Historical Background of the Canterbury tales

Historical and Literary Background of the Canterbury Tales

During the Medieval age (or Middle Ages as it is known as today), there were two main factors in the community. These groups were small but powerful forces that were backed by the labor of a vast numbers of peasants. After the arrival of the “plague” or “the death” as it was commonly called, in the medieval times, was the downfall of both of the powerful groups. The Church and the Aristocracy began to demolish after the coming of the Black Death, however at the time of Chaucer’s birth both groups had not completely disappeared from the social structure. Also during this era, there was a lot of social mobility taking place. Individuals where no longer confined to the social class that they born in, but they were able to progress on the Social Ladder. For instance, Chaucer’s family went from tavern keepers to esquires at court in less than a hundred years.
Because of all this social mobility, the ...