Chaucer's Canterbury Tales People in the English society during Chaucer's time viewed the world in a similar way and accepted the same beliefs. People then believed that behind the chaos and frustration of the day-to-day world there was a divine providence that gave a reason to everything, though that reason wasn't always obvious(Werthamer 1). Those views were represented in the medieval world by two structures: the church and the class system. People believed God established both setups, and each went unchallenged(Werthamer 1). Chaucer was born in London sometime between 1340 and 1343. He came from a prosperou