Thomas Becket Making Ripples
Is it not interesting how one event can change the course of history? This paper, Thomas Becket Making Ripples, is about Thomas Becket helped to better the Catholic Church. Thomas Becket’s works, murder, and the effects of his murder are highly important today and in the past.
Thomas Becket grew up in Cheapside, London. He was the son of Gilvert of Thierceville and Matilda of Caen. Thomas Becket lived from December 21, 1118 to December 29, 1170. He was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170. Considering he died only at the age of 53, he accomplished a lot in his lifetime.
Thomas Becket accomplished a lot of things in his life, but the main achievements that stand out to me are becoming the archbishop,
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As stated earlier, after promoting Thomas Becket from manager of public relations to chancellor, King Henry expected him to do anything he told him to do. Thomas Becket did not feel that some of the changes of limiting the clergy were in accordance with his beliefs, so he argued and refused to sign the papers. Eventually, this became so much of a problem that Thomas Becket had to leave England and go to France, with King Henry’s greatest rival, for six years. "The King continued doggedly in his pursuit of control over his clerics, to the point where his religious policy became detrimental to his subjects. By 1170, the Pope was considering excommunicating all of Britain. Only Henry 's agreement that Becket could return to England without penalty prevented this fate." (“The Pope and the Archbishop”) Unfortunately, the same argument came up soon after he returned. “One day while Henry was sojourning in France, he cried out in a moment of passion, while surrounded by a group of knights, "Is there no one who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" Four knights who heard him understood from this angry speech that he desired the death of Becket, and they went to England to murder the Archbishop.” (“Thomas Becket”) Thomas Becket’s murder was brutal and touching. After the knights got to the Cathedral, they demanded Thomas to do what the king wanted. Thomas refused. He knew what they had come to do, but he did not fight them. He declared that he was not a traitor, that he was a priest of God. This made one of the knights so angry that he ran up and started raining blows upon Thomas Becket. Thomas Becket willingly allowed them to hack away at his body, offering himself as a living sacrifice. Even after they decapitated him, they continued to take their rage out on his lifeless