Becket

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St Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury

13th century manuscript illumination, an early depiction of Becket's assassination Enthroned Ended

1162 December 29, 1170

Predecessor

Theobald of Bec

Successor

Richard of Dover

Born

c. 1118 Cheapside, London

Died

December 29, 1170 Canterbury

Buried

Canterbury Cathedral

Sainthood 'Archbishop and Martyr' Venerated in

Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion

Beatified

February 21, 1173

Major shrine

Canterbury Cathedral

Commemorate December 29 d Attributes

Sword, Martyrdom, dressed in chancellor's robe and neck chain

Patronage

Exeter College, Oxford; Portsmouth; Arbroath Abbey; secular clergy

Controversy

argumentative Saints Portal

St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas of Canterbury (c.1118 – December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church. He engaged in a conflict with King Henry II over the rights and privileges of the Church and was assassinated by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. He is also commonly known as Thomas à Becket, although this form may not have been contemporary. The "à" is now believed to be a complete error. Historian John Strype wrote in his Memorials of Thomas Cranmer (1694): "It is a small error, but being so oft repeated deserveth to be observed into corrected. The name of that archbishop was Thomas Becket. If the vulgar did formerly, as it doth now, call him 'Thomas à Becket' their mistake is not to be followed by learned men." However, as Strype was not a contemporary either, his opinion may not be of value. English surnames always contain a preposition in the 12th century as surnames had not formed properly. The à in his name may be an allusion to a vernacular Thomas 'of' Becket being shortened to o' and this being recorded by scribes as 'à'. He was allegedly given the "à" in his name many years after he died by uncertain sources, perhaps with the subliminal intention of alluding to Thomas à Kempis. However, the Oxford Dictionary of English, the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors and Chambers Biographical Dictionary all prefer St. Thomas à Becket.

Contents [hide] • • • • • • •

1 Early life 2 Primacy 3 The constitutions of Clarendon 4 Assassination 5 Aftermath and cultural references 6 Notes and references 7 Further Reading

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8 External links

[edit] Early life

Thomas Becket was born about 1118 at Cheapside, London, to Gilbert of Thierceville, Normandy, and Matilda (with a familiar name of Roheise or Rosea) of Caen.[1] His parents were of the upper-middle class near Rouen, and were buried in Old St. Paul's Cathedral. (The story that Thomas's mother had been a Saracen princess who had met and fallen in love with his English father whilst he was on Crusade or pilgrimage in the Holy Land, followed him home, was baptised and then married him has no truth in it.[2] Its origin is unknown.) One of Thomas's father's rich friends, Richer de L'Aigle, was attracted to the sisters of Thomas. He often invited Thomas to his estates in Sussex. There, Thomas learned to ride a horse, hunt, behave like a gentleman, and engage in popular sports such as jousting. Beginning when he was 10, Becket received an excellent education in civil and canon law at Merton Priory in England, and then overseas at Paris, Bologna, and Auxerre. Richer was later a signatory at the Constitutions of Clarendon against Thomas. Upon returning to the Kingdom of England, he attracted the notice of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, who entrusted him with several important missions to Rome and finally made him Archdeacon of Canterbury and Provost of Beverley. He so distinguished himself by his zeal and efficiency that Theobald commended him to King Henry II when the important office of Lord Chancellor was vacant. Henry, like all the Norman kings, desired to be absolute ruler of his dominions, both Church and State, and could find precedents in the traditions of the throne when he planned to do away with the special privileges of the English clergy, which he regarded as fetters on his authority. As Chancellor, Becket enforced the king’s Danegeld taxes, a traditional medieval land tax that was exacted from all landowners, including churches and bishoprics. This created both a hardship and a resentment of Becket among the English Churchmen. To further implicate Becket as a secular man, he became an accomplished and extravagant courtier and a cheerful companion to the king's pleasures. Young Thomas was devoted to his master's interests with such a firm and yet diplomatic thoroughness that scarcely anyone, except perhaps John of Salisbury, doubted his allegiance to English royalty. King Henry even sent his son Henry, later the "Young King", to live in Becket's household, it being the custom then for noble children to be fostered out to other noble houses. Henry the Young King was reported to have said Becket showed him more fatherly love in a day than his father did for his entire life. An emotional attachment to Becket as a foster-father may have been one of the reasons the younger Henry would turn against his father.

[edit] Primacy Thomas achieved his final position of power as the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, several months after the death of Theobald. King Henry intended to further his influence by directing the actions of Thomas, his loyal appointee, and diminish the independence and affluence of the Church in England. The famous transformation of Becket into an ascetic occurred at this time. The hagiographers of the Saint portray his virtuous behaviour variously as (a) already part of his daily life (e.g. hair shirts worn

under his courtier clothes) or (b) driven to devotion by Henry's lustful design or (c) motivated by self-interest and his own power grab. Most accounts of Thomas's early days as Archbishop were written after his death and were likely influenced by the political environment that existed then. The implications of Thomas's canonisation for the Pope as well as the King translated to real political gain or loss for each. A rift grew between Henry and Thomas as the new Archbishop dropped his Chancellorship and consolidated the landed revenues of Canterbury under his control. So began a series of legal conflicts, such as the jurisdiction of secular courts over English clergy, which accelerated antipathy between the two great offices. Attempts by King Henry to foment the opinion and influence of the other Bishoprics against Thomas began in Westminster in October 1163, where the King sought approval of stated royal privileges. This led to Clarendon, where Thomas was officially asked to sign off on the King’s rights or face political repercussions.

[edit] The constitutions of Clarendon For more details on this topic, see Constitutions of Clarendon. King Henry II presided over the assembly at Clarendon Palace on January 30, 1164. In sixteen constitutions, he sought less clerical independence and a weaker connection with Rome. He employed all his skills to induce their consent and was apparently successful with all but the Primate. Finally even Becket expressed his willingness to agree to the substance of the Constitutions of Clarendon; but he still refused to formally sign the documents. This meant war between the two powers. Henry summoned Becket to appear before a great council at Northampton on October 8, 1164, to answer allegations of contempt of royal authority and malfeasance in the Lord Chancellor's office.

Depiction of Thomas Becket's assassination and funeral, from a French casket made about 1180 for Prior Benedict — a witness to the murder — to take some of the saint's relics to Peterborough Abbey when he became Abbot there

Henry pursued the fugitive archbishop with a series of edicts, aimed at all his friends and supporters as well as Becket himself; but Louis VII of France received him with respect and offered him protection. He spent nearly two years in the Cistercian abbey of Pontigny, until Henry's threats against the order obliged him to move to Sens again. Becket sought to exercise the prerogatives of the Church, particularly the weapons of excommunication and interdict. But Pope Alexander III, though sympathising with him in theory, favoured a more diplomatic approach. Differences thus arose between Pope and Archbishop, which became even more bitter when legates were sent in 1167 with authority to act as arbitrators. Disregarding this limitation on his jurisdiction, Becket continued to reject any limitations on the rights of his order. His firmness seemed about to meet with its reward when at last (1170) the Pope was on the point of fulfilling his threats and excommunicating the whole of Britain. At that point, Henry, alarmed by the prospect, held out hopes of an agreement that would allow Thomas to return to England and resume his place. But Becket refused to compromise.

[edit] Assassination

A Seal of the Abbot of Arbroath, depicting murder of St. Thomas. Arbroath Abbey was founded 8 years after the death of St. Thomas and dedicated to him; it became the wealthiest abbey in Scotland.

The burial of Becket The tension between the two men would only be relieved by catastrophe. Passionate words from the angry king, reputedly either "Will no one rid me of this turbulent

priest?", "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?", "Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?", "Who will revenge me of the injuries I have sustained from one turbulent priest?", "Will none of the knaves eating my bread rid me of this turbulent priest?" or even "What a band of loathsome vipers I have nursed in my bosom who will let their lord be insulted by this low-born cleric!", were interpreted as a royal command, and four knights—Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton—set out to plot the assassination of the Archbishop. On Tuesday, December 29, 1170, they carried out their plan. Becket was killed inside Canterbury Cathedral itself, in a spot near a door to the monastic cloister, the stairs into the crypt, and the stairs leading up into the quire of the cathedral, where the monks were chanting vespers. Several contemporary accounts of the assassination exist; of particular note is that of Edward Grim, who was himself wounded in the attack. This is part of the written account from Edward Grim: ...The wicked knight leapt suddenly upon him, cutting off the top of the crown which the unction of sacred chrism had dedicated to God. Next he received a second blow on the head, but still he stood firm and immovable. At the third blow he fell on his knees and elbows, offering himself a living sacrifice, and saying in a low voice, 'For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.' But the third knight inflicted a terrible wound as he lay prostrate. By this stroke, the crown of his head was separated from the head in such a way that the blood white with the brain, and the brain no less red from the blood, dyed the floor of the cathedral. The same clerk who had entered with the knights placed his foot on the neck of the holy priest and precious martyr, and, horrible to relate, scattered the brains and blood about the pavements, crying to the others, 'Let us away, knights; this fellow will arise no more.' Some accounts say that England and Henry's holdings in Normandy were placed under Papal Interdict after Becket's murder, but these accounts are questionable. What is agreed, however, is that Henry was blamed for the crime and that the English people lost their faith in him.[citation needed]

Candle marking the former spot of the shrine of Thomas Becket, at Canterbury Cathedral .

Following his death, it was discovered that Becket had worn a hairshirt under his archbishop's garments. Soon after, the faithful throughout Europe began venerating Becket as a martyr, and in 1173—barely three years after his death—he was canonised by Pope Alexander in St. Peter's Church in Segni. On July 12, 1174, in the midst of the Revolt of 1173–1174, Henry humbled himself with public penance at Becket's tomb (see also St. Dunstan's, Canterbury), which became one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in England. In 1220, Becket's remains were relocated from this first tomb to a shrine in the recently completed Trinity Chapel where it stood until it was destroyed in 1538, around the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This was done on orders from King Henry VIII as vengeance for his ancestor, Henry II. The king also destroyed Becket's bones and ordered that all mention of his name be obliterated.[3] The pavement where the shrine stood is today marked by a lit candle. Modern day archbishops celebrate the Eucharist at this place to commemorate Becket's martyrdom and the translation of his body from his first burial place to the new shrine.

[edit] Aftermath and cultural references Local legends in England connected with Becket arose after his canonisation. Though they are typical hagiographical stories, they also display Becket’s particular gruffness. Becket's Well, in Otford, Kent, is said to have been created after Becket had become displeased with the taste of the local water. Two springs of clear water are said to have bubbled up after he struck the ground with his crozier. The absence of nightingales in Otford is also ascribed to Becket, who is said to have been so disturbed in his devotions by the song of a nightingale that he commanded that none should sing in the town ever again. In the town of Strood, also in Kent, Becket is said to have caused the inhabitants of the town and their descendants to be born with tails. The men of Strood had sided with the king in his struggles against the archbishop, and to demonstrate their support, had cut off the tail of Becket’s horse as he passed through the town. Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is set in a company of pilgrims on their way from Southwark to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. Modern works based on the story of Thomas Becket include T. S. Eliot's play Murder in the Cathedral, Jean Anouilh's play Becket, which was made into a movie with the same title, and Paul Webb's play Four Nights in Knaresborough, a film version of which is in pre-production. Thomas Becket was played by Sir Laurence Olivier in the broadway run of Jean Anouilh's play Becket, and by Richard Burton in the film version. An opera by Ildebrando Pizzetti based on the murder of Thomas Becket, Assassinio nella cattedrale, was first produced at La Scala in Milan, Italy, in 1958. There is a famous live recording of the opera from the Vienna State Opera on 9 March 1960 with Hans Hotter as Becket on Deutsche Grammophon conducted by Herbert von Karajan (457 671-2).

Blackadder, season one, episode three, has a reference to the famous words spoken by Henry II after the fictitious King Richard IV repeats these words and a pair of knights act under his order to kill Blackadder acting as archbishop. In the 19th century, Conrad Ferdinand Meyer wrote the novella Der Heilige (The Saint) about Thomas Becket. Ken Follett's historical novel The Pillars of the Earth, which is mostly an account of the building of a Gothic architecture cathedral, also depicts the struggles between the Church, the gentry, and the monarchy, culminating in the assassination and martyrdom of Becket by Henry's men. (The fictionalised account is very accurate— right down to the day of the week and the wounding of Edward Grim, but adds one of the book's fictional villains as the fifth attacker). An episode of History Bites is set in the aftermath of Becket's assassination. W. J. Williams has suggested that the story of the murder of Thomas Becket may have inspired the masonic legend of the death of Hiram Abif. This theory included reference to a company of masons in the City of London making a procession to St. Thomas's Chapel on his saint's day. He suggests that they may have been an emblematic performance concerning the death of Thomas on that day. They also supported St. Thomas' Hospital which was the headquarters of the Knights of St. Thomas, a military order, during the crusades, which was very close to the Templars. In late 2005, Thomas Becket was selected as Britain's worst villain of the 12th century in the "Worst Britons" poll by the BBC History Magazine. The historian that selected him, Professor John Hudson of St. Andrew's University, based his decision on Becket's political impact: "He divided England in a way that even many churchmen who shared some of his views thought unnecessary and self-indulgent. He was a founder of gesture politics." [4] The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, interfaith, legal and educational institute dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions, took its inspiration and namesake from Thomas Becket.[5]

[edit] Notes and references 1. ^ Barlow, Frank (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. 2. ^ Thomas Becket: Playing a role 3. ^ http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=3927 4. ^ 'Worst' historical Britons named. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-03-02. 5. ^ Becket Fund •

Sudeley, The Rt. Hon. The Lord, Becket's Murderer - William de Tracy, in Family History magazine, Canterbury, August 1983, vol.13, no.97, pps: 3 - 36. Becket was a saint

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Staunton, Michael (2006). Thomas Becket and his Biographers. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-271-2.

[edit] Further Reading •

Duggan, Anne (2005). Thomas Becket—Reputations. London: Hodder Arnold. ISBN 0 340 74138 4.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thomas Becket • • •

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The Murder of Thomas Becket, 1170 Edward Grim’s account of the murder of Thomas Becket at the Internet History Sourcebooks Project The Life of S. Thomas, martyr, of Canterbury from The Golden Legend, compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, translated by William Caxton. (Internet History Sourcebooks Project.) Britannia's British History Department Thomas Becket: Duston & Northampton: The Honeymoon Years

Political offices Preceded by Robert of Ghent

Lord Chancellor 1155–1162

Succeeded by Geoffrey Ridel

Catholic Church titles Preceded by Theobald of Bec

Succeeded by Archbishop of Canterbury Richard of Dover 1162–1170 in 1174

[show] v•d•e

List of Archbishops of Canterbury Thomas Becket, the son of a wealthy Norman merchant living in London, was born in 1118. After being educated in England, France and Italy, he joined the staff of Theobald, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

When Henry II became king in 1154, he asked Archbishop Theobald for advice on choosing his government ministers. On the suggestion of Theobald, Henry appointed Thomas Becket as his chancellor. Becket's job was an important one as it involved the distribution of royal charters, writs and letters. The king and Becket soon became close friends. Becket carried out many tasks for Henry II including leading the English army into battle. When Theobald died in 1162, Henry chose Becket as his next Archbishop of Canterbury. The decision angered many leading churchmen. They pointed out that Becket had never been a priest, had a reputation as a cruel military commander and was very materialistic (Becket loved expensive food, wine and clothes). They also feared that as Becket was a close friend of Henry II, he would not be an independent leader of the church. After being appointed Thomas Becket began to show a concern for the poor. Every morning thirteen poor people were brought to his home. After washing their feet Becket served them a meal. He also gave each one of them four silver pennies. Instead of wearing expensive clothes, Becket now wore a simple monastic habit. As a penance (punishment for previous sins) he slept on a cold stone floor, wore a tight-fitting hairshirt that was infested with fleas and was scourged (whipped) daily by his monks. Thomas Becket soon came into conflict with Roger of Clare. Becket argued that some of the manors in Kent should come under the control of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Roger disagreed and refused to give up this land. Becket sent a messenger to see Roger with a letter asking for a meeting. Roger responded by forcing the messenger to eat the letter. In 1163, after a long spell in France, Henry arrived back in England. Henry was told that, while he had been away, there had been a dramatic increase in serious crime. The king's officials claimed that over a hundred murderers had escaped their proper punishment because they had claimed their right to be tried in church courts. Those that had sought the privilege of a trial in a Church court were not exclusively clergymen. Any man who had been trained by the church could choose to be tried by a church court. Even clerks who had been taught to read and write by the Church but had not gone on to become priests had a right to a Church court trial. This was to an offender's advantage, as church courts could not impose punishments that involved violence such as execution or mutilation. There were several examples of clergy found guilty of murder or robbery who only received "spiritual" punishments, such as suspension from office or banishment from the altar. The king decided that clergymen found guilty of serious crimes should be handed over to his courts. At first, the Archbishop agreed with Henry on this issue but after talking to other church leaders Becket changed his mind. Henry was furious when Becket began to assert that the church should retain

control of punishing its own clergy. The king believed that Becket had betrayed him and was determined to obtain revenge. In 1164, the Archbishop of Canterbury was involved in a dispute over land. Henry ordered Becket to appear before his courts. When Becket refused, the king confiscated his property. Henry also claimed that Becket had stolen £300 from government funds when he had been Chancellor. Becket denied the charge but, so that the matter could be settled quickly, he offered to repay the money. Henry refused to accept Becket's offer and insisted that the Archbishop should stand trial. When Henry mentioned other charges, including treason, Becket decided to run away to France. Under the protection of Henry's old enemy. King Louis VII, Becket organised a propaganda campaign against Henry. As Becket was supported by the pope, Henry feared that he would be excommunicated (expelled from the Christian Church). Becket eventually agreed to return to England. However, as soon as he arrived on English soil, he excommunicated (expelled from the Christian Church) the Archbishop of York and other leading churchmen who had supported Henry while he was away. Henry, who was in Normandy at the time, was furious when he heard the news and supposedly shouted out: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Four of Henry's knights, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy, Reginald Fitz Urse, and Richard Ie Bret, who heard Henry's angry outburst decided to travel to England to see Becket. On the way to Canterbury the four knights stopped at Bletchingley Castle to see Roger of Clare. When the knights arrived at Canterbury Cathedral on 29th December 1170, they demanded that Becket pardon the men he had excommunicated. When Becket refused, they hacked him to death with their swords. The Christian world was shocked by Becket's murder. The pope canonised Becket and he became a symbol of Christian resistance to the power of the monarchy. His shrine at Canterbury became the most important place in the country for pilgrims to visit. Although Henry admitted that his comments had led to the death of Becket, he argued that he had neither commanded nor wished the man's death. In 1172 Pope Alexander III accepted these arguments and absolved Henry from Becket's murder. In return. Henry had to provide 200 men for a crusade to the Holy Land and had to agree to being whipped by eighty monks. Most importantly of all. Henry agreed to drop his plans to have criminal clerics tried in his courts.

Thomas Becket (c.1120 - 1170)

Thomas Becket Becket was a 12th century chancellor and archbishop of Canterbury whose murder resulted in his canonisation. Thomas Becket was born in around 1120, the son of a prosperous London merchant. He was well educated and quickly became an agent to Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him on several missions to Rome. Becket's talents were noticed by King Henry II, who made him his chancellor and the two became close friends. When Theobald died in 1161, Henry made Becket archbishop. Becket transformed himself from a pleasure-loving courtier into a serious, simply-dressed cleric. The king and his archbishop's friendship was put under strain when it became clear that Becket would now stand up for the church in its disagreements with the king. In 1164, realising the extent of Henry's displeasure, Becket fled into exile in France, and remained in exile for several years. He returned in 1170. On the 29th December 1170, four knights, believing the king wanted Becket out of the way, confronted and murdered Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. Becket was made a saint in 1173 and his shrine in Canterbury Cathedral became an important focus for pilgrimage.