The Original Medieval Influencer
This is how the Wife of Bath built a personal brand, cementing her position as a pioneering influencer of the 14th Century
– Jiya Patel
If you think influencers are a 21st-century invention, think again. Long before ring lights and sponsored skincare routines, Geoffrey Chaucer introduced the world to Alison, the Wife of Bath, a woman who practically invented the art of self-branding centuries before Instagram even became a thing. Five husbands, a booming cloth business and a ‘sorry not sorry’ attitude, the Wife of Bath dominates the Canterbury Tales like a celebrity who knows exactly how to work a crowd.
And the best part? Her Prologue is basically the medieval equivalent of a tell-all podcast episode where she spills all the tea on love, sex, money and power while carefully crafting the image she wants everyone to believe. Let’s be honest, if Chaucer’s pilgrims had Wi-Fi, they would have millions of followers, a controversial podcast and a scandalously delicious pilgrimage merch line.
So how exactly did she build her brand, and why are we still talking about her today?
Let’s break down the Wife of Bath’s influencer strategy, before influencing even came to be.
The Power of Storytelling: Turning Life into Content
Every influencer knows that the key to going viral is having a story worth telling. The Wife of Bath doesn’t just tell a story, she turns her entire life into a narrative performance meant to shock, entertain and gain sympathy. Right from the beginning, she hits us with her iconic opener “Experience, though noon auctoritee, is right ynogh for me”, which means, I don’t need dusty old books, I’ve lived it.
That one line itself is influencer gold. She rejects male-dominated textual authority and sells her own experience as the ultimate truth. It’s the medieval version of “I’m just sharing my journey!” She was the ultimate performative female, curating her femininity like content and turning every part of her life into a spectacle for the feed.
Curated Persona: The Wife of Bath™
Influencers know the difference between their real selves and their public personas. Alison knows it too. Her Prologue isn’t an honest autobiography; it is a master class in self-branding. She boasts about her five husbands, “housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve”, turning marriage into a series of episodes in her personal content series. Her flamboyant clothing, especially her famous red stockings, described in the General Prologue, add to her visual brand. Everything about this woman is styled for impact.
Not just another pilgrim, she is a brand!
Weaponising Controversy: The Wife of Bath’s Hot Takes
Any successful influencer will tell you that controversy keeps you trending. Alison deliberately leans into it. She argues that multiple marriages are fine because “God Bad us for to wexe and multiplye”, meaning God commanded us to grow and multiply. She even cites the biblical patriarchs, “Lo Abraham, Jacob and Solomon”, to justify her lifestyle.
This is influencer strategy at its finest:
- Make a hot take
- Back it up with creative evidence
- Watch the engagement roll in
Her views would have shocked her medieval audiences, but that is exactly why she pushes them. She thrives on the tension her controversies create.
Strategic Self-Justification: Influencer Logic at its Best
When influencers get called out, they defend themselves with selective facts or emotional appeals. Wife of Bath is no different.
She twists scriptures to support her arguments:
“For hadde God commanded maydenhede, Thanne hadde he dampned wedding with the dede”, which means, had God commanded virginity, then He would have condemned marriage with its deed.
This persuasive remixing of religious authority lets her control the narrative. She becomes the medieval queen of debate, out-talking scholars, priests and husbands with sloppy twisted arguments and undeterred grit.
Oversharing as an Influencer: The Original Confessional Content Creator.
She tells her audience everything!
From every fight, trick and heartbreak to bedroom negotiations, she shares it all without sparing any details. We see it when she talks about her husbands and the methods she uses to manipulate them.
For instance, when she tormented her older husband using “teeres feigned”—false tears and dramatic accusations or her violent struggle with Jankyn and how she gained “maistrie” in the marriage afterwards.
This oversharing is designed to make her relatable and compelling, even though Chaucer’s audience might not acknowledge it openly. It is the medieval version of a confessional vlog, messy, dramatic and strategic.
She isn’t revealing. She is branding.
Merchandising the Self: The Wife of Bath as a Businesswoman
Influencers monetise their personas. Alison monetises marriages, sexuality and craftsmanship. She boasts about her mastery in cloth making, “Of clooth-making she hadde swich an haunt,” which signals her economic independence. She also uses marriage as a financial enterprise to gain land and wealth from her older husbands.
She markets herself as desirable, experienced and powerful while her carefully curated persona earns her money, status and influence.
Influence on the Road: Commanding the Pilgrimage
Even among the pilgrims, she acts like someone who expects a platform. She interrupts the Pardoner and performs her Prologue as though she is onstage with dramatic flair and calculated charm. Her charismatic, unfiltered delivery turns her into the star of the show. Ruling the road to Canterbury and all her marriages, clearly, it is the Wife of Bath’s world; others were just living in it.
So, was the Wife of Bath the first influencer? Absolutely.
She used everything from personal narrative, visual branding, hot takes and oversharing to economic strategies and audience management to build herself a life full of power, wealth and status. Her persona outshines nearly every other pilgrim. Chaucer may have written her, but she markets herself.
If medieval pilgrims had social media, the Wife of Bath would be verified, sponsored and trending daily. Because she is not just another character within the tale.
She is a brand. And like any good influencer, she makes sure she stays unforgettable.