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How did the coronation of Henry the Young King deepen the conflict with Thomas Becket?

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King Henry II and St. Thomas Becket — Henry II Henry II (left) disputing with Thomas Becket (center), miniature from a 14th-century manuscript; in the British Library (Cotton MS. Claudius D.ii).

The coronation of Henry the Young King in 1170 significantly deepened the conflict between King Henry II and Thomas Becket because it violated both papal prohibition and the traditional prerogative of the archbishop of Canterbury to crown the English monarch.12

Instead of allowing Becket to perform the ceremony, Henry II had his son crowned by the archbishop of York. This act was viewed as a flagrant usurpation of Canterbury’s immemorial rights. In response, Becket, who was in exile at the time, appealed to Rome and excommunicated the clergy who had participated in the coronation. Even after a temporary reconciliation between the King and the archbishop later that year, Becket’s continued refusal to lift the excommunications of those involved in the ceremony—including the archbishop of York—further infuriated Henry II, ultimately contributing to the events that led to Becket's murder in Canterbury Cathedral.321