Feudalism In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

When writing Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer collected inspiration from his life, social classes, and Feudalism. In addition, his writings established new techniques as well as common use of techniques. During the Medieval era in England, each citizen fit into a rung of the social ladder. Furthering the idea of social classes, Medieval era England practiced Feudalism.

Geoffrey Chaucer’s lived an eventful life. Chaucer’s exact birth year remains unknown, “sometime between 1340 and 1344” in London (Geoffrey Chaucer). Chaucer moved through the social ladder “(t)hrough his father’s connections, Geoffrey held several positions early in his life, serving as a noblewoman’s page, a courtier, a diplomat, a civil servant, and a collector of scrap metal” (Geoffrey Chaucer). Under Feudalism, “Chaucer joined the English army’s invasion of France during the Hundred Years’ War” (Geoffrey Chaucer). During

the war, Chaucer “ was taken prisoner; King Edward III of England paid his ransom” (Geoffrey Chaucer).

While writing Canterbury Tales, “(t)he decasyllabic couplet Chaucer used...later evolved into the heroic couplet, commonly used for epic and narrative poetry in English” (Geoffrey Chaucer). In addition, “Chaucer is also credited with pioneering the regular use of iambic pentameter” (Geoffrey Chaucer). Chaucer’s contributions dubbed him the title of “Father of English Literature” (Geoffrey Chaucer).

Medieval England followed a strict caste system. At the top of the class ladder lied the clergy, followed by the nobility, and then the people (Oliveira). Oliveira explains “(b)y teaching Catholic Morals the clergy lays the very foundation of civilization. Without morals a country has no worth” (Oliveira). By teaching morals, the clergy provided the foundation of the country, earning them the highest rank. In addition, “clergy is the first class of society because... (i)ts members are the ones in charge of the worship of God and the preaching of the

Gospel, the most elevated works that exist” (Oliveira). Due to the clergy’s closeness to God, they fell at the top of the ladder. Oliveira also explains that “(t)he First Commandment clearly states that we should love God above all things” Following the First Commandment, because the of the clergy’s closeness to God, they reside above all others. Below the clergy lies the noble class. Comprised of kings and “senior churchmen” (Somerville), the noble class often lacked money but obtained great amounts of land (Steinberg). Somerville explains “ (a)bout 200 of these men formed England's ruling elite” and that “(c)rown, nobility and church owned about 75% of English land”. Made up of the guilds, merchants and cotton industries, and the peasants, the commons lied as the third class. Guilds resided at the top of this class, “(w)ealthy and powerful because (of their)...control of skilled labor” (Steinberg). In addition, guilds often controlled cities and towns and allied with kings and the royal court (Steinberg). Below the guilds lied the merchants and cotton industries. Steinberg explains that they found wealth and power because of their control of goods but often lacked money and faced high risk of bankruptcy. In addition, they “(a)ssociated with cities & towns (merchants) or country (cottage industries)” and “(s)ometimes allied with king and royal court against nobles and Church” (Steinberg). At the bottom of the class ladder lied the peasants. Peasants faced a grim life, lacking rights and privileges as well as facing great poverty (Steinberg).
Medieval era England practiced Feudalism. Dr. Wheeler explains a “(f)eudal society is a military hierarchy in which a ruler or lord offers mounted fighters a fief (medieval beneficium), a unit of land to control in exchange for a military service”. Dr. Wheeler also explains “(i)n theory, the entire medieval community would be divided into three groups: bellatores (the noblemen who fought), labores (the agricultural laborers who grew the food), and oratores (the clergy who prayed and attended to spiritual matters)”. Feudalism emphasized military strength. In addition, the feudal system gave poor peasants hope for climbing the social ladder and gaining wealth. Joining the military and fighting provided peasants the ability of acquiring land, therefore granting them the chance of escaping poverty.
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales with inspiration from the class system in Medieval England as well as Feudalism. Chaucer pioneered regular use of iambic pentameter, earning him the title of the “Father of English Literature”. In Medieval England, social classes sharply outlined society. At the top of the social ladder lied the clergy, followed by the nobles, then the commons, made up of guilds, merchants and cotton industries, and peasants. In addition to a strict caste system, Medieval England also practiced Feudalism, a system of trading military service for land.