Geoffrey Chaucer

Type Figure Region England Time c. 1343–1400 Also known as Father of English Literature

Geoffrey Chaucer was a 14th-century English poet, often regarded as the father of English literature, born in London around 1343.

Timeline

1343–1357London · EnglandBorn in London around 1343 into a family of wine merchants, he grew up amid English social upheaval at the start of the Hundred Years' War; by 1357 records show him serving at court, indicating he entered royal service in his youth.
1357–1374Westminster · EnglandFrom 1357 he served in the courts of Edward III and Richard II as attendant, customs official, and diplomatic envoy, travelling to France, Italy, and elsewhere, where he encountered continental literary traditions that laid the groundwork for his later English poetry.
1387–1400London · EnglandAfter the 1380s he created masterpieces such as The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde, writing in the London dialect, portraying a group of pilgrims from all social ranks, and founding the tradition of English national literature; he died in London around 1400.

Geoffrey Chaucer — Encyclopaedia Britannica https://www.britannica.com/biography/Geoffrey-Chaucer