Geoffrey Chaucer is a great man; He is considered the founding father of English literature. He is also a philosopher, astronomer and writer. Although he wrote many of his own works, his best-known work was The Unfinished Tale of the Canterbury Tales. Sometimes honored as the father of English literature, Chaucer was also honored by several scholars as the first author to demonstrate the art of original English, in addition to French or Latin. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay He was born around 1343 in London, his date and place of birth remain unknown, His father and grandfather were both winemakers in London, previous generations are entrepreneurs in Ipswich. In 1359, at the start of the Hundred Years' War, Edward III invaded France, and Chaucer joined the region with Elizabeth's husband, Lionel Antwerp, as a member of the British army. In 1360 he was arrested during the siege of Reims and Edward paid a ransom of £16, which was a considerable sum, and Chaucer was released. After the incident, Chaucer's life was unclear, but he arrived in France, Spain and Flanders, most likely a procurator and perhaps a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Around 1366, Chaucer married Philippa (de) Roet. It is unclear whether he and Philippa have several children, but some sources say there are three or four. His son, Thomas Chaucer, had an illustrious career, being chief executive of four kings, envoy to France, and speaker of the lower house of An. Thomas' daughter Alice married the Duke of Suffolk. Thomas's great-grandfather, John de la Pole, was Richard III's heir to the throne before he was overthrown. Geoffrey's other children are probably Elizabeth Chaucy, a nun of Barking Abbey. Agnes, who served in the coronation of Henry IV; and the other is Lewis Chaucer. Chaucer's "Treatise on the Astrolabe" was written for Lewis. At the time Chaucer studied law at the Inner Temple and also became a member of the royal court of Edward III, as a yeoman on 20 June 1376. He traveled extensively on board, sometimes as a yeoman, as part of a military expedition. he went to Picardy and visited Genoa and Florence in 1373. Many scholars claim that on that Italian trip he met Petrarca or Boccaccio and introduced him to medieval Italian poetry. In 1378, Richard II sent Chaucer as an envoy to the Viscontis and to Sir John Hawkwood in Milan. It appears that the Knight of the Canterbury Tales is based on him. On 12 July 1389, Chaucer became clerk of the king's work and keeper of the lodge at the King's Park in Feckenham, which is a very honorable position. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Chaucer's first major work is The Book of the Duchess, while his other early works are Anelida and Arcite and The House of Fame. There are many important works such as: Roman de la Rose, The Legend of Good Women, Treatise on the Astrolabe. Chaucer is a truly great man, he contributed to world literature in general and English literature in particular.