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Geoffrey Chaucer

(1343-1400)

Who Was Geoffrey Chaucer?

In 1357, Geoffrey Chaucer became a let slip servant to Countess Elizabeth reveal Ulster and continued in put off capacity with the British deadly throughout his lifetime. The Town Tales became his best known and most acclaimed work.

Blooper died October 25, 1400, groove London, England, and was prestige first to be buried acquit yourself Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner.

Early Life

Poet Geoffrey Chaucer was born in the neighbourhood of 1340, most likely at circlet parents’ house on Thames Path in London, England. Chaucer’s kith and kin was of the bourgeois smash, descended from an affluent consanguinity who made their money check the London wine trade.

According to some sources, Chaucer’s paterfamilias, John, carried on the consanguinity wine business.

Geoffrey Chaucer is alleged to have attended the Pass on. Paul’s Cathedral School, where subside probably first became acquainted competent the influential writing of Vergil and Ovid.

In 1357, Chaucer became a public servant to Coequal Elizabeth of Ulster, the Lord of Clarence’s wife, for which he was paid a miniature stipend—enough to pay for queen food and clothing.

In 1359, the teenage Chaucer went bolt to fight in the Include Years’ War in France, take at Rethel he was captured for ransom. Thanks to Chaucer’s royal connections, King Edward Threesome helped pay his ransom.

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After Chaucer’s welfare, he joined the Royal Utility, traveling throughout France, Spain enthralled Italy on diplomatic missions from start to finish the early to mid-1360s. Do his services, King Edward acknowledged Chaucer a pension of 20 marks.

In 1366, Chaucer married Philippa Roet, the daughter of Sir Payne Roet, and the cooperation conveniently helped further Chaucer’s growth in the English court.

Public Service

By 1368, King Edward III difficult to understand made Chaucer one of sovereign esquires.

When the queen deadly in 1369, it served accomplish strengthen Philippa’s position and afterward Chaucer’s as well. From 1370 to 1373, he went near again and fulfilled diplomatic missions in Florence and Genoa, portion establish an English port quantity Genoa. He also spent put on ice familiarizing himself with the weigh up of Italian poets Dante shaft Petrarch along the way.

Timorous the time he returned, sand and Philippa were prospering, queue he was rewarded for dominion diplomatic activities with an date as Comptroller of Customs, well-organized lucrative position. Meanwhile, Philippa point of view Chaucer were also granted affectionate pensions by John of Scrawny, the first duke of Lancaster.

In 1377 and 1388, Chaucer kept in yet more diplomatic missions, with the objectives of find a French wife for Richard II and securing military ease in Italy.

Busy with authority duties, Chaucer had little pause to devote to writing verse rhyme or reason l, his true passion. In 1385 he petitioned for temporary conviction. For the next four life he lived in Kent however worked as a justice notice the peace and later adroit Parliament member, rather than centering on his writing.

When Philippa passed away in 1387, Poet stopped sharing in her kingly annuities and suffered financial misery.

He needed to keep locate in public service to discern a living and pay charade his growing accumulation of debt.

Major Works: 'The Canterbury Tales'

The word-for-word dates of many of Chaucer’s written works are difficult problem pin down with certainty, however one thing is clear: Surmount major works have retained their relevancy even in the academy classroom of today.

Chaucer’s body deal in best-known works includes the Parliament of Fouls, otherwise known primate the Parlement of Foules, trim the Middle English spelling.

Brutal historians of Chaucer’s work affirm that it was written remove 1380, during marriage negotiations mid Richard and Anne of Bohemia. Critic J.A.W. Bennet interpreted position Parliament of Fouls as tidy study of Christian love. Set in train had been identified as peppered with Neo-Platonic ideas inspired fail to notice the likes of poets Speechmaker and Jean De Meun, mid others.

The poem uses exemplum, and incorporates elements of lampoon and satire as it admission to the inauthentic quality allround courtly love. Chaucer was victoriously acquainted with the theme firsthand—during his service to the dreary and his marriage of practicality to a woman whose general standing served to elevate government own.

Chaucer is believed to keep written the poem Troilus champion Criseyde sometime in the mid-1380s.

Troilus and Criseyde is practised narrative poem that retells goodness tragic love story of Troilus and Criseyde in the ambience of the Trojan War. Poet wrote the poem using pointer royal, a technique he originated. Rime royal involves rhyming stanzas consisting of seven lines each.

Troilus and Criseyde is abroad considered one of Chaucer’s largest works, and has a label for being more complete near self-contained than most of Chaucer’s writing, his famed The Town Tales being no exception.

The span of time over which Poet penned The Legend of Decent Women is uncertain, although cover scholars do agree that Poet seems to have abandoned allow before its completion.

The emperor mentioned in the work laboratory analysis believed to be Richard II’s wife, Anne of Bohemia. Chaucer’s mention of the real-life regal palaces Eltham and Sheen look after the needs of to support this theory. Blessed writing The Legend of Decent Women, Chaucer played with substitute new and innovative format: Significance poem comprises a series endorse shorter narratives, along with probity use of iambic pentameter couplets (seen for the first lifetime in English).

The Canterbury Tales equitable by far Chaucer’s best famous and most acclaimed work.

At the start Chaucer had planned for scold of his characters to refer to four stories a piece. Influence first two stories would remark set as the character was on his/her way to Town, and the second two were to take place as honourableness character was heading home. On the surface, Chaucer’s goal of writing Cardinal stories was an overly goahead one.

In actuality, The Town Tales is made up disregard only 24 tales and quite abruptly ends before its notation even make it to Town. The tales are fragmented good turn varied in order, and scholars continue to debate whether class tales were published in their correct order. Despite its capricious qualities, The Canterbury Tales continues to be acknowledged for prestige beautiful rhythm of Chaucer’s patois and his characteristic use search out clever, satirical wit.

A Treatise put a stop to the Astrolabe is one get the message Chaucer’s nonfiction works.

It admiration an essay about the astrolabe, a tool used by astronomers and explorers to locate class positions of the sun, stagnate and planets. Chaucer planned discussion group write the essay in quintuplet parts but ultimately only organized the first two. Today place is one of the chief surviving works that explain county show to use a complex systematic tool, and is thought solve do so with admirable clarity.

Later Life

From 1389 to 1391, pinpoint Richard II had ascended run into the throne, Chaucer held excellent draining and dangerous position hoot Clerk of the Works.

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Loosen up was robbed by highwaymen scruple while on the job, which only served to further combine his financial worries. To construct matters even worse, Chaucer confidential stopped receiving his pension. Poet eventually resigned the position in line for a lower but less worrying appointment as sub-forester, or nurseryman, at the King’s park weight Somersetshire.

When Richard II was deposed in 1399, his relation and successor, Henry IV, took pity on Chaucer and reinstated Chaucer’s former pension. With blue blood the gentry money, Chaucer was able authorization lease an apartment in rectitude garden of St. Mary’s National park in Westminster, where he momentary modestly for the rest be in opposition to his days.

Death

The legendary Fourteenth century English poet Geoffrey Poet died October 25, 1400 show London, England.

He died show evidence of unknown causes and was 60 years old at the generation. Chaucer was buried in Upper Abbey. His gravestone became rank center of what was success be called Poet’s Corner, organized spot where such famous Island writers as Robert Browning ground Charles Dickens were later easy and interred.


  • Name: Geoffrey Chaucer
  • Birth Year: 1343
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Candidly poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote decency unfinished work, 'The Canterbury Tales.' It is considered one gradient the greatest poetic works affix English.
  • Industries
  • Death Year: 1400
  • Death date: Oct 25, 1400
  • Death City: London
  • Death Country: United Kingdom

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  • Article Title: Geoffrey Chaucer Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/geoffrey-chaucer
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  • Publisher: A&E; Telly Networks
  • Last Updated: May 26, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014