Saint Thomas à Becket (or Thomas Becket) (ca. 1115 – December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. 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. Events Clairvaux Abbey is founded by St. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... Events December 29: Assassination of Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury, in Canterbury cathedral Eleanor of Aquitaine leaves the court of Henry II because of a string of infidelities. ... The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion, outranking the other English archbishop, the Archbishop of York. ... Events June 3 - Thomas Becket consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury. ... Events December 29: Assassination of Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury, in Canterbury cathedral Eleanor of Aquitaine leaves the court of Henry II because of a string of infidelities. ... Henry II of England, depicted in Cassells History of England, Century Edition, published circa 1902 Henry II (March 25, 1133–July 6, 1189), ruled as Duke of Anjou and as King of England (1154–1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ... This is an incomplete list of persons that were assassinated for political and other reasons, and who have individual entries. ...

13th century manuscript illumination, the earliest known depiction of Becket's assassination

earliest known portrayal of thomas beckets murder in canterbury cathedral The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... earliest known portrayal of thomas beckets murder in canterbury cathedral The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript, often of a religious nature, in which the text is supplemented by the addition of colourful ornamentation, such as decorated initials, borders and the like. ...

Life Before His Consecration

He was born in London sometime during the 1110s. His parents were of the middle class, and his family was from near Rouen in France. He received an excellent education, which he completed at the University of Paris. London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ... Centuries: 11th century - 12th century - 13th century Decades: 1060s 1070s 1080s 1090s 1100s - 1110s - 1120s 1130s 1140s 1150s 1160s Years: 1110 1111 1112 1113 1114 1115 1116 1117 1118 1119 Events and Trends 1111 Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Paschal II 1112 The people of Laon... Location within France Rouen (pronounced in French, sometimes also ) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northern France, and presently the capital of the Upper Normandy région. ... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The Sorbonne today, from the same point of view The historic University of Paris (French: Université de Paris) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganized as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ...

Returning to 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 chancellor was vacant. Theobald (died April 18, 1161) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1138 to 1161. ... Beverley is a market town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, north of Kingston-upon-Hull, east of Market Weighton and west of Hornsea. ... Henry II of England, depicted in Cassells History of England, Century Edition, published circa 1902 Henry II (March 25, 1133–July 6, 1189), ruled as Duke of Anjou and as King of England (1154–1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. ...

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 so many fetters on his authority. Becket as Chancellor 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. Later that would be one of the reasons his son would turn against him, having formed an emotional attachment to Becket as a foster-father. This article talks about the Norman people. ... The Danegeld was an English tax raised to pay off Viking raiders (usually led by the Danish king) to save the land from being ravaged by the raiders. ... Henry, the Young King Henry the Young King (February 28, 1155–June 11, 1183) was the second of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. ...

Archbishop Theobald died April 18, 1161, and the chapter learned with some indignation that the king expected them to choose Thomas his successor. That election took place in May, however, and Thomas was consecrated on June 3, 1162. April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... Events Bartholomew Iscanus becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... Events June 3 - Thomas Becket consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury. ...

Archbishop, 1162

At once there took place before the eyes of the astonished king and country an unexpected transformation in the character of the new primate. Instead of a gay, pleasure-loving courtier, he stood forth an ascetic prelate in simple monastic garb, ready to contend to the uttermost for the cause of the hierarchy. Thomas Becket (from a window of Canterbury cathedral) It is said that the artist may have seen Becket in person. ...

In the schism which at that time divided the Church, he declared for Pope Alexander III, a man whose devotion to the same strict hierarchical principles appealed to him, and from Alexander he received the pallium at the Council of Tours. Alexander III, né Orlando Bandinelli (d. ... The Pallium or Pall (derived, so far as the name is concerned, from the Roman pallium or palla, a woollen cloak) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries past bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol... In the medieval Roman Catholic church there were several Councils of Tours, that city being an old seat of Christianity, and considered fairly centrally located in France. ...

On his return to England, Becket proceeded at once to put into execution the project he had formed for the liberation of the Church in England from the very limitations which he had formerly helped to enforce. His aim was twofold: the complete exemption of the Church from all civil jurisdiction, with undivided control of the clergy, freedom of appeal, etc., and the acquisition and security of an independent fund of church property.

The king was not slow to perceive the inevitable outcome of the archbishop's attitude and called a meeting of the clergy at Westminster (October 1, 1163) at which he demanded that they renounce all claim to exemption from civil jurisdiction and acknowledge the equality of all subjects before the law. The others were inclined to yield, but the archbishop stood firm. Henry was not ready for an open breach and offered to be content with a more general acknowledgment and recognition of the "customs of his ancestors." Thomas was willing to agree to this, with the significant reservation "saving the rights of the Church." But this involved the whole question at issue, and Henry left London in anger. Westminster is the name of a city that covers much of central London, located to the west of the ancient City of London, and which has been the principal seat of government in England for more than nine hundred years. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... Events Owain Gwynedd is recognized as ruler of Wales. ...

The Constitutions of Clarendon

Henry called another assembly at Clarendon for January 30, 1164, at which he presented his demands in sixteen constitutions. What he asked involved the abandonment of the clergy's independence and of their direct connection with Rome; he employed all his arts to induce their consent and was apparently successful with all but the primate. January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events Count Henry I of Champagne marries Marie de Champagne. ...

Finally even Becket expressed his willingness to agree to the constitutions, the Constitutions of Clarendon; but when it came to the actual signature, he defiantly refused. This meant war between the two powers. Henry endeavoured to rid himself of his antagonist by judicial process and summoned him to appear before a great council at Northampton on October 8, 1164, to answer charges of contempt of royal authority and malfeasance in the Lord Chancellor's office. The Constitutions of Clarendon were a set of legislative procedures passed by Henry II of England in 1164. ... This article is about Northampton, England. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... Events Count Henry I of Champagne marries Marie de Champagne. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. ...

Becket Leaves England

Becket denied the right of the assembly to judge him, appealed to the pope, and, feeling that his life was too valuable to the Church to be risked, went into voluntary exile on November 2, embarking in a fishing-boat which landed him in France. He went to Sens, where Pope Alexander was, while envoys from the king hastened to work against him, requesting that a legate should be sent to England with plenary authority to settle the dispute. Alexander declined, and when, the next day, Becket arrived and gave him a full account of the proceedings, he was still more confirmed in his aversion to the king. November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... Sens is a town of Burgundy, France. ...

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. Louis VII the Younger (French: Louis VII le Jeune) (1120 - September 18, 1180) was King of France from 1137 to 1180. ... Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black Catholic order of monks. ...

Becket regarded himself as in full possession of all his prerogatives and desired to see his position enforced by the weapons of excommunication and interdict. But Alexander, though sympathizing with him in theory, favored a milder and more diplomatic way of reaching his ends. 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, and steadfast in his principles, Thomas treated with the legates at great length, still conditioning his obedience to the king by 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 king, and Henry, alarmed by the prospect, held out hopes of an agreement that would allow Thomas to return to England and resume his place. But both parties were really still holding to their former ground, and the desire for a reconciliation was only apparent. Events December 29: Assassination of Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury, in Canterbury cathedral Eleanor of Aquitaine leaves the court of Henry II because of a string of infidelities. ...

Both, however, seem for the moment to have believed in its possibility, and the contrast was all the sharper when it became evident that the old irreconcilable opposition was still there. Henry, incited by his partisans, refused to restore the ecclesiastical property that he had seized, and Thomas prepared to issue the pope's sentence against the despoilers of the Church and the bishops who had abetted them. It had been already sent to England for promulgation when he himself landed at Sandwich, on December 3, 1170, and two days later entered Canterbury. Arms of Sandwich Town Council Sandwich is an historic town in Kent, south-east England. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events December 29: Assassination of Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury, in Canterbury cathedral Eleanor of Aquitaine leaves the court of Henry II because of a string of infidelities. ...

Becket's Assassination

The tension was now too great to be endured, and the catastrophe that relieved it was not long in coming. A passionate word (supposedly "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?," though this may be apocryphal) of the angry king was taken as authority by four knights — Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracey, and Richard le Breton — who immediately plotted the murder of the archbishop, and accomplished it at the entry of the Quire in Canterbury Cathedral on Tuesday December 29, as the Archbishop was going to Vespers with the monastic community. In Judeo-Christian theologies, apocrypha refers to religious Sacred text that have questionable authenticity or are otherwise disputed. ... Categories: Historical stubs ... Canterbury Cathedral, N.W., ca. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ...

Jean Anouilh's play Becket

The crime brought its own revenge. Becket was revered by the faithful throughout Europe as a martyr, and canonized by Alexander in 1173, while on July 12 of the following year in the midst of the Revolt of 1173-1174 Henry humbled himself to do public penance at the tomb of his enemy, which remained one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in England until it was destroyed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. His remains were moved from this first tomb to a shrine in the newly completed Trinity Chapel in 1220. The pavement where the shrine stood is marked today by a lighted candle. Modern day Archbishops celebrate the Eucharist at this place on the commemorations of the Martyrdom and of the Translation of his body from his first burial place to the new shrine. videotape cover becket File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jean Anouilh(June 23, 1910- October 3, 1987) was a major French dramatist of the 20th century. ... Becket or the Honor of God is a Tony Award-winning play written in French by Jean Anouilh. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for his or her religious faith. ... Events Canonization of Saint Thomas a Becket, buried at Canterbury August 9th - Construction starts on the Leaning tower of Pisa Castle at Abergavenny was seized by the Welsh. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... The Revolt of 1173-1174 was a rebellion against Henry II of England by three of his sons, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and rebel supporters. ... The Dissolution of the Monasteries (referred to by Roman Catholic writers as the Suppression of the Monasteries) was the formal process, taking place between 1536 and 1540, by which King Henry VIII confiscated the property of the Roman Catholic institutions in England and arrogated them to himself, as the new...

Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is set in a company of pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. The word "canter" came into the English language from the pace of the horses headed there, called the "Canterbury gallop." Chaucer: Illustration from Cassells History of England, circa 1902 Chanticleer the rooster from an outdoor production of Chanticleer and the Fox at Ashby-de-la-Zouch castle Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. ... Canterbury Tales Woodcut 1484 The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in prose, the rest in verse). ... Canterbury Cathedral, N.W., ca. ...

Modern works based on the story of Thomas Becket include T. S. Eliot's play Murder in the Cathedral and Jean Anouilh's play Becket, which was made into a movie with the same title. In the 19th century, Conrad Ferdinand Meyer wrote the novella Der Heilige (The Saint) about Thomas Becket. Thomas Stearns Eliot (September 26, 1888 - January 4, 1965), was a major Modernist Anglo-American poet, dramatist, and literary critic. ... Murder in the Cathedral is a drama in verse by T. S. Eliot, first performed in 1935. ... Jean Anouilh(June 23, 1910- October 3, 1987) was a major French dramatist of the 20th century. ... Becket or the Honor of God is a Tony Award-winning play written in French by Jean Anouilh. ... Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (October 12, 1825 - November 28, 1898), a poet and, as he was born in Zürich, is a fellow-townsman of Gottfried Keller. ... A novella is a short, narrative, prose fiction work. ...

W. J. Williams has suggested that the story of the murder of Thomas à Becket may have inspired the masonic legend of the death of Hiram Abiff. 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's Hospital, HQ, which was the headquarters of the Knights of St Thomas, a military order during the crusades which was very close to the Templars. American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... According to Masonic mythology, Hiram Abiff was the master of the construction of King Solomons Temple. ... The City of London forms the historic and financial centre of Greater London. ... The Knights of Saint Thomas are an English Christian military order founded by Peter of Roche, the Bishop of Winchester, around 1227 during the Fifth Crusade. ... Christian military orders appeared following the First Crusade. ... The Seal of the Knights — the two riders have been interpreted as a sign of poverty or the duality of monk/soldier. ...

St Thomas of Canterbury remains the patron saint of Roman Catholic secular clergy.

Feast Day: 29 December.

December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ...

Robert of Ghent was the fourteenth and seventeenth Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England, from 1140 to 1141, and from 1142 to 1154. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. ... Geoffrey Ridel (died 1189) was the nineteenth Lord Chancellor of England, from 1162 to 1173. ... Theobald (died April 18, 1161) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1138 to 1161. ... The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion, outranking the other English archbishop, the Archbishop of York. ... Richard (d. ...