12/29/1170: Archbishop Thomas Becket is brutally murdered in Canterbury
Cathedral by four knights of King Henry II of England, apparently on orders of
the king.
In 1155, Henry II appointed Becket as chancellor, a high
post in the English government. Becket proved a skilled diplomat and won the
trust of Henry, who nominated him as archbishop of Canterbury in 1162. The king
hoped his friend would help in his efforts to curb the growing power of the
church. However, soon after his consecration, the new archbishop emerged a
zealous defender of the jurisdiction of the church over its own affairs. In
1164, Becket was forced to flee to France under fear of retaliation by the
king.
He was later reconciled with Henry and in 1170 returned to
Canterbury amid great public rejoicing. Soon afterward, against the objections
of the pope, Henry had his son crowned co-king by the archbishop of York, and
tensions again came to a head between Becket and Henry. At this time, perhaps
merely in a moment of frustration, the king issued to his court the following
public plea: "What a parcel of fools and dastards have I nourished in my
house, and not one of them will avenge me of this one upstart clerk." A group
of Henry's knights took the statement very seriously, and on December 29,
Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.
The Christian world was shocked by Becket's death, and in
1173 he was canonized a Catholic saint. In 1174, Henry was forced to do penance
at his tomb, and his efforts to end the separation between church and state
ceased. In 1220, Becket's bones were transferred to Trinity Chapel in
Canterbury Cathedral, which later became a popular site of English religious
pilgrimage.
Today's Reflection:
Chaos, panic, pandemonium – my work here is done.
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