Born in Kent between 1415 and 1424, William Caxton began his career as an apprentice to a wealthy London silk mercer. He later moved to Bruges, Flanders, where he established himself as a successful merchant and became the governor of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London. During his travels, particularly to Cologne, Caxton observed the emerging technology of the printing press, which inspired him to set up his own press in Bruges in collaboration with Colard Mansion.
While in Bruges, Caxton was patronized by Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, who encouraged him to complete his English translation of the Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye. Upon returning to England, Caxton established the country's first printing press at Westminster in 1476. He became the first English retailer of printed books, publishing major works such as Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, chivalric romances, classical texts, and historical volumes.
In addition to publishing, Caxton translated numerous works into English, including Aesop's Fables in 1484. Though his translations were sometimes rushed and heavily reliant on French vocabulary, his widespread distribution of printed material played a pivotal role in standardizing the English language. By utilizing the Chancery Standard (a London dialect of Middle English) in his publications, Caxton helped establish it as the standard written dialect across England.
