empire, Latin became the the lingua franca of the Mediterranean Sea. Latin pushed out the indigenous languages, especially the Celtic languages of Europe and replaced them. After the fall of the Roman Empire Latin progressively vanished as a spoken language except to act as a language for academia and the Roman Catholic Church.

Latin has had an indelible mark on the history of Europe. The Romance Languages: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Romanian among other minor languages are all descended from Latin. Latin was critical to science and literature on a continental scale in Europe until it was replaced by French in the 17th century. Latin still maintains a position within science, for example in the naming of species. Latin also maintains a central position within the Roman Catholic faith.

Darkness Series
Latin is not expressly employed at any point in the series. However, the relationship of Kaunian to other languages in Derlavai bears a striking resemblance to Latin's role in Europe's history. In many ways the Kaunian Empire is a simple substitute for the Roman Empire with Kaunian filling in for Latin.