The subject of the life and death of Thomas Becket is one the most written about and studied in history, and nearly everybody knows of this man's death at the hands of four murderous knights.
Stained glass window of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral
Thomas Becket was the son of wealthy city merchant Gilbert Becket, who saw to it that his son was well-educated. Becket became Chancellor and a good friend of Henry II. His patron was Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury. Only a few months following Theobald's death in 1161 Becket was nominated as Archbishop of Canterbury and took up this position following the confirmation by royal council on the 23rd May of 1162. As Archbishop of Canterbury, he became a strong defender of the Church and the rights of those under him and this was the beginning of his fall from grace.
His quarrel over the role of church and crown with Henry II ended in his horrific death at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral. It was on this very day in 1170 that Hugh de Morville, Reginald FitzUrse, Richard le Brito and William de Tracey, knights of Henry's court stormed into Canterbury Cathedral and murdered Becket, slashing him repeatedly with their swords.
At the time Becket's death provoked widespread outrage, but soon he had a cult following and there was talk of miracles.
The four knights had misinterpreted Henry's angry rantings as an order for sanctioned murder and it is still unclear whether it was Henry's intention to have Becket killed or not, but the blame for his death did land firmly on his shoulders. In punishment, Henry was banned from taking Mass until he had completed a penance and following this, the king promised to provide money for two hundred knights to go on Crusade.
The four knights who took Becket's life were excommunicated on the 25th of March 1171 and it is commonly thought that they were exiled to Jerusalem after which they disappeared. Sadly, the true story of the lives of these men following the events at Canterbury Cathedral is not well recorded, therefore all four's stories fade into history.
His quarrel over the role of church and crown with Henry II ended in his horrific death at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral. It was on this very day in 1170 that Hugh de Morville, Reginald FitzUrse, Richard le Brito and William de Tracey, knights of Henry's court stormed into Canterbury Cathedral and murdered Becket, slashing him repeatedly with their swords.
At the time Becket's death provoked widespread outrage, but soon he had a cult following and there was talk of miracles.
The four knights had misinterpreted Henry's angry rantings as an order for sanctioned murder and it is still unclear whether it was Henry's intention to have Becket killed or not, but the blame for his death did land firmly on his shoulders. In punishment, Henry was banned from taking Mass until he had completed a penance and following this, the king promised to provide money for two hundred knights to go on Crusade.
The four knights who took Becket's life were excommunicated on the 25th of March 1171 and it is commonly thought that they were exiled to Jerusalem after which they disappeared. Sadly, the true story of the lives of these men following the events at Canterbury Cathedral is not well recorded, therefore all four's stories fade into history.
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In the three images above you can see depictions of the death of Becket, the first can be found on the south porch of Chartres Cathedral. The carving is dated to between 1194 and 1230. The second is an ivory representation of Becket's martyrdom dated to around 1400 and the third can be found in a manuscript held by the British Library.
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