Besides these accounts, there are also two others that are likely contemporary that appear in theQuadrilogus II and theThómas saga Erkibyskups. Besides these biographies, there is also the mention of the events of Becket's life in the chronicles of the time. These includeRobert of Torigni's work,Roger of Howden'sGesta Regis Henrici Secundi andChronica,Ralph de Diceto's works,William of Newburgh'sHistoria Rerum, andGervase of Canterbury's works.[3] Another account appears inExpugnatio Hibernica ("Conquest of Ireland", 1189) byGerald of Wales.[4]
Becket was born c. 1119[5] (or 1120 according to later tradition)[1] atCheapside, London, on 21 December, the feast day ofThomas the Apostle. He was the son of Gilbert and Matilda Beket.[note 2] Gilbert's father was fromThierville in the lordship ofBrionne inNormandy and was either a small landowner or a petty knight.[1] Matilda was also of Norman descent[8] – her family may have originated nearCaen. Gilbert was perhaps related toTheobald of Bec, whose family was also from Thierville. Gilbert began his life as a merchant, perhaps in textiles, but by the 1120s he was living in London and was a property owner, living on the rental income from his properties. He also served as thesheriff of the city at some point.[1] Becket's parents were buried inOld St Paul's Cathedral.
Plaque marking Becket's birthplace onCheapside in London
One of Becket's father's wealthy friends, Richer deL'Aigle, often invited Thomas to his estates inSussex where Becket encountered hunting and hawking. According to Grim, Becket learned much from Richer, who was later a signatory of theConstitutions of Clarendon against him.[1]
At age 10, Becket was sent as a student toMerton Priory south-west of the city inSurrey. He later attended a grammar school in London, perhaps the one at St Paul's Cathedral. He did not study any subjects beyond thetrivium andquadrivium at these schools. Around age 20, he spent about a year in Paris, but he did not study canon or civil law at the time, and hisLatin skill remained somewhat rudimentary. Some time after Becket began his schooling, his father suffered financial reverses, and Becket was forced to earn a living as a clerk; with the help of his father he secured a place in the business of a relative. Later Becket acquired a position in the household ofArchbishop of Canterbury Theobald of Bec.[1]
As chancellor, Becket enforced the king's traditional sources of revenue that were exacted from all landowners, including churches and bishoprics.[1] King Henry sent his sonHenry to live in Becket's household, it being the custom then for noble children to be fostered out to other noble houses.[citation needed]
Becket was nominated as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, several months after the death of Theobald. His election was confirmed on 23 May 1162 by a royal council of bishops and noblemen.[1] Henry may have hoped that Becket would continue to put royal government first rather than the church, but the famed transformation of Becket into anascetic occurred at this time.[10]
A rift grew between Henry and Becket as Becket resigned his chancellorship and sought to recover and extend the rights of the archbishopric. This led to a series of conflicts with the king, including one over the jurisdiction of secular courts over English clergymen, which accelerated antipathy between Becket and the king. Attempts by Henry to influence other bishops against Becket began inWestminster Abbey in October 1163, where the king sought approval of the traditional rights of royal government in regard to the church.[1] This led to theConstitutions of Clarendon in 1164, where Becket was officially asked to agree to the king's rights or face political repercussions.
14th-century depiction of Becket at centre withKing Henry II at left
King Henry II presided over assemblies of most of the higher English clergy atClarendon Palace on 30 January 1164. In 16 constitutions he sought less clerical independence and weaker connections with Rome. He used his skills to induce their consent and apparently succeeded with all but Becket. Finally, even Becket expressed willingness to agree to the substance of theConstitutions of Clarendon, but he still refused formally to sign the documents. Henry summoned Becket to appear before a great council atNorthampton Castle on 8 October 1164, to answer allegations of contempt of royal authority andmalfeasance in the chancellor's office. Convicted on the charges, Becket stormed out of the trial and fled to theContinent.[1]
ASeal of theAbbot of Arbroath, showing the murder of Becket.Arbroath Abbey was founded 8 years after the death of St Thomas and dedicated to him; it became the wealthiest abbey in Scotland.
Henry pursued the fugitive archbishop with a series ofedicts, targeting Becket and all Becket's friends and supporters, but KingLouis VII of France offered Becket protection. He spent nearly two years in theCistercian abbey ofPontigny until Henry's threats against the order obliged him to return toSens.[11] Becket fought back by threateningexcommunication and aninterdict against the king and bishops and the kingdom, butPope Alexander III, though sympathising with him in theory, favoured a more diplomatic approach.Papal legates were sent in 1167 with authority to act as arbitrators.[1] In 1170, Alexander sent delegates to impose a solution to the dispute. At that point, Henry offered a compromise that would allow Thomas to return to England from exile.[1]
Becket's assassination and funeral, from a French enamelledchasse madec. 1190–1200, one of about 52 surviving examples[12]Sculpture and altar marking the spot of Thomas Becket's martyrdom inCanterbury Cathedral. The sculpture by Giles Blomfield represents the knights' four swords (two metal swords with reddened tips and their two shadows).
On hearing reports of Becket's actions, Henry II is said to have uttered words interpreted by his men as wishing Becket killed.[15] The exact wording is in doubt, and several versions were reported.[16] The most commonly quoted, as invented in 1740 and handed down by oral tradition, is "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?",[17] but according to historianSimon Schama this is incorrect: he accepts the account of the contemporary biographer Grim, writing in Latin, who gives, "What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric?"[18] Many other variants have found their way into popular culture.
Regardless of what Henry said, it was interpreted as a royal command. Four knights[15]—Reginald FitzUrse,Hugh de Morville,William de Tracy andRichard le Breton[1]—set out to confront Becket. On 29 December 1170 they arrived at Canterbury. According to accounts by the monk Gervase of Canterbury and eyewitness Grim, the knights placed their weapons under a tree outside the cathedral and hid their armour under cloaks before entering to challenge Becket. The knights told Becket he was to go toWinchester to give an account of his actions, but Becket refused. When he refused their demands to submit to the king's will, they retrieved their weapons and rushed back inside.[19] Becket, meanwhile, proceeded to the Cathedral forvespers. The other monks tried to bolt themselves in for safety, but Becket said to them, "It is not right to make a fortress out of the house of prayer!", ordering them to reopen the doors.
The four knights, wielding drawn swords, ran into the room crying, "Where is Thomas Becket, traitor to the king and country?" They found Becket in a spot near a door to the monasticcloister, the stairs into thecrypt, and the stairs leading up into thequire of the cathedral, where the monks were chanting vespers.[1] On seeing them Becket said, "I am no traitor and I am ready to die." One knight grabbed him and tried to pull him outside, but Becket grabbed onto a pillar and bowed his head to make peace with God.[20]
Several contemporary accounts of what happened next exist; of particular note is that of Grim, who was wounded in the attack. This is part of his account:
...the impious knight... suddenly set upon him and [shaved] off the summit of his crown which the sacred chrism consecrated to God... Then, with another blow received on the head, he remained firm. But with the third the stricken martyr bent his knees and elbows, offering himself as a living sacrifice, 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 grave wound on the fallen one; with this blow... his crown, which was large, separated from his head so that the blood turned white from the brain yet no less did the brain turn red from the blood; it purpled the appearance of the church... The fifth – not a knight but a cleric who had entered with the knights... placed his foot on the neck of the holy priest and precious martyr and (it is horrible to say) scattered the brains with the blood across the floor, exclaiming to the rest, "We can leave this place, knights, he will not get up again."[21]
An ivory piece portraying the knights involved in Becket's assassination. One knight holds an axe with which to break down the door of the cathedral.
After his death, the monks prepared Becket's body for burial.[1] According to some accounts, it was found that Becket had worn ahairshirt under his archbishop's garments – a sign ofpenance.[22] Soon after, the faithful throughout Europe began venerating Becket as amartyr, and on 21 February 1173 – little more than two years after his death – he wascanonised by Pope Alexander III in St Peter's Church,Segni.[1] In 1173, Becket's sister Mary was appointedabbess ofBarking as reparation for the murder of her brother.[23] On 12 July 1174, amidst theRevolt of 1173–1174, Henry humbled himself in public penance at Becket's tomb and atSt Dunstan's Church, Canterbury, which became a popularpilgrimage site.[citation needed]
Becket's assassins fled north to de Morville'sKnaresborough Castle for about a year. De Morville also held property inCumbria, and this too may have provided a hiding place, as the men prepared for a longer stay in the separate kingdom of Scotland. They were not arrested and Henry did not confiscate their lands, but he did not help them when they sought his advice in August 1171. Pope Alexander excommunicated all four. Seeking forgiveness, the assassins travelled to Rome, where Alexander ordered them to serve as knights in theHoly Lands for a period of 14 years.[24]
This sentence also inspired theKnights of Saint Thomas, incorporated in 1191 atAcre and which was to be modelled on theTeutonic Knights. This was the only military order native to England (with chapters in Acre, London,Kilkenny, andNicosia), just as theGilbertine Order was the only monastic order native to England.
The monks were afraid Becket's body might be stolen, and so his remains were placed beneath the floor of the eastern crypt of the cathedral.[24] A stone cover over it had two holes where pilgrims could insert their heads and kiss the tomb,[1] as illustrated in the "Miracle Windows" of theTrinity Chapel. A guard chamber (now the Wax Chamber) had a clear view of the grave. In 1220 Becket's bones were moved to a gold-plated, bejewelled shrine behind the high altar in the recently built Trinity Chapel.[25] The golden casket was placed on a pink marble base with prayer niches raised on three steps.[26] Canterbury's religious history had always brought many pilgrims, and after Becket's death the numbers rapidly rose.[citation needed]
St Thomas Becket's consecration, death and burial, at wall paintings in Santa Maria de Terrassa (Terrassa, Catalonia, Spain), romanesque frescoes,c. 1180[27]Former site of Thomas Becket's shrine in Canterbury Cathedral
Thetranslation of Becket's body occurred on 7 July 1220, the 50thjubilee year of his death, and was "one of the great symbolic events in the life of the medieval English Church", attended by KingHenry III, the papal legate, Archbishop of CanterburyStephen Langton, and many dignitaries and magnates, both secular and ecclesiastical.[citation needed] A "major new feast day was instituted, commemorating the translation... celebrated each July almost everywhere in England and in many French churches."[29] It was suppressed in 1536 with the Reformation.[30] The shrine was destroyed in 1538 during thedissolution of the monasteries on orders from KingHenry VIII.[1][31] He also destroyed Becket's bones and ordered all mention of his name obliterated.[31][32]
A cult began, which included drinking of "water of Saint Thomas", a mix of water and the remains of the martyr's blood miraculously multiplied. The procedure was frowned upon by the more orthodox, due to the similarities with theeucharist of theblood of Jesus.[33] The saint's fame quickly spread through theNorman world. The first holy image of Becket is thought to be a mosaic icon still visible inMonreale Cathedral inSicily, created shortly after his death. Becket's cousins obtained refuge at the Sicilian court during their exile, and KingWilliam II of Sicily wed a daughter of Henry II.Marsala Cathedral in western Sicily is dedicated to Becket. Over 45 medievalchassereliquaries decorated inchamplevé enamel showing similar scenes from Becket's life survive, including theBecket Casket, constructed to hold relics of him atPeterborough Abbey and now housed in London'sVictoria and Albert Museum.[citation needed]
As the scion of a mercantile dynasty of later centuries,Mercers, Becket was much regarded as a Londoner by citizens and adopted as London's co-patron saint with SaintPaul: both appear on the seals of the city and of theLord Mayor.[citation needed] TheBridge House Estates seal has only a Becket image, while his martyrdom is shown on the reverse.[citation needed]
Fresco depicting the murder of Thomas Becket; on the left is the figure of Saint Lanfranco in act of blessing.Church of San Lanfranco, Pavia.
In 1170 KingAlfonso VIII of Castille marriedEleanor Plantagenet, second daughter of Henry II andEleanor, Queen of England and Duchess of Aquitaine. She honoured Becket with a wall painting of his martyrdom that survives in the church ofSan Nicolás de Soria in Spain.[34] Becket's assassination made an impact in Spain: within five years of his deathSalamanca had a church named after him, Iglesia de Santo Tomás Cantuariense. Monumental frescoes with the martyrdom of Becket were depicted in the romanesque church of Santa Maria inTerrassa.
The story of Becket's life became a popular theme for medieval Nottingham alabaster carvers. One set of Becket panels is shown in theVictoria and Albert Museum.[35][36][37]
The arms of the city of Canterbury, officially registered in 1619 but dating back to at least 1380, is based on theattributed arms of Becket:Argent, three Cornish choughs proper, with the addition of a chiefgules charged witha lion passant guardantor from theRoyal Arms of England.[38]
TheBecket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit, non-partisan legal and educational institute in the United States fostering free expression for religious traditions took its inspiration from Becket.[43]
In 2005 a poll of historians byBBC History magazine of the "worst Briton" in each century of the last 1,000 years selected Becket as the worst of the 12th century.[44] The following year the magazine polled its readers which of the ten selected by historians was the worst of the last millennium. Becket came second behindJack the Ripper. The editor of the magazine suggested that Becket and the Ripper had been chosen because they were the best known names, and few would have heard of most of the other candidates.[45]
Among his obligations in contrition to Henry, William de Tracy much enlarged and re-dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury the parish church inLapford, Devon, in his manor ofBradninch. The martyrdom day is still marked by a Lapford Revel.[citation needed]
^The name "Thomas à Becket" is not contemporary but was first used byThomas Nashe in the 1590s.[2]
^There is a legend that claims Thomas's mother was aSaracen princess who met and fell in love with his English father while he was on Crusade orpilgrimage in theHoly Land, followed him home, was baptised and married him. This story has no truth to it, being a fabrication from three centuries after the saint's martyrdom, inserted as a forgery intoEdward Grim's 12th-centuryLife of St Thomas.[6][7] Matilda is occasionally known as Rohise.[1]
^Jenkins 'Modelling the Cult of Thomas Becket', pp. 104–114.
^Sánchez, Carles (2021).A painted tragedy The martyrdom of Thomas Becket in Santa Maria de Terrassa and the diffusion of its cult in the Iberian Peninsula. Anem Editors.ISBN978-84-122385-7-0.
^Reames, Sherry L. (January 2005). "Reconstructing and Interpreting a Thirteenth-Century Office for the Translation of Thomas Becket".Speculum.80 (1):118–170.doi:10.1017/S0038713400006679.JSTOR20463165.S2CID162716876. Quoting pp. 118–119.
^Scully, Robert E. (October 2000). "The Unmaking of a Saint: Thomas Becket and the English Reformation".The Catholic Historical Review.86 (4):579–602.doi:10.1353/cat.2000.0094.JSTOR25025818.S2CID201743927. Especially p. 592.
^Reeves, David; Bowman, James; Wilson-Johnson, David; Neary, Martin; Slane, Phillip; Novis, Constance; Brink, Harvey; Keith, Gillian; Willocks, David; English Chamber Choir; English Festival Orchestra (1999)."Becket: The kiss of peace=Le baiser de la paix=Der Kuss der Friedens". English Gramophone/DRM Control Point; Australia: manufactured in Australia under license. Retrieved3 July 2018.
Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996).Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-56350-5.
Hutton, William Holden (1910).Thomas Becket – Archbishop of Canterbury. London: Pitman and Sons Ltd.ISBN978-1-4097-8808-9.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
James W. Alexander, "The Becket controversy in recent historiography",Journal of British studies 9.2 (1970): 1–26. in JSTOR
Anne Duggan, 1980,Thomas Becket: A Textual History of his Letters, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Anne Duggan, ed., 2000,The Correspondence of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (1162–1170). 2 vols, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Carles Sánchez Márquez, 2021,A painted tragedy. The martyrdom of Thomas Becket in Santa Maria de Terrassa and the diffusion of its cult in the Iberian Peninsula, La Seu d'Urgell: Anem Editors
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