General Notes

Sister of Geoffrey Chaucer, the poet
Geoffrey Chaucer was the son of a London wine merchant. H
e became a page of Lionel Plantagenet (son of Edward III) a
nd his wife Elizabeth de Burgh before 1357. In early 1360'
s he studied at Chancery Inn, the Inns of Court and at Oxfo
rd. In 1366 he married Philippa de Roet (sister of John o
f Gaunt's mistress and third wife Katherine). By 1367, Chau
cer was a valet in Edward III's household and in 1368 he wa
s graduated to Armiger (squire). He maintained his close re
lationship with the English court (especially with his brot
her-in-law John of Gaunt) for the rest of his life. He is n
oted in literature as the first Author who published a boo
k of tales in English "The Canterbury Tales". (Prior work
s were in Latin or French).
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Of the date of the birth of Geoffrey Chaucer we have no dir
ect knowledge. But indirect evidence of various kinds fixe
s it between 1328, when his father, John Chaucer, was stil
l unmarried, and 1346, before which date his own statement
, at the Scroope-Grosvenor suit in 1386, of his age as "for
ty years or more" would place it. Within this rather wide r
ange, selection has, further, to be guided by certain fact
s to be mentioned presently; and, for some time past, opini
on has generally adopted, in face of some difficulties, th
e date about 1340.