Top 20 Surprising Facts about Geoffrey Chaucer

Top 20 Surprising Facts about Geoffrey Chaucer

Originally published by Vanessa R. in April 2022 and updated by Vanessa M in May 2024.

Geoffrey Chaucer is considered the Father of English Literature and the finest poet of the Middle Ages. He was born about 1343 in London, England to wealthy wine merchants John Chaucer and Agnes Copton.

Geoffrey attended St. Paul’s Cathedral School, where he is said to have found the works of Ovid and Virgil, which influenced his own writing in later years. In 1357, Geoffrey was appointed as a public servant to Countess Elizabeth of Ulster, a post he retained for the remainder of his life. Geoffrey fought in France during the Hundred Years’ War in 1359, he was kidnapped and imprisoned for ransom. King Edward III aided in his return, and he entered the Royal Service.

1. Geoffrey Chaucer is considered the founder of English literature

He was the first writer to write in English vernacular when most court contents were in Anglo-Norman or Latin. His works were inspired by Italian Renaissance writers such as Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. In turn, his work inspired Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and even J.K. Rowling.

2. He was born into the Chaucer (from the French word chasseur meaning shoemaker) family

Chaucer1853 by Portraits of Humanist from Wikimedia Commons

His father, John Chaucer, was a winemaker. His family fostered him in a royal household to enhance his chances of career success. Thus, he spent his teenage years in the service of Countess Elizabeth of Ulster, wife to Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence and third son of King Edward III.

During this time, he served as a knight’s page. He eventually fought for King Edward III during the 100 years war. During the siege of Rhyne, he was captured and the king paid his ransom to return him to the royal service. Chaucer’s royal service allowed him the courtly connections needed to further his career.

3. Chaucer married his teenage friend

He met his wife, Philippa de Roet, while working in Countess Elizabeth’s household. She was a lady in waiting for the queen. It is possible that their marriage was arranged as was customary for families working in royal households. Chaucer’s
marriage to Philippa, a relatively higher-born lady, appears to have inspired Franklin’s Tale, a story in which a lower-born knight marries a higher-born lady.

4. Chaucer was an accomplished public servant

His career spanned three decades during which he rose from the position of a courtier to Clerk of the King’s work. He also worked as the king’s diplomat and even became a Member of Parliament for Kent.

5. Chaucer pioneered the use of female narrators

His female characters are developed individuals with unique hopes and ideals. Before Chaucer, female personalities were generic wives, virgins, and prostitutes. Chaucer personalizes each female character from a variety of cultural perspectives. These subtleties indicate Chaucer’s, comprehensive understanding of the human
experience.

6. Chaucer was involved in a scandal involving Cecily Chaumpaigne

Chaucer was accused of “Raptus” by Cecily – meaning that he abducted and/or raped her. The resultant scandal significantly damaged his career and has even elicited calls to cancel his work today.

7. Chaucer was also a science writer

His instruction manual for the astrolabe, written for his son Thomas is among the first technical works written in English. The writing is remarkably elaborate. The manual is built on the contributions of medieval astronomers and highlights Chaucer’s own conversations with the science of astronomy.

8. There’s a crater on the moon named for Chaucer

The Chaucer crater is a lunar impact crater located on the far side of the moon. In addition, the main-belt asteroid 2984 Chaucer is an eponym for Geoffrey Chaucer. These honors recognize Chaucer’s contribution to literature and science.

9. He is buried in Westminster, at Poet’s corner

This burial spot was selected because he had overseen construction at Westminster as the clerk of works.

10. His poetic name

The name Poet’s Corner only materialized as a posthumous honor to him in 1550. Several other prominent playwrights and poets interred at Poet’s Corner include Ben Jonson, Edmund Spenser, and Charles Dickens

11. He accomplished many things during his lifetime

Government Art Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During his lifetime, he achieved numerous accomplishments in a variety of fields, most notably as an author and poet, but also as a philosopher, astronomer, diplomat, and civil servant. He is still regarded as one of the greatest English poets, and he was the first to be buried in Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey.

12. His works are so pervaded by humor that its absence is easier to notice than its presence

Geoffrey Chaucer is recognized as the first major humorist in English literature. As a result, he is of particular interest to scholars in terms of his humor, which reflects the work of his predecessors and contemporaries and defines the direction of development for subsequent British humor, as well as how his humor relates to his larger canon.

13. King Edward awarded him a 20-mark pension for his service with the Royal Service

Thomas Hoccleve; modified by user:Phil_wink, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1357, Chaucer worked as a public servant for Countess Elizabeth of Ulster, the Duke of Clarence’s wife, for a small stipend that covered his food and clothing. In 1359, the adolescent Chaucer left for France to fight in the Hundred Years’ War, and he was kidnapped for ransom in Rethel.

King Edward III assisted in paying Chaucer’s ransom as a result of his royal connections. Following his release, Chaucer joined the Royal Service and traveled through France, Spain, and Italy on diplomatic missions from the early to mid-1360s. King Edward awarded Chaucer a 20-mark pension in recognition of his services.

14. He was one of King Edward III’s esquires

In 1367, Chaucer received a lifetime annuity as a king’s yeoman, and the following year, he was listed among the king’s esquires. Such officers lived in court and performed important staff duties. Chaucer was on a diplomatic mission abroad in 1368 and served in the French military in 1369. In 1369, he and his wife served as official mourners for Queen Philippa’s death. Clearly, Chaucer’s career was thriving, and his first major poem, Book of the Duchess, appears to provide additional evidence of his connections with people in positions of power.

15. His gravestone became the first of what would be known as Poet’s Corner in the abbey

14GTR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Poets’ Corner is one of Westminster Abbey’s most iconic features. It was founded in 1400 as the burial place for Geoffrey Chaucer, but has since expanded to include other famous authors. Today, more than 100 writers and poets have been honored here.

16. He was an MP

Perhaps Chaucer’s most well-known connection to Westminster is his tenure as a Member of Parliament in the so-called ‘Wonderful Parliament’ of 1386. As an MP, he spent the majority of his time at Westminster outside of parliamentary proceedings collecting annuities from the Exchequer, conducting business in his capacity as controller of customs, giving evidence in the refectory in the Scrope-Grosvenor chivalry case, and participating in legal proceedings at Westminster Hall, the home of English common law.

17. Chaucer’s most famous work is ‘The Canterbury Tales’

Brigade Piron, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century, is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to the Thomas Becket shrine at Canterbury Cathedral. The Canterbury Tales, one of the most beloved works in the English language, contains lively, absorbing, perceptive, and outrageously funny stories that have earned Chaucer the title of “the father of English literature.”

The stories are structured around a narrative in which each pilgrim tells a story to pass the time on their pilgrimage. This structure allows for a wide range of stories, including romance, comedy, and moral allegory.

18. He wrote other major works in addition to the Canterbury Tales

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is one of the most important works of medieval literature. This Middle English poem has captivated generations of readers, who have enjoyed its poetic beauty, larger-than-life characters, and blend of poignant tragedy and tongue-in-cheek humor. However, Chaucer was a prolific writer who wrote numerous works that are still read today. Among them are his Trojan epic Troilus and Criseyde, the Dream Vision The Legend of Good Women, his translations of the Roman de la Rose and The Consolation of Philosophy, an instruction manual for the astrolabe, and a slew of minor poems.

19. Chaucer worked a part-time government job collecting scrap metal for reuse

British Library, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Geoffrey held a variety of positions early in his life thanks to his father’s connections, including noblewoman’s page, courtier, diplomat, civil servant, and scrap metal collector. 

20. Chaucer served on several diplomatic missions

Throughout the 1370s, Chaucer served on diplomatic missions in Flanders, France, and Italy. His first trip to Italy (December 1372 to May 1373) was most likely for negotiations with the Genoese about an English port for their trade, as well as with the Florentines about loans for Edward III.

His next trip to Italy took place between May 28 and September 19, 1378, as part of a military mission to Milan. Several times in the 1370s, Chaucer and his wife received generous monetary grants from the king and John of Gaunt.