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Geoffrey Chaucer: Kings
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Henry IV quite quickly confirmed Chaucer in his positions and regular income but no money appeared, and he needed money for his new house in the garden at the east end of Westminster Abbey. He therefore sent the new king a poem, The Complaint to his Purse, which he may have written before. Whether because of it or not, he was paid soon after but did not collect the payment himself. Perhaps he was sick? Chaucer is traditionally said to have died on 25 October 1400 and was buried in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. A monument to him was erected during the reign of Mary Tudor in 1556, starting the tradition of "Poet's Corner."
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Chaucer is credited with having set the style for Middle English literature. Earlier Anglo-Saxon poetry, such as 'Beowulf', had been succeeded by a taste for French literature, in large part the result of England being ruled by Norman French kings after the Conquest of 1066. Even by Chaucer's day, the royal court was still bilingual.
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The records seem to show Chaucer having problems with small debts during the 1390s. His income was irregular, but there are several records of new grants and some generous gifts, including an annual barrel of wine from the king in 1397. At some point he seems to have been named deputy forester for the forest of North Petherton in Somerset. He moved back into London in 1398, and took a lease on a house in Westminster in late 1399.
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In 1366 Chaucer went to Spain on a diplomatic mission of which he was apparently in charge. In 1367, he received an annuity for life as yeoman of the king. In 1368, he was listed among the King's esquires, an important office that required him to live at court.That year he was ... in Europe on another diplomatic mission, and the next year, 1369, he was on military service in France.
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The King did not allow Chaucer to remain idle. He was sent abroad on diplomatic missions in 1370 and again in 1372-1373. The latter mission took him to Italy, where he visited Genoa and Florence. He may have deepened his acquaintance with the poetic traditions established by Dante and Petrarch.
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On July 12, the King appoints Chaucer Clerk of the King's Works. In this position, Chaucer is in charge of large construction projects, including works at Westminster, the Tower of London, and other royal estates.
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