02 The Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket

            It’s December 29th, 1170; a cold night. Thomas Becket, haughty Archbishop of Canterbury, is making his way to the main hall of the cathedral for vespers when the first blow is struck. Four sword-wielding knights from the court of King Henry II emerge from the shadows of the staircase where they have caught up to Becket. They had intended to simply arrest him and bring him as prisoner to the King, but when the archbishop proved uncooperative, the knights lost patience and attacked. [9]

            As the blows came raining upon him, first to his shoulder, then to his head, Becket stood firm, refusing to give in. At the third strike of the sword, he fell to his hands and knees where Edward Grim, one of Canterbury’s monks, heard him declare, “For the Name of Jesus and the protection of the Church I am ready to embrace death!” [10]

            The assassination of Becket was gruesome, spilling blood and brain and bone fragments across the floor of the cathedral. King Henry was horrified by the news of Becket’s murder. The two had had a bitter relationship ever since 1162 when Henry appointed Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury, hoping their previous friendship would ensure he would help the royal court impose power over the church. Henry was disappointed when Becket’s commitment to the clergy took precedence. [11]

            The final straw came when Becket excommunicated three bishops of Canterbury, thus invalidating the coronation of Henry III. In a fit of anger, Henry II was purported to have said “Thomas has shamed my kin, shamed my realm… and no one has avenged me.” [12] Four knights present at the court construed Henry’s outburst as an order, and acted upon it.

            In the months after the assassination, pilgrims flocked to Canterbury where miracles sprung up at the altar where Becket died: the blind regained sight, the paralyzed regained mobility, the ill regained health. Even the possessed were freed of the Devil. There was no doubt Becket was a saint, and in 1173 he was officially canonized. [13]

9. Freeman, Charles. Page 3.

10. Lee, Christopher. Page 71.

11. “The Murder of Thomas Becket, 1170” <www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/becket.htm>.

12. Freeman, Charles. Page 3.

13. Freeman, Charles. Page 6.