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HISTORY
The Canterbury
Tales
By Will Street
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Introduction
Emerging after the conquest of William the Conqueror in 1066, is a block of history termed today as the “Medieval Era”. It is considered a discrete block in history for a number of reasons. However, principal among these is the similarity and homogenous character of both the government and the lives of the general inhabitants.
The King of course stood at the top of the pyramid, followed behind by his loyal barons and lastly the common peasant. It was a system of feudalism that had its origins as early as the Roman occupation close to a millennium previously. Providing hope and stability to their lives, strict obedience was offered to the Christian Church. It was a Christian Catholic Church that provided much information regarding the bewilderment of nature surrounding one’s life.
We can regard this epoque as homogenous because of the similarity of successive royal reigns. After William the Conqueror, his descendants ruled for the following 47 years. However, unlike a key facet of early modern Europe, where the Tudor house was able to gain hold of the throne and secure a dynasty, the medieval period is recognisable as a homogenous unit for the inability of any noble house to plant a lasting dynasty.
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The entity, however, of the “medieval ages” was also recognised from an early stage. It was quickly viewed as a constituent of three main époques. These were “Classical Antiquity”, “Medieval” and “Modern”. The term “Middle Ages” first appears in Latin in 1469 as “media tempestas” (lit. “middle season”). It would increase in usage from its inception, appearing as “medium aevum” (“middle age”) first in 1604 and then “media saecula” (“middle centuries”) from as early as 1625. The “Medieval” derives from a compound of the Latin words, “medium aevum”, to create “mediaeval”.
When we think of the medieval world today, many things immediately come to mind as signature tropes of the historical period. The noble elites famously battled it out in the jousting competitions. Great monasteries furnished readings of the bible and the writing of Latin. England would go to war whenever they could with the French.
These were the ages at the bedrock of the society we live in now. Churches still stand, castles stoke wonder in our hearts and Cathedrals provide a poignant memory of lives past gone.
An author, whose publications speak of these wonders was none other than Geoffrey Chaucer. And precisely the publication we are here to study today are the “Canterbury Tales”. This collection was only one work of the famous poet. Other works of Geoffrey Chaucer, such as “Troilus and Criseyde”, were popular and through the manuscript tradition still exist today. However, through both his contemporary reception and recognisable today, the “Canterbury Tales” is easily his most celebrated work.
As for the poet himself, Geoffrey Chaucer was born most probably in 1340 and died certainly in 1400. As such, it is clear that during his lifetime he had survived the Black Death and multiple governing regime changes.
Crucially, the “Canterbury Tales” was written during the later stages of his life. There are minute traces which furnish us with enough evidence to chart the events of his lifetime. Firstly, he came from a family whose father had some wealth and influence. He was known as John Chaucer and was a prosperous London wine merchant. Incidentally, his mother was called Agnes de Copton. Surviving the Black Death was no mean feat. Taking hold of Britain in 1348, it killed an estimated 1.5-2 million people in England alone. Chaucer was even brought up in London – the plague’s epicentre.
It is probably the case that John Chaucer benefited financially from the Black Death once it subsided. The way in which this might have happened was through inheritance windfalls. Where the money would be beneficial was buying his son Geoffrey’s entrance into an aristocratic household and from there into the royal household. Because of both backing from his father and his own acumen, Geoffrey was able to ascend the ranks as a royal servant, being himself a non-aristocratic “gentil”, until eventually he became a royal esquire.
Despite being a literary titan, nothing is known about Chaucer’s education. We don’t know whether he went to grammar school or university. We don’t even know whether he was ever a student. He use of the alphabet and literary prowess is rather attributed to an elementary Christian education at his family home – while only being a young child.
The presence of Geoffrey amongst the households of the aristocracy is certified by guaranteed evidence at the start of his career. This is an entry in the Countess of Ulster, Elizabeth’s, household accounts. It informs with certainty that by 1357, Geoffrey Chaucer had entered service. Precisely this countess was the wife of Prince Lionel, Edward III’s second surviving son. A distinguished member of the aristocracy therefore, and crucially it was the start of Chaucer’s entry into the system of patronage that would sustain both him and his writing career throughout his life.