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How did Henry II punish Thomas Becket and his supporters during Becketās exile?
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St. Thomas Becket
Murder of St. Thomas Becket, illustration from an English psalter, c. 1200; in the British Library.
During Thomas Becketās six-year exile (1164ā1170), King Henry II took several punitive measures against the archbishop and his associates:
- Seizure of Property: Henry confiscated the properties belonging to both Becket and his supporters.1
- Exile of Relatives: The king ordered the exile of all of Becketās close relatives.1
- Pressure on Hosts: Henry threatened the monks at Pontigny Abbey, forcing Becket to relocate to an abbey near Sens.1
These actions were part of a broader conflict between the king and the archbishop regarding the Constitutions of Clarendon, which sought to restrict the power of the church and increase royal authority over ecclesiastical matters.12