Thomas Becket
English archbishop and martyr, 1119/1120-1170 · United Kingdom · On the map · Religious Figures · Died at 51
A medieval archbishop hacked to death in his own cathedral by the king's men - the culmination of a power struggle that turned England's most powerful cleric into its most famous martyr and made Canterbury a pilgrimage site for centuries.
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Photos 12
Plaque marking Becket's birthplace on Cheapside in London
14th-century depiction of Becket at centre with King Henry II at left
A Seal of the Abbot of Arbroath, showing the murder of Becket. Arbroath Abbey was founded 8 years after the death of St Thomas and dedicated to him; it became the wealthiest abbey in Scotland.![Becket's assassination and funeral, from a French enamelled chasse made c. 1190-1200, one of about 52 surviving examples[13]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Reliquary_Thomas_Becket_MNMA_Cl23296.jpg/1280px-Reliquary_Thomas_Becket_MNMA_Cl23296.jpg)
Becket's assassination and funeral, from a French enamelled chasse made c. 1190-1200, one of about 52 surviving examples[13]
Sculpture and altar marking the spot of Thomas Becket's martyrdom in Canterbury Cathedral. The sculpture by Giles Blomfield represents the knights' four swords (two metal swords with reddened tips and their two shadows).About this person
Born into a Norman family in London around 1119, Thomas Becket rose through the Church by winning the confidence of Archbishop Theobald of Bec, who recommended him as Lord Chancellor to Henry II in 1154. Eight years later Henry made him Archbishop of Canterbury, expecting loyalty - but Becket turned unexpectedly ascetic and began resisting royal encroachment on Church authority. In 1164 Henry summoned him to trial on charges of contempt and malfeasance; Becket refused the sentence and fled to France, spending six years in exile under Louis VII's protection. A papal compromise brought him home in 1170, but the dispute flared again within months. On 29 December four knights loyal to Henry cut him down inside Canterbury Cathedral. Pope Alexander III canonized him two years later, and veneration spread across Europe.
