Facts about The Canterbury Tales Historical Background
- 05
Plague epidemics in 14th-century England killed roughly a third of the population, reshaping the rigid feudal social hierarchy that Chaucer satirizes through his diverse pilgrims.
- 04
Chaucer modeled aspects of The Canterbury Tales on Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, reflecting the broader Italian literary influence on late medieval English culture.
- 03
Written in Middle English rather than Latin or French, The Canterbury Tales helped establish English as a legitimate literary language in late 14th-century England.
- 02
The pilgrimage framework in The Canterbury Tales reflects the real medieval practice of journeying to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.
- 01
Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales during the reign of Richard II, a period of social upheaval following the Black Death and the 1381 Peasants' Revolt.