Great Britain
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Geoffrey Chaucer
London, Great Britain
Archival Overview
Venerated as the Father of English Literature, who legitimized the vernacular Middle English tongue as a vehicle for grand literary art in his vibrant comedic and psychological masterwork, The Canterbury Tales.
Biographical Record
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340s–1400), son of a London vintner, served as a royal courtier, diplomat, comptroller of customs, and member of parliament under three kings: Edward III, Richard II, and Henry IV. On diplomatic missions to Italy in the 1370s, he discovered the works of Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch, which transformed his poetic vision.
At a time when Latin was the language of learning and Anglo-Norman French the language of the aristocracy, Chaucer established Middle English as a glorious literary medium. Commenced around 1387, The Canterbury Tales brings together twenty-nine pilgrims of every social class—from the noble Knight to the bawdy Wife of Bath—journeying to Thomas Becket's shrine at Canterbury. In 1400, Chaucer became the very first poet buried in Westminster Abbey, founding what is now world-renowned as Poets' Corner.
Key Life Milestones
Commencement of The Canterbury Tales
Began his masterpiece framing English medieval society in vivid vernacular verse through the pilgrimage to Canterbury.
First Burial in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey
Buried in the South Transept of Westminster Abbey, establishing the world's most famous literary resting place.
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialLondon, Great Britain