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Geoffrey Chaucer

Type Figure Region England Time c. 1343–1400 Also known as father of English literature

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400), English poet, diplomat and court official, hailed as the father of English literature;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1343–1367London · LondonFrom a London wine merchant's family, he served as a court page from 1357, took part in Hundred Years' War-related actions with Edward III's army in the 1360s, was made a royal esquire in 1367, and began to engage with the French courtly literary tradition.
  2. 1368–1386England · EnglandHe made several diplomatic missions to Europe in the 1370s; during a visit to Italy in 1372–1373 he may have encountered the traditions of Boccaccio and Petrarch. From 1374 he served as customs controller in London while composing works such as Troilus and Criseyde, his literary reputation growing steadily.
  3. 1386–1400London · LondonAfter 1386 he devoted himself fully to The Canterbury Tales, using a frame of pilgrims' stories to portray all facets of medieval English society; the work blended humor, satire and penetrating human observation, establishing its classic status in English literature. He died in London in 1400.

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