Geoffrey Chaucer: Father of English poetry Fluent in both Greek and Latin Life Experiences: Page Messenger boy to royalty Customs officer Justice of the peace Clerk of the king Member of Parliament Canterbury Tales: Written in 1387 in Middle English Representational of all social classes in Medieval English Society Travel on a Pilgrimage to Canterbury Canterbury is a city in SE England and site of a shrine to the archbishop - St. Thomas A. Becket (childhood friend of King Henry) Each pilgrim to tell two stories on the way and 2 stories on the way back Thomas A. Becket: Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162-1170 Murdered in 1170 by followers of King Henry VII He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Community