1. The Canterbury Tales Introduction
English 12
Mrs. Wilson

2. Medieval Period Spans a period of 700 years
The Norman Conquest brought feudalism and started the widespread building of castles.
Under the feudal system, individuals were bound to serve a superior.
In return, they received protection from their superiors.

3. Medieval Period
Following the rule of Charlemagne, Christianity spread throughout Europe.
However, in 1054, the Great Schism threatened the unity of Europe. This arose from competing religious authorities of the Roman Catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox faith.

4. The Crusades This was a major part of medieval history.
Following the split of the church, the Crusades were launched to defend Christianity.
In total, the Crusades lasted more than 200 years.

5. Chaucer’s Pilgrims
In 1370, the bicentennial of the murder of Thomas a Becket, pilgrims especially sought to pay their respects to the martyred saint at the cathedral of Canterbury.
The medieval people believed that close proximity to a sacred relic could heal not only spiritually, but also physically.
There was an air of celebration as free food and drink were offered to all pilgrims on the route.
This springtime event renewed interest in Canterbury at the time that Chaucer began formulating his ideas for his poem.

6. Who was Thomas a Becket?
In 1170, the Pope had become increasingly powerful, and King Henry II was feeling threatened. Therefore, he appointed, his friend Thomas a Becket, to the highest position in the Church in England--Archbishop of Canterbury thinking that the Archbishop would take the King’s side in matters of the Church.
Thomas a Becket proved incorruptible. After several failed attempts to convince Becket to defy the Pope and side with the King, King Henry publicly raged to his court, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”

7. Who was Thomas a Becket
Four of his knights took the King’s words literally and murdered the priest in the alter of his own cathedral. Public outrage was instant and created a backlash against King Henry.
Thomas was immediately canonized by the church to become St. Thomas the Martyr.
The overall effect was that the monarchy was set back, and the Church developed more power than ever.
The twentieth century poet T.S. Elliot wrote the play Murder in the Cathedral exploring this dramatic event symbolically.

8. Who was Chaucer? (c )
Geoffrey Chaucer’s family belonged to the prosperous middle class. Chaucer benefited from an education at St. Paul’s Almonry where he learned Latin.

9. Who was Geoffrey Chaucer
In 1357, he left home to become a page in the household of the Duchess of Ulster, and five years later, he was promoted to squire.
As a squire, he was sent abroad to fight in the 100 Years War. He was imprisoned, and King Edward III paid a ransom.

10. Who was Geoffrey Chaucer?
Upon returning to London, Chaucer was appointed to the position of Controller of Customs at the Port of London. There he would have come in contact with a wide array of merchants, shipmen, guildsmen, and dockworkers. He interacted with all people from every social class.

11. Chaucer’s Life and Times
The Black Plague struck England from wiping out a third to a half of the country, and thus having a huge effect on feudalism. Think of supply and demand. When most of the laborers have been killed, those left can demand higher wages. The plague shows up in “The Pardoner’s Tale” where three men in a pub discuss the “privy thief” called Death “Who kills us around here.”

12. The Dark Ages
Much enlightenment could be found in the church, but there was much injustice done in the name of religion.
The Inquisition (the quest for heretics) marked a dark time in Church history as many innocent people were tortured and executed in the name of Christ.

13. The Canterbury Tales
Chaucer began to write the tales in 1386 during the reign of Richard II. These tales reflect two main social movements:
The increasing importance of the middle class and changing roles of citizens
The hypocrisy of the church before the Reformation

14. The Canterbury Tales
Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales just after his wife died. His humor and wit helped pull him out of his grief. As you read, pay close attention to examples of love and marriage. Does he have a traditional or progressive view of women? Think about class discussions regarding courtly love and arranged marriages.

15. The Pilgrims
Watch for Chaucer’s “tongue-in-cheek” style. He will often seem to agree with something outrageous in order to expose hypocrisy and irony.
Notice how he introduces the characters. They are grouped socially. Consider where he includes himself.