The correspondence of thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury. Saint thomas becket, chancellor of england and archbishop of canterbury during the reign of king henry ii. People used to think his name was thomas a becket, but it is now known to be wrong. But when the old archbishop of canterbury died and henry appointed becket as his successor, something changed, and a new side of thomas. It is a dramatic film adaptation of the play becket or the honour of god by jean anouilh made by hal wallis productions and released by paramount pictures.
In 1162, henry ii chose thomas becket as his next archbishop of canterbury. The office of archbishop of canterbury is the oldest continuous. From the 6th century to the 16th century, the archbishops of canterbury were in full communion with the bishops of rome, the popes. The current archbishop is the most revd and rt hon justin welby, who was enthroned at canterbury cathedral on 21 march 20.
In 1170 canterbury cathedral was the scene of the murder of thomas becket, the archbishop. Becket is an important figure in the history of the cathedral and of england. His diocese in east kent has a population of 825,000 people and comprises 270 parishes in an area of nearly 1,000 square miles. List of archbishops of canterbury mcgill university school. Immediately below him is the lord chancellor and then the archbishop of york. Following his canonisation in 1173, his reputation grew considerably throughout western christendom. In addition to a palace in canterbury, the archbishop has a seat at lambeth palace in london. On 29 december 1170, thomas archbishop of canterbury was brutally murdered in his cathedral by four knights from the household of his former friend and. Saint thomas a beckett, archbishop of canterbury, martyr. The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse by charlie mackesy. The archbishop of york has the same authority in relation to the 14 dioceses in northern england. List of books and articles about thomas becket online.
The archbishop of canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the church of england, the symbolic head of the worldwide anglican communion and the diocesan bishop of the diocese of canterbury. The church of england is presided over by two archbishops. Martyr, archbishop of canterbury, born at london, 21 december, 1118. He is author of the acclaimed quest for beckets bones 1995 and the. Becket carried out many tasks for henry ii including leading the english army into battle. After the martyrdom of archbishop thomas a becket inside the cathedral in 1170, canterbury became a major european centre of pilgrimage, as documented in chaucers medieval stories the canterbury tales. William howley, archbishop of canterbury 18281848, led the church of england during the beginning and expansion of the oxford movement, at a time when the precursor to the church commissioners was established, and during the momentous debates and decisions in parliament which saw the final retreat. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the catholic church and. Kings english bookshop, conquest house, canterbury. Becket london 1884 tennyson 1st canterbury archbishop play play archbishop becket 1st london canterbury tennyson 1884. In the english and welsh order of precedence, the archbishop of canterbury is ranked above all individuals in the realm, with the exception of the sovereign and members of the royal family. He does not belong to the first ages of the church. It raised eyebrows because it was, indeed, an appointment. The archbishop of canterbury is the head of the established church of england and of the worldwide anglican communion.
In 1162, he was named archbishop of canterbury, a position he accepted reluctantly, knowing that his honest exercise of the office as a. Becket is a 1964 britishamerican film about the historic, tumultuous relationship between henry ii of england and his friendturnedbishop thomas becket. The fallout of a medieval archbishops murder is recorded in. Technically, bishops, archbishops, and abbots were supposed to be elected by members of the clergy, but, in practice, kings such as henry ii often let it be known ahead of time who should be elected, or simply forewent the process of election entirely and. Thomas becket by frank barlow paperback university of. The murder of thomas becket, 1170 eyewitness to history. He was born in cheapside on 21st december 1118 and educated at merton priory, and in paris. Jun 03, 2010 today in catholic history thomas becket consecrated archbishop of canterbury on 3 june 1162, thomas becket became the archbishop of canterbury. Canterbury cathedral cathedral, canterbury, england, united. Oct 01, 2016 it is likely that the manuscript was found at canterbury by thomas becket, who became archbishop in 1162, and that he then kept it as a personal relic of his martyred predecessor. Then there was thomas becket, probably the most famous archbishop of canterbury. Following the norman conquest in 1066 the cathedral and abbey were rebuilt in stone along with a stone castle and city walls. When the archbishop of canterbury died, henry ii forced his companion and political lieutenant, thomas becket, to take his place. Materials for the history of thomas becket, archbishop of.
Until the first break between the church of england and the papal authority in 1534, the archbishops of canterbury were in full communion with the roman catholic church, which. Thomas becket born 21 dec 1118, died 29 dec 1170 archbishop of canterbury. Archbishop thomas becket is brutally murdered in canterbury cathedral by four knights of king henry ii of england, apparently on orders of the king. The correspondence of thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, 11621170. It takes the reader to the very heart of the great dispute that rocked the english kingdom in the twelfth century. In 1173, more than two years after the murder of becket, king henry ii of england decided to fill the vacant archbishopric of canterbury. As a young boy he studied with the canons regular at merton priory in surrey. The english king henry ii had pressured him to become the archbishop believing that becket who had previously shown great support for the powers of the king would continue to do so as archbishop. Becket s job was an important one as it involved the distribution of royal charters, writs and letters.
Thomas becket is murdered in canterbury cathedral, and becomes a martyr. His father gilbert becket was a gentleman of middling fortune, who, in his youth, made a pilgrimage to jerusalem with divers others, and falling into the hands of the saracens, remained a year and a half a prisoner, or rather a slave, to one of their emirs, or admirals. For over fourteen hundred years, from augustine in the 6th century to justin welby in the 21st, successive archbishops have been caught up in the transformation of the country from a. Rising through the ranks to become royal chancellor and then archbishop of canterbury, becket fell dramatically out of favour with henry ii and, on his return from exile, was famously murdered in the cathedral church at canterbury. It was directed by peter glenville and produced by hal b. Jul, 2016 among my predecessors were the first archbishopa timid monk, augustine, who was sent by pope gregory the great to restart the church in england in 597 ad.
Thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, martyr, 1170 for. In a ceremony of great solemnity in july 1220, almost fifty years after his murder in december 1170, the relics of saint thomas becket, canterburys most famous archbishop, were taken from the tomb in the crypt of canterbury cathedral where they had lain for fifty years and placed in a magnificent bejewelled shrine in the. His career was marked by a long quarrel with henry that ended with becket s murder in canterbury cathedral. Thomas becket simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The correspondence of thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, 11621170 thomas on. For my money, thomas becket was not a great archbishop. After becket s death, richard took charge of becket s body, and arranged for an immediate burial in canterbury cathedral. The archbishop of canterbury, thomas a becket was murdered in canterbury cathedral on tuesday 29th december, 1170 by knights acting on what they had interpreted as an instruction from the king, henry ii. Materials for the history of thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury cambridge library collection rolls volume 1 9781108049252. Dec 29, 2011 thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, martyr, 1170 born in london of a wealthy norman family, thomas was educated at merton abbey and at paris. The murder of thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, 29 december 1170. Archbishop of canterbury, in the church of england, the primate of all england and archbishop of the ecclesiastical province of canterbury, which approximately includes the area of england south of the former counties of cheshire and yorkshire. Thomas was aware of the kings intention and tried to dissuade him by warnings of what would happen. For almost a year after the death of theobald, the see of canterbury was vacant.
Thomas a becket, archbishop of canterbury 11181170 thomas was of a knightly family, the son of henry a becket, a merchant of rouen and london, and his wife rohesia. Thomas becket was an english priest, and archbishop of canterbury, who was murdered in canterbury cathedral in 1170. This is a major new edition of the letters written and received between 1162 and 1170 by thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury and victim of the murder in the cathedral. Public opinion of the time and subsequent history have laid the blame for the murder at the feet of becket s former close personal. Dec 29, 2007 thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, 1170 henry was bent on beckets ruin, while the archbishop used ecclesiastical censures against the kings supporters among the higher clergy and even attempted to obtain an interdict of england. He was consecrated as first archbishop of canterbury. Thomas becket, the most revered english saint, was born in london to middleclass norman parents. The lord archbishop of canterbury british heritage.
Thomas becket was born in london in 1117, on the 21st of december. Thomas was born of parents who, coming from normandy, had settled in england some years previously. At age 24, he accepted a post in the household of theobald, archbishop of canterbury, who was quite taken with the young man. Becket was ordained a priest on 2 june 1162 at canterbury, and on 3 june 1162 was consecrated as archbishop by henry of blois, the bishop of winchester and the other suffragan bishops of canterbury. Thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, hutton, william holden on. Today in catholic history thomas becket consecrated. The appointment of becket as archbishop of canterbury raised a few eyebrows. Materials for the history of thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury. In the year of the incarnation of the lord 1170, henry king of the english, son of empress matilda, held his court in normandy at bur, keeping the day of the lords nativity, saddened and troubled greatly because the archbishop of canterbury did not wish to absolve the. In the christian church, an archbishop is a bishop of superior rank who has authority over other bishops in an ecclesiastic province or area.
Dec 29, 2010 because of the prayer books rules of precedence governing the calendar of the church year, the commemoration of thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, is superseded by the transference of holy innocents to december 29 cf. Saint thomas a becket, or saint thomas becket, 111870, english martyr, archbishop of canterbury, b. Macmillan buys archbishop of canterbury the bookseller. Another martyr comes today to take his place around the crib of our jesus. Many pilgrims subsequently visited his shrine, and those of the 14th century were immortalized by geoffrey chaucer in his the canterbury tales. Bone relic from becket, murdered archbishop, to return to. The archbishop of canterbury is the primate of all england the first bishop of england, effectively serving as the head of the established church of england and, symbolically, of the worldwide anglican communion. Becket studied in paris and worked as a bankers accountant before getting a job in the archbishop of canterburys retinue. It is likely that the manuscript was found at canterbury by thomas becket, who became archbishop in 1162, and that he then kept it as a. Saint thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, martyr. Since 597, the archbishop s see has been at canterbury.
He was an intelligent child, who also enjoyed playing sports and hunting. Thomas a beckett, archbishop of canterbury and martyr. Early career and chancellor he came from a middleclass norman family and was well educated, completing his studies at the univ. Once consecrated, thomas changed both his outlook and his way of life.
The brutal event sent a tremor through medieval europe. A swords crushing blow extinguished the life of thomas becket, archbishop of canterbury, on a cold december evening as he struggled on the steps of his altar. The office of archbishop of canterbury is the oldest continuous institution in britain older than the english crown and much older than parliament. He was a financial clerk for a while and then joined the curia of theobald, archbishop of canterbury, notable for the quality of its personnel and the skill of their legal expertise.