Biography
Thomas Becket was the brilliant, worldly Chancellor of England and a close friend of King Henry II. Hoping to consolidate royal control over the Church, Henry appointed Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury. To the King's shock, Becket underwent a radical conversion, resigned the chancellorship, and became a fierce defender of the Church's independence from the Crown. After years of bitter conflict and exile, Becket returned to England. Enraged by Becket's excommunication of royal supporters, Henry allegedly shouted, 'Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?' Four knights traveled to Canterbury and brutally murdered Becket inside the cathedral during Vespers. His martyrdom shocked Europe, forcing the King to do public penance.
Miracles & Signs
- ✦Countless miraculous healings at his shrine in Canterbury, which became one of Europe's premier pilgrimage sites (as famously recorded in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales)
Wisdom & Quotes
“For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.”