On June 27, 1375, the Treaty of Bruges established a truce between England and France during the Hundred Years' War, confirming English control over Calais, parts of Gascony, and four forts in Brittany. The truce was negotiated under papal auspices and was intended to last for one year, though it was later extended. While it did not bring lasting peace, it provided a brief respite from the devastating warfare that had consumed both kingdoms for decades.

The Treaty of Bruges, like other truces of the Hundred Years' War, was a subject of diplomatic poetry and chronicle writing, with poets using the occasion to reflect on the horrors of war and the hope for peace. The truce allowed English and French poets to travel and exchange ideas across the Channel, fostering a cross-pollination of literary styles and themes. The brief peace also gave Geoffrey Chaucer, who was active in diplomatic circles, the opportunity to travel to the continent and encounter the works of French and Italian poets that would profoundly influence his own writing.