Did Thomas Becket accept the Constitutions of Clarendon?

Thomas Becket did not ultimately accept the Constitutions of Clarendon. While he and the other bishops initially gave a reluctant verbal promise to observe the 16 articles when they were presented by King Henry II in January 1164, Becket soon repudiated his oath.12

Becket’s opposition was primarily driven by the third clause of the constitutions, which sought to subject "criminous clerks"—members of the clergy accused of serious crimes—to secular punishment rather than the more lenient ecclesiastical courts. Becket argued that this violated church law, specifically the principle that a person should not be punished twice for the same offense. Following his revocation of assent, Becket appealed to the pope and was subsequently forced into six years of exile.12