Important figures
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Important figure · Medieval

Thomas Becket

Archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in 1170; Saint Thomas Becket

Period
c. 1119–1170
Places
London, Canterbury and Northampton; exile in France
Saint
Canonised 21 February 1173. Feast 29 December.

Archbishop of Canterbury whose conflict with King Henry II over the Church’s independence ended with his murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

Thomas Becket was born in London around 1119 or 1120. He became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, consecrated on 3 June 1162.

His conflict with King Henry II centred on royal authority over the Church, including the jurisdiction of secular courts over clergy. The Constitutions of Clarendon, issued in 1164, set out sixteen provisions limiting clerical independence. Becket refused to seal them, was convicted at Northampton later that year, and spent about six years in exile in France.

He returned to England in 1170. On 29 December 1170 he was killed in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights who were loyal to Henry II. He did not flee when they came for him.

Full timeline

  1. c. 1119–1120Approximate

    Birth in London

  2. 3 June 1162

    Consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury

  3. 1164

    Constitutions of Clarendon

    Sixteen provisions limiting clerical independence.

  4. 1164

    Conviction at Northampton and exile

    About six years in exile in France.

  5. 29 December 1170

    Murder in Canterbury Cathedral

    Killed by four knights loyal to Henry II.

  6. 21 February 1173Church-recognised

    Canonised at Segni

    By Pope Alexander III.

  7. 1220

    Bones moved to a gold-plated shrine

    During the reign of Henry III.

  8. 1538

    Shrine destroyed

    On the order of Henry VIII, during the dissolution of the monasteries.

Contemporary positions and the arguments made for them. Each is presented as a position, not as settled fact.

Medieval chroniclers presented Becket as a martyr for the liberty of the Church. Later accounts, including the royal and Reformation-era view, took a more critical line on his stance against the crown.

Modern historians usually set out both the Church’s claims and the king’s, and treat the dispute as one about the limits of royal and ecclesiastical authority.

How the person has been received since their lifetime, by supporters, critics and churches. Presented with attribution.

The Catholic Church honours him as a saint and martyr, with a feast on 29 December. His shrine drew pilgrims for centuries.

In 1538, during the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII ordered the shrine destroyed; the bones were destroyed too, and mention of his name was ordered erased. The shrine had been moved to a gold-plated setting in 1220, under Henry III.

Reference profile, drafted with care. Key dates were checked against the sources marked below; other claims still need a scholarly source before release.

  • Reference work · Checked in this build

    Thomas Becket — Wikipedia

    Opened in this session. Checked: birth and death dates, consecration (3 June 1162), the Constitutions of Clarendon (1164), the murder (29 December 1170), canonisation (21 February 1173, Segni), feast day, and the shrine’s history (1220, 1538). The historiography paragraph is general and not yet checked against a scholarly source.