Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral.
About Thomas Becket in brief
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III. The main sources for the life of Becket are a number of biographies written by contemporaries. The known biographers are John of Salisbury, Edward Grim, Benedict of Peterborough, William of Canterbury, Guernes of Pont-Sainte-Maxence, Alan of Tewkesbury, Benet of St Albans, and Herbert of Bosham. The other biographers, who remain anonymous, are generally given the pseudonyms of Anonymous I, Anonymous II, and Anonymous III. Besides these accounts, there are also two other accounts that are likely contemporary that appear in the Quadrilogus II and the Thómas saga erkibyskups. Theobald of Bec entrusted Becket with several important missions to Rome and also sent him to Bologna and Auxerre to study canon law. As a Chancellor, Becket enforced the king’s traditional sources that were exacted from all landowners, including churches and bishoprics. It was custom for noble children to be fostered out to other noble houses, including Becket’s son Henry to live in Becket’s household, it being the then custom for him to live with his son Henry.
In 1154, TheobALD named Becket Archdeacon of Canterbury and other ecclesiastical offices, including prebends at Lincoln Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral, and the office of Provost of Beverley. Becket also served as Lord Chancellor, recommending him to King Henry II for the vacant post of Lord Chancellor in January 1155. His election was confirmed by a royal council of bishops on May 23, 1162, several months after the death of the noblemen of Canterbury. He was born in Cheapside, London, on 21 December, which was the feast day of St Thomas the Apostle. His father was from Thierville in the lordship of Brionne in Normandy, and was either a small landowner or a petty knight. His mother Matilda was also of Norman descent, and her family may have originated near Caen. Gilbert began his life as a merchant, perhaps in textiles, but by the 1120s he was living in London and was a property owner, living on the rental income from his properties. He and his wife Matilda were buried in Old StPaul’s Cathedral. They were buried together in 1120 according to later tradition. He did not study any subjects beyond the trivium and quadrivium at these schools, Later, he spent about a year in Paris around age 20. According to Grim, he learned much from Richer de L’Aigle, who was later a signatory of the Constitutions of Clarendon against Thomas.
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