Thomas Becket and King Henry II were friends that eventually got into a huge quarrel. Henry II was the son of Queen Maud and Geoffrey of Anjou. Later in his life, he became an administrator and was good?could at it, but he had a really bad temper. His temper would often get him in trouble. Thomas Becket was King Henry’s chief administrator. Becket was convinced by King Henry II to become the new Archbishop after the See of Canterbury fell empty in 1162. Thomas Becket started to change while being the Archbishop after King Henry II was not sympathetic towards the battle going on between church and state. King Henry being Thomas Becket’s friend he completely changed his personality after this incident. Thomas Becket started to become severe and strict regarding church law. His friendship with King Henry II started to diminish and they started to oppose each other. …show more content…
Then both of them were reconciled by the pope, and Thomas Becket returned. After his return Becket infuriated King Henry when he excommunicated the bishops that supported the King during Thomas Becket’s exile. King Henry who is known for his bad temper of course went on a rampage. King Henry’s rage got so out of hand that he rode all the way from Westminster to Canterbury and killed his former friend Thomas Becket in front of the main altar of the Cathedral after refusing to relent. These historical events relate back to the story because it tells of the events that happened in actual history. Even though in the book it is not exactly how it went down in history, the the death of Becket is definitely what makes the book and historical event similar. Although, instead of being murdered by King Henry, he is murdered by knights in the