In this spectacular work of historical speculation Terry Jones investigates the mystery surrounding the death of Geoffrey Chaucer over 600 years ago. A diplomat and brother-in-law to John of Gaunt, one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, Chaucer was celebrated as his country's finest living poet, rhetorician and scholar: the preeminent intellectual of his time. And yet nothing is known of his death. In 1400 his name simply disappears from the record. We don't know how he died, where or when; there is no official confirmation of his death and no chronicle mentions it; no notice of his funeral or burial. He left no will and there's nothing to tell us what happened to his estate. He didn't even leave any manuscripts. How could this be? What if he was murdered?
Terry Jones' hypothesis is the introduction to a reading of Chaucer's writings as evidence that might be held against him, interwoven with a portrait of one of the most turbulent periods in English history, its politics and its personalities. Terry Jones is the author of several acclaimed works on the Middle Ages including Chaucer's Knight, Crusades, and Medieval Lives, the last being the basis for his popular PBS series. A former member of Monty Python, he lives in London.
Terry Dolan is Professor of English at University College, Dublin, and a lexicographer and broadcaster.
Juliette Dor is Professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Liege.
Alan Fletcher is a lecturer in Medieval English Literature at University College, Dublin.
Robert F. Yeager teaches Old and Middle English literature at the University of West Florida. In this work of historical and literary inquiry Terry Jones investigates the mystery surrounding the death of Geoffrey Chaucer over 600 years ago.
A diplomat and brother-in-law to John of Gaunt (one of the most powerful men in the kingdom), Chaucer was celebrated as his country's finest living poet, rhetorician, and scholar: the preeminent intellectual of his time. And yet nothing is known of his death. In 1400 his name simply disappears from the record. We don't know how he died, nor where or when; there is no official confirmation of his death and no chronicle mentions it; no notice of his funeral or burial. He left no will and there's nothing to tell us what happened to his estate. He didn't even leave any manuscripts. How could this be? What if he was murdered?
Terry Jones' hypothesis is the introduction to a careful reading of Chaucer's writings as evidence that might be held against him. Into this reading is woven a detailed portrait of one of the most turbulent periods in English history—both its politics and personalities. "[A] hefty, beautifully illustrated volume."—William Grimes, The New York Times
"A hugely important book."—Nigel Saul, author of Richard II
"A well-researched argument that Chaucer may not have died peacefully. While Chaucer thrived during the reign of Richard II, who was a patron of the arts and tolerant of religious dissent, the authors suggest that under Henry IV, who usurped the throne from Richard, Chaucer became a marked man."—Library Journal
"More of a contextual study than a biography, it contains a great deal of valuable material and intriguing speculation."—Jonathan Bate, author of Song of the Earth
"Lighthearted, intelligent, panoramic, and defiantly unbeholden to conventional interpretation, [Who Murdered Chaucer?] is based on an impressive array of primary and secondary sources."—Alexander Rose, author of Kings of the North
