St. Thomas Becket

Their story

Thomas Becket was born in London around 1120 into a merchant family. Intelligent and capable, he served the archbishop of Canterbury and came to the attention of King Henry II, who made him chancellor of England. Thomas and the king became close friends, and Thomas lived a life of wealth and splendor. In 1162 Henry arranged for Thomas to be named archbishop of Canterbury, expecting him to support royal power over the Church. Instead, Thomas was transformed. He began to live a life of prayer and penance and became a determined defender of the Church’s freedom. When Henry tried to bring the clergy under royal control, Thomas refused to give way. The conflict became so bitter that Thomas spent six years in exile in France. In 1170 Thomas returned to England, but the dispute continued. Henry, in a fit of rage, reportedly asked whether no one would rid him of this troublesome priest. Four knights took him at his word. On December 29, 1170, they murdered Thomas in Canterbury Cathedral. Thomas was canonized just three years later, and King Henry did public penance at his tomb. Canterbury became one of the great pilgrimage sites of medieval Europe.