Chaucer lived in a time of great change. His world was not only different from that of his parents and grandparents; it was different from what he had grown up in. The Black Death had decimated the population and created gaps in the workforce. The Hundred Years' War was ongoing and required countless men and resources to continue. Traditions, customs and rituals were questioned as society changed. Divisions within social strata were blurring and the organization of Europe was changing. Due to this huge change on all fronts, no one had the ability to predict what would happen in the future. It was in this context that Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, so it is no wonder why he wrote his poem about a group of people who are in a transitory phase, a pilgrimage, which is completely different from their everyday existence . The three pillars or states of society, the nobility, the Catholic Church and the peasantry were changing and competing for a stronger foundation within society. Chaucer took the opportunity to comment on all the properties of his poetry, especially the Church. His keen intuition allowed him to distinguish between the rules and actors within Catholicism, and he appears to have been able to see the virtue of the religion as well as the corruption within it. The Canterbury Tales is about a religious journey, a Catholic pilgrimage to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket. Chaucer does not disparage the mission itself; rather, it seems to support the value of such an expedition, even if it may question the motivations of the people undertaking this journey. I believe the main point that Chaucer was trying to put forward was that the beliefs, rites and customs of the Cath... middle of paper... give a look at the peasants and the Church, how did the king have authority over the land. It is clear, from reading “The Canterbury Tales,” that Chaucer felt that the Catholic Church was a great institution that had established a hierarchy that could work well with the right people involved. He believes that many people, especially at the local level, use their position to enrich themselves; the public be damned. For the most part he did not criticize Rome or the Pope for the Church's problems, with one major exception, the Crusades. I believe the introduction of the Knight in the “General Prologue” speaks strongly against the Crusades. Overall, Chaucer's criticism was aimed at local representatives of the Church, rather than the Church itself, which is why he treats individuals with contempt, but criticizes the Church with a velvet glove..