1 of 2

"Now I beg all those that listen to this little treatise [Canterbury Tales], or read it, that if there be anything in it that pleases them, they thank our Lord Jesus Christ for it, from whom proceeds all understanding and goodness."

Geoffrey Chaucer's first major poem, Book of the Duchess, was a well-received elegy for Blanche, the late wife of his patron John of Gaunt (who was also patron of Bible translator John Wycliffe). It was a gentle poem of courtly love and established Chaucer's reputation as a love poet who examined both the earthly and the eternal aspects of the subject.

Yet Chaucer was no mushy milquetoast; he had a few rough edges. He was once fined for beating a Franciscan friar and was charged with either sexual assault or abduction (the charge is unclear), though the case was dismissed.

This combination—sublimity and brutal realism—characterized not only Chaucer's life but his greatest literary contribution, The Canterbury Tales.

Geoffrey's father, John, was an important London vintner (wine merchant) and a deputy to the king's butler, so Geoffrey received the best education of his day. He was well read, fluent in French and competent in Latin and Italian. By his early teens, he was already serving in the royal household; by his mid-teens, he was a member of the king's army in France. Unfortunately, a key siege in which Chaucer took part failed, and the future poet was captured and imprisoned. After being ransomed (the king paid 16 pounds for his release), Chaucer returned to court. Over the next few years, he was promoted from attendant of the king's chamber to squire and charged with providing the king with entertainments—especially poetry.

Chaucer's career continued upward, and eventually he became quite wecaptionhy. Then a series of mishaps ensued. When his wife, Philippa, died in about 1387, he lost her annuity; when King Richard II and John of Gaunt were usurped, Chaucer was dismissed. He was sued for debts, then sued again. Then King Richard's usurpers gained control of Parliament and began executing many of Chaucer's close friends.

During this tumultuous time, Chaucer created much of his most famous poetry. He began his early work on The Canterbury Tales and penned Troilus and Criseyde, a humorous but tragic love narrative set against the Trojan War. Some scholars have named it the first English novel, and praise it even above Canterbury Tales.

At the time, however, Troilus and Criseyde had at least one major critic: Richard's wife, Queen Anne. She took issue with the poem's implication that women were less faithful than men in romance. Chaucer noted her critique and set about writing the Legend of Good Women, in which the women aren't really good, they're just betrayed by evil men. Chaucer left the work unfinished because, according to his disciple Lydgate, it was too taxing to come up with many good women in history.

Soon enough, Richard II, then only 23 years old, regained his throne. His supporters were rewarded, and Chaucer was no exception. Richard appointed him clerk of the royal works, including Westminster Palace and the Tower of London. But he was, at best, mediocre at his job, and it proved hazardous to his health. He was repeatedly robbed and once beaten. Two years after his lofty appointment, he was demoted to subforester of the king's park in North Peterton, Somerset.

next page... |  1 of 2

share this page

FREE E-Newsletter Sign up for the ChristianHistory.net e-mail newsletter. Discover more about your Christian heritage with this weekly e-newsletter that features key people, topics, and events from the history of Christianity.      RSS Feed   RSS Help