English · 1343–1400
Chaucer established English as a literary language worthy of standing beside French and Italian. A courtier, diplomat, and civil servant under three kings, he absorbed Continental influences during travels to France and Italy, then transformed them into something distinctively English. The Canterbury Tales presents a cross-section of medieval society—knight and miller, nun and pardoner—telling stories on pilgrimage to Thomas Becket's shrine. His ear for spoken English, his psychological insight, and his comic genius made him the first great English poet and the model for Spenser, Shakespeare, and Dryden. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, establishing what became Poets' Corner.