Geoffrey chaucer family facts

Geoffrey Chaucer c.

Geoffrey chaucer birth and death date

Chaucer had a career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament, as well as writing well-known works such as The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde. He is credited as legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant languages in England were still French and Latin, and his poetry went on to shape future of English literature.

Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London, between the years The precise date and location remain unknown. He was born to John and Agnes de Copton Chaucer and both his father and his grandfather were London vintners. In , when John Chaucer was twelve years old, he was kidnapped by an aunt in the hope of marrying him to her daughter in an attempt to keep property in Ipswich.

Agnes had also inherited properties in , including 24 shops in London from her uncle Hamo de Copton. There are nearly five hundred written items testifying to his career, with the first being dated from A young man in this position would be in service to the aristocrats of the court who required diversions as well as domestic help. This was a common medieval form of apprenticeship for boys into knighthood or prestige appointments.

The countess was married to Lionel, Duke of Clarence, the second surviving son of the king, Edward III, and the position brought Chaucer into the close court circle. A year later, in , he was captured during the siege of Rheims. After this, it is not completely clear what Chaucer did. It is thought that he travelled in France, Spain, and Flanders, possibly as a messenger and perhaps even going on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.