Geoffrey Chaucer He is considered to be the cornerstone of English literature

Geoffrey Chaucer Born between 1340-1343, probably in London Family made money in wine and leather trades (Chaucer is French for shoemaker)

Geoffrey Chaucer Parents placed him in the house of Prince Lionel, son of King Edward III. He served there at an attendant. He learned customs of upper-class.

Geoffrey Chaucer While working for Lionel, Chaucer met John of Gaunt, who becomes his lifelong patron. As a teenager, Chaucer joined the army to fight in the Hundred Years’ War.

Geoffrey Chaucer He was captured and the King of England contributed to his ransom. Chaucer later served as a royal messenger and worked his way up to more diplomatic assignments.

Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer’s early diplomatic travels to the European mainland exposed him to French and Italian literature.

Geoffrey Chaucer The last 2 decades of Chaucer’s life saw his finest literary achievement - The Canterbury Tales.

Geoffrey Chaucer In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer joins the stories together through having the characters join as members of a group of travelers journeying from London to Canterbury.

Geoffrey Chaucer Although he began the work in 1387, he didn’t finish it. He finished 22 of the 116 stories

Geoffrey Chaucer When he died in 1400, Chaucer was accorded an honor rare for a commoner—burial in Westminster Abbey.

The Canterbury Tales The characters are on a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury, to the shrine of Saint Thomas a Becket. Becket was appointed archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry II in 1162.

The Canterbury Tales After Becket and Henry II quarreled bitterly over the rights of the Church, four of Henry’s loyal knights murdered the archbishop in his own Cathedral in 1170. 3 years later Becket was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.