1. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (in Context)

2. The Context: “The Calamitous 14th Century”
Population decline:
Famine and hunger (High Middle Ages growth too hard to sustain)
Bubonic Plague (began 1347)
Economic hardship
Trade and industry suffered economic shifts
**actually benefitted agriculture
Popular Uprisings
Ex. English Peasants’ War (1381)
Not desperately poor but those w/new advantages
War—Hundred Years War 1337/

3. 100 Years War Characters English French
Edward III = king at the beginning of the war—declares self King of France, though his claim is rejected
Richard II = short reign, king during stalemate/search for peace terms (Chaucer’s time), ultimately deposed
Henry V = king at Battle of Agincourt, marriage to Catherine (daughter of Charles VI) produces French heir Henry VI as part of Treaty of Troyes (1420)
Charles IV = his death causes succession conflict at war’s start
John II = ransomed by English
Charles V = under whom France makes its first resurgence
Charles VI = father of Catherine (later wife of Henry V)
Charles VII = aka. “dauphin,” alternative heir to French throne (as opposed to Henry VI)— supported by southern half of France and later Joan of Arc

4. The 100 Years War Roots of the War:
England wants to retain land holdings in France (Gascony and Aquitaine, specifically)
Edward III claims throne of France—more leverage than anything
English king = French vassal
England’s conflict w/Scotland = French 

5. Quiz
1) True or False: The king of England was technically a vassal of the French king.
2) Which of the following English kings began the Hundred Years War?
William I
Edward III
James I
Henry V
Correct answer: True
Correct answer: b) Edward III

6. Early Period: 1337-1360 (English Victories)
Chevauchée tactics + manipulation of French nobility = weaken France
1346 Battle of Crécy—Calais won
1348 Battle of Poitiers = French defeat (King John II held for ransom)
Peace of Bretigny = favorable to English
Edward III lost claim to throne
England gained money from John’s ransom + Aquitaine

7. Chaos & Battles:
French make a comeback—regain lands lost from Treaty of Bretigny
Eventual stalemate—domestic problems for both
Political chaos in France (divided nobles) = English opportunity
Battle of Agincourt (1415)
Treaty of Troyes (1420): Henry V becomes king of France, marries Catherine—son = heir to French throne—not supported by all France

8. French Victory: 1428-1453 English try to enforce Treaty of Troyes
Siege of Orleans (1428)—French garrison saved by intervention of Joan of Arc
French peasant girl—”voices” told her to help dauphin
Later taken by English, tried for heresy, burned
Turned tide against English
Afterwards, England progressively lost the rest of its landholdings

9. Details & Legacy Significance of longbow for English
Greater range + speed of use
Relatively small armies involved—mostly voluntary
Results:
Stronger national ID & govt.
France = English-free
Parliament gains influence = need for taxes

10. Quiz
1) True or False: France won the Hundred Years War because it won the vast majority of the battles.
2) Which of the following was not a result of the Hundred Years War?
England lost all of its land holdings in France
Parliamentary bodies became more powerful
Each country strengthened its national identity
Civil war in England
Correct answer: False
Correct answer: a)

11. Things to Look For… Depiction of a cross-section of medieval society
Role of women
Portrayal of the Church
Connection between vernacular literature and the intended audience
Structure of the poem and connections within

12. Chaucer’s Life Lived circa 1343-1400
Consistently served as public servant:
Born to newly emerging “middle class”
Page
Soldier*
Esquire
Father = wine merchant
Diplomat*
Wool Controller
* = association with 100 Years War

13. Influence of Chaucer’s Political Career
Various roles = exposure to diverse set of people/classes
1372 diplomatic mission to Italy = contact with Italian (Renaissance) writers
Ex. Dante, Boccaccio
Knew Latin (guess what he translated…), French, and Italian

14. Chaucer’s Memorial Lived on Westminster Abbey estate at end of life
Memorial first in what is now known as “Poet’s Corner”

15. Chaucer’s Works Parliament of Fouls (1380) Troilus and Criseyde (1385)
Legend of Good Women (date unknown)
The Canterbury Tales (incomplete)
Originally intended to be significantly longer
22 tales + 2 unfinished ones
String of stories woven together (Boccaccio influence)
**written in English vernacular**

16. The Canterbury Tales
Details pilgrimage from London to the shrine of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury
Diverse crowd gathers at inn to set off
Challenged by innkeeper to storytelling contest
Prize = free dinner upon return
Stories told by each pilgrim often linked together
Begins with General Prologue: sets the stage, introduces characters

17. The Pilgrims’ Journey

18. Quiz
1) True or False: Chaucer was born to noble parents and spent most of his life as a full time writer.
2) Why are the stories in The Canterbury Tales told?
Chaucer’s memories of working in Canterbury
Entertainment for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury
Accounts of the Canterbury during the Plague
Letters from the Hundred Years War
Correct answer: False
Correct answer: b)