St. Thomas Becket

Introduction & Top Questions
Early life and career
As chancellor
As archbishop
Quarrel with Henry
Martyrdom and legacy

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Saint Thomas Becket summary

Related Questions

Did Thomas Becket accept the Constitutions of Clarendon?
How did Geoffrey Chaucer refer to Thomas Becket in The Canterbury Tales?
How did Henry II punish Thomas Becket and his supporters during Becket’s exile?
How did Pope Alexander III respond to Thomas Becket’s conflict with Henry II?
How did T.S. Eliot portray Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral?
How did Thomas Becket become archdeacon of Canterbury?
How did Thomas Becket help Henry II strengthen the English monarchy?
How did Thomas Becket’s death change Henry II’s policies toward the clergy?
How did Thomas Becket’s way of life change after becoming archbishop of Canterbury?
How did the Constitutions of Clarendon affect the king’s control over vacant bishoprics and monasteries?
How did the Constitutions of Clarendon limit appeals from England to Rome?
How long was Thomas Becket exiled from England?
How was Thomas Becket educated before entering church service?
How were Henry II and Thomas Becket connected before Becket became archbishop?
What agreement allowed Thomas Becket to return to Canterbury in 1170?
What disagreement began the struggle between Thomas Becket and Henry II in 1163?
What happened at the Council of Westminster in 1163?
What happened to Thomas Becket at the Council of Northampton in 1164?
What responsibilities did Thomas Becket carry out as Henry II’s chancellor?
What role did Gilbert Foliot play in Thomas Becket’s conflict with Henry II?
What role did canon law play in Thomas Becket’s conflict with Henry II?
What were Thomas Becket’s reported last words?
What were the main goals of the Gregorian Reform that influenced Thomas Becket?
When did Thomas Becket serve as chancellor of England?
When was Thomas Becket archbishop of Canterbury?
When was Thomas Becket canonized as a saint?
When was Thomas Becket murdered?
When were the Constitutions of Clarendon issued?
Where did Thomas Becket live during his exile from England?
Where did Thomas Becket study civil law and canon law?
Where in Canterbury Cathedral was Thomas Becket murdered?
Where was Thomas Becket born?
Which archbishop became Thomas Becket’s early patron?
Which pope canonized Thomas Becket?
Who were the “criminous clerks” at the center of the dispute between Henry II and Thomas Becket?
Why did Henry II do penance at Canterbury after Thomas Becket’s murder?
Why did Henry II have his eldest son crowned by the archbishop of York?
Why did King Henry II trust Thomas Becket as his chancellor?
Why did Thomas Becket become known as a martyr?
Why did Thomas Becket excommunicate the clergy involved in Henry the Young King’s coronation?
Why did Thomas Becket flee England in 1164?
Why did Thomas Becket oppose punishing clergy twice for the same crime?
Why did Thomas Becket resign as chancellor after becoming archbishop?
Why did Thomas Becket revoke his assent to the Constitutions of Clarendon?
Why did Thomas Becket’s tomb become a major pilgrimage site?
Why did four knights murder Thomas Becket?
Why did the Constitutions of Clarendon cause a conflict between Henry II and Thomas Becket?
Why is Thomas Becket honored in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion?
Why was the rule about criminous clerks the most controversial part of the Constitutions of Clarendon?
Why were the English bishops divided over Thomas Becket’s struggle with Henry II?
Who was St. Thomas Becket?
What led to St. Thomas Becket’s quarrel with King Henry II?
How did St. Thomas Becket die?
Who was Henry II?
How did Henry II expand the kingdom of England?
What were Henry II’s greatest accomplishments as king?
Why is John Milton famous?
Where was John Milton educated?
How did John Milton influence others?
Why is Thomas Hobbes important?

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External Websites

The Becket Story - Who was Thomas Becket?
Canterbury Cathedral - Learning Resources - Archbishop Thomas Becket
History Today - The Trouble with Thomas: The Controversies of St Thomas Becket
World History Encyclopedia - Biography of St. Thomas Becket
The British Museum - Thomas Becket murder and the making of a saint
Historic UK - The Miracles of St Thomas Becket
London Museum - The murder of Thomas Becket

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Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Thomas Becket - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Thomas à Becket - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

St. Thomas Becket

archbishop of Canterbury

Also known as: Thomas à Becket, Thomas of London

Written by

Michael David Knowles

Regius Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge, 1954–63. Author of The Benedictines: A Digest for Moderns; Thomas Becket; and others.

Michael David Knowles

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Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

St. Thomas Becket (born c. 1118, Cheapside, London, England—died December 29, 1170, Canterbury, Kent; canonized 1173; feast day December 29) was the chancellor of England (1155–62) and archbishop of Canterbury (1162–70) during the reign of King Henry II. His career was marked by a long quarrel with Henry that ended with Becket’s murder in Canterbury Cathedral. He is venerated as a saint and martyr in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion. He...

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