Canterbury Tales background

Black Death: This started in Asia and spread throughout the Mediterranean and Europe killing thousands of people. The plague created a lot of economic, religious, and social problems. It took 150 years just for Europe's population to recover. The most common symptom was buboes in the groin, neck and armpits. This effected cultural development as many people died and they had to almost completely start over.

Black Death in Medieval Culture: The Black Death had a huge effect on medieval culture, and became most of art and literature throughout the generation that experienced it. Black Death, known at the time as the "Great Plague" peaked in Europe between 1348 and 1350, although smaller outbreaks continued to surface across the Continent until the 17th Century, and the threat of the pandemic returning was present throughout the Late Middle Ages. The effects of such a large-scale shared experience on the population of Europe influenced poetry, prose, stage works, music and artwork throughout the period, as evidenced by writers such as Chaucer, Boccaccio, Petrarch and artists such as Holbein.

The Decameron: This is a collection of novels by the author Giovanni Boccaccio. The book is structured as a frame story containing 100 stories told by a group of seven young women and three young men. Boccaccio was known to probably have made the Decameron after the epidemic of 1348, and completed it by 1353. The numerous tales of love in The Decameron range from the erotic to the tragic. Tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons contribute to the mosaic. In addition to its literary value and widespread influence it provides a document of life at the time. Written in the vernacular, it is considered the masterpiece of classical early Italian prose.

Thomas Becket: This man is also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury. He was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He was seen as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Churchand the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II of England over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III.

Canterbury Cathedral: The Cathedral’s history goes back to 597AD when St Augustine, sent by Pope Gregory the Great as a missionary, established his seat in Canterbury. In 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the Cathedral and ever since, the Cathedral has attracted thousands of pilgrims, as told famously in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The Cathedral is both a holy place and part of a World Heritage Site. It is the home of a community of people who seek to make the Cathedral a place of welcome, beauty and holiness.

Medieval Pilgrimage: In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make pilgrimages to special holy places called shrines. It was believed that if you prayed at these shrines you might be forgiven for your sins and have more chance of going to heaven. Others went to shrines hoping to be cured from an illness they were suffering from. Travelling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a dangerous activity. Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against outlaws.