Here's why:
* Roman Empire: Latin was the language of the Roman Empire. As the Roman Empire expanded, Latin spread throughout its territories, including parts of modern-day France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Romania, and others.
* Vulgar Latin: Over time, the Latin spoken by everyday people (known as "Vulgar Latin") began to diverge from the standardized Classical Latin used in literature and government. These regional variations eventually evolved into distinct languages.
* Evolution: After the fall of the Roman Empire, these regional dialects continued to develop, influenced by local languages and cultural changes. This evolution gave rise to the Romance languages, which share a common ancestor in Latin.
So, while Romance languages have their own unique characteristics, their foundation lies in the Latin language spoken by the ancient Romans.