Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the "father of English literature", was an eminent English poet, author, and civil servant. Celebrated for his seminal work The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer's influence on English literature is profound, often recognized for legitimizing the literary use of Middle English at a time when the dominant languages in England were French and Latin.

Chaucer's career extended beyond writing, with notable positions as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament. His intellectual pursuits also included philosophy and astronomy, evidenced by the scientific treatise A Treatise on the Astrolabe, which he composed for his son Lewis. His literary genius is further exemplified in works such as The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde. The breadth of his work and the distinction of being the first writer buried in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner cement his legacy as a pillar of English poetry.