Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer was born around 1343 in London, the son of a well-off wine merchant. That comfortable but common background is worth noting, because Chaucer spent his life climbing between worlds. He served as a page in a noble household and fought in France, where he was captured and ransomed. Later he worked as a diplomat, then as a customs official and a clerk of the king's building works. He met kings and dukes and dockworkers, and he listened to all of them.