The Middle English period witnessed a huge change in language, culture, and lifestyle in England, this resulted in what we can identify today as a form of “modern” (distinguishable) English. The era extends to around 1500. As with the old English period, much of the Middle English scripts were of a religious nature, however from about 1350 onward secular literature also began to take shape. This period is characterised by the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer, who is considered to be the source of   “the English vernacular tradition”. He is regarded to be the founder of modern-day English literature. His most famous and acclaimed work is the incomplete “The Canterbury Tales”. Aside from the high literary standard of The Canterbury Tales, the work stands as a historical and sociological introduction to the life and customs of the late Middle Ages in Britain. This work is particularly important because it also depicts the everyday life of the common person, not just that of the aristocracy or higher levels of society. In the period in which Chaucer lived, regardless of how brilliant and talented one might be, there were very few chances for a commoner to move upward from his class of origin. Chaucer being a commoner himself was familiar with this concept, but he was also fortunate enough to have been accepted by both the lower classes as well as by the upper classes. Thus throughout his life, he was able to observe both the highest and the lowest levels of society, whilst in the meantime his gifted mind made the best of this opportunity. Within this framework, Chaucer devised the ingenious literary device of using a “pilgrimage” as a setting, thereby enabling him to bring together a very diverse and distinct group of people which he wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do.
Among Christians in the Middle Ages, pilgrimages to places such as Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela were particularly popular. Pilgrims who undertook these journeys hoped to prove their devotion to their faith and find spiritual fulfilment by being in the same places they believed Jesus or his disciples had once lived. A popular pilgrimage site for English Christians was Canterbury, roughly a week’s journey sixty miles southeast of London. The Cathedral /Shrine became a popular pilgrimage site following the martyrdom of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered in 1170 by supporters of King Henry II.