Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket Biography
Thomas Becket was born on 21 December 1119 or, as later historians would have it, 1120, in Cheapside, London. His father was Gilbert Beket, whose father was from Thierville, which is in Normandy, France. Thomas’s mother, Matilda, was also descended from Normans, and it is thought that her family originated from near Caen, which is located in Northwestern France, not far from Thierville. Gilbert was a merchant, but by the 1120s, he had become a property owner and lived off the rental income from his properties in London. At one point, Gilbert also served as Sheriff of the cit,y and he and his wife were buried in the old St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Thomas Becket was exposed to the grander aspects of life, such as hawking and hunting, at a fairly young age by one of his father’s wealthy friends, Richer de L’Aigle, who would invite Thomas to his estates in Sussex. It is thought that Thomas learned a great deal from him.
When he was ten years old, Thomas Becket was sent to Merton Priory to study, and later attended a London grammar school, although the exact school he attended is not known. His studies consisted of no specific subjects, except for the standard Trivium and Quadrivium. New students would study the Trivium syllabus, which consists of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, and then move on to the Quadrivium, comprising arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. They were considered preparatory educational steps that needed to be taken before pursuing studies in philosophy or theology. Thomas went to Paris to study further when he was about twenty years old, but his skills did not improve dramatically.
At about this time or slightly later, Gilbert Beket started to suffer financially, and Thomas was forced to earn his keep by working as a clerk. Gilbert managed to secure work for him with rather influential people, culminating in Thomas working for Theobald of Bec, who was at the time the Archbishop of Canterbury. Theobold of Bec came to trust the young Thomas Becket and sent him on important missions to Rome. He also enabled Thomas to further his education by sending him to study at Bologna and Auxerre, where he learned canon law. In 1154, Theobald named Thomas Archdeacon of Canterbury and bestowed rewards upon him for his services. Called benefices, these included prebends at Lincoln and St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as the office of Provost of Beverley. Thomas was very effective in all of these positions, so much so that Theobold recommended to King Henry II that Thomas should be considered for the vacant position of Lord Chancellor. The King agreed and appointed Thomas Becket to the position in January 1155.
On 18 April 1161, Theobold of Bec died, and Thomas Becket was nominated as his successor. His election to the post was confirmed on 23 May 1162 by a Royal Council which consisted of Bishops and Noblemen, and he was ordained as a priest ten days later. The next day, the 3rd June 1162, Henry of Blois, the Bishop of Winchester and the other bishops of Canterbury consecrated him as archbishop.
Problems started to develop almost immediately between the new archbishop and the King. Henry had hoped that Thomas Becket would continue to prioritise the Royal government, but this didn’t happen. Thomas resigned as chancellor and began seeking to recover the rights of the archbishopric. The King began attempts to gain favour with the other bishops and sway them against Thomas in Westminster in October of 1163. The King sought approval of the Royal government’s rights over the church and also wanted to weaken its connections with Rome. Becket was asked to agree to the King’s rights, but even in the face of political repercussions, Thomas, although signalling an agreement with the essence of what the King wanted, refused to sign the documents, which are known as the Constitutions of Clarendon, named after the place where they were drawn up and signed, Clarendon Palace.
Thomas Becket was accused by the King of contempt of royal authority and was summoned to a great council at Northampton Castle on 8 October 1164. When he was found guilty, Thomas stormed out of the proceedings and fled to France, where King Louis VII had offered him protection. Thomas Becket spent nearly two years in a Cistercian abbey in Pontigny but had to leave when Henry threatened the order. Thomas attempted to retaliate by excommunicating the King, but at this point, the Pope intervened. Papal legates were sent to act as arbitrators in 1167, but it was not until 1170 that a compromise was reached, allowing Thomas to return to England.
The trouble wasn’t over, though. In June 1170, Henry the Young King, son of Henry II, was crowned by the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of London, and the Bishop of Salisbury, thus breaching Canterbury’s privilege of coronation. In November of the same year, all three were excommunicated by Becket. The three clergymen fled to Normandy and reported to King Henry II what had happened. There is much dispute over what Henry said, with one common quote being, “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” Whatever was said, it was interpreted by a group of knights as an order to kill Becket.
On 29 December 1170, four knights, Reginald FitzUrse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton, arrived in Canterbury and placed their weapons under a tree before hiding their mail armour under their cloaks and entering the cathedral. The knights challenged Becket to submit to the King’s will. However, Thomas Becket refused. The knights retrieved their weapons from outside and rushed back into the cathedral, and attacked Becket with their swords, inflicting mortal wounds to his head. He died close the where the monks were chanting.
Most biographies would end with the death of the subject, but Thomas Becket’s story does not. Soon after his death, he began to be venerated as a martyr, and on 21 February 1173, Thomas Becket was canonised by Pope Alexander III in St. Peter’s Church in Segni. Becket’s assassins were sent by the Pope to serve as knights in the Holy Lands for fourteen years as penance, and King Henry II himself gave public penance at Becket’s tomb on 12 July 1174.
Thomas Becket FAQ
Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. Once a close friend of King Henry II, he became a staunch defender of the Church’s authority, leading to a dramatic conflict with the king.
The dispute centred on whether the king or the Church held ultimate authority over clergy. Becket opposed royal attempts to limit the Church’s power, particularly through the Constitutions of Clarendon.
On 29 December 1170, four knights, believing they were acting on the king’s wishes, murdered Becket inside Canterbury Cathedral. His brutal death shocked Europe and turned him into a martyr.
Becket was quickly canonised by the Pope, and Canterbury became a major site of pilgrimage. His death symbolised resistance to royal interference in Church affairs and remains a key moment in medieval English history.
[this article originally appeared on 5MinuteBiographies.com on 14 March 2019]
