Geoffrey Chaucer
1340-1343 ~ Geoffrey Chaucer born in London
1359 ~ Chaucer fights with Prince Lionel’s company in France (Part of the Hundred Years’
War)
1360 ~ Chaucer is captured by the French; King Edward III contributes to ransom
 Chaucer begins working as emissary for King Edward in France
1366 (?) ~ Chaucer marries Philippa Roet (A financially and socially prosperous marriage)
1367 ~ Edward III grants Chaucer his “valet” (20 marks for life); Chaucer works in the service of
John of Gaunt, the king’s brother
1368 ~ John Gaunt’s wife, Blanche, dies; Chaucer writes The Book of the Duchess in her honor
 Gaunt’s mistress (and eventual third wife) is Chaucer’s sister-in-law,
Katherine Swynford
 Chaucer’s wife, Philippa, works in the service of John Gaunt’s wife; she
begins to receive a 10 pound annuity from Gaunt
1370 ~ Chaucer is still working for the King
1372 ~ Chaucer is sent to Genoa, Italy to establish an English sea port (evidence of a
promotion)
1374 ~ Chaucer promoted to Comptroller of Wool Customs and Subsidy for the Port of London
(very powerful position)
1377 ~ King Edward III dies and is succeeded by his grandson, Richard II, only 11 years old
 Chaucer is sent to France to negotiate for peace and a marriage for
Prince Richard
 John of Gaunt is now in control of the English government
1380 ~ Chaucer is “released from suit” for “raptus” of Cecily Champain. (Raptus can refer to
rape, kidnapping or inappropriate seizure)
1382 ~ King Richard II (16 years) marries Anne of Bohemia
1383 ~ Chaucer makes first loan against his annuity – possibly signaling financial troubles
1385 ~ Chaucer is appointed Justice of the Peace in Kent
1386 ~ Chaucer elected to parliament as Knight of the Shire for Kent; in December Chaucer is
stripped of his position by Richard II while John of Gaunt in on a military expedition; Portions of
The Canterbury Tales are written
1387 ~ Chaucer’s wife Philippa dies; he loses her annuity
1388 ~ Chaucer surrenders his royal annuities to John Scalby of Lincolnshire – this suggests
that since his wife’s death his financial troubles have grown and he is now giving his yearly pay
to a debt collector
1389 ~ Richard II (age 22) assumes full power; John of Gaunt returns and Chaucer appointed
Clerk of the King’s Works. He is responsible for construction at Westminster and the Tower of
London and his pay rises to over 30 pounds per year
1390 ~ Chaucer is robbed multiple times while working as Clerk of the Works; he retires his
position and is appointed “deputy forester of the Royal Forest of North Petherton, Somerset” –
which basically means he was the gardener.
 The “marriage group” of The Canterbury Tales thought to come
from this period
1394-1396 ~ Richard II grants Chaucer new annuity of 20 pounds for life; Queen Anne dies,
Richard marries Isabella of France (7 years old); John of Gaunt marries Katherine Swynford
1397 ~ Richard II deposed and replaced by his cousin, Henry IV (son of John of Gaunt); King
Henry takes pity on Chaucer and reinstates his pension; Chaucer takes an apartment in the
garden of St. Mary’s Chapel in Westminster
1400 ~ October 25th, Chaucer (60 years) dies of unknown causes in London, England. He is
buried in Westminster Abbey; his gravestone became the center of “Poet’s Corner” where
other British authors, such as William Shakespeare, Robert Browning and Charles Dickens were
eventually buried