Becket, St Thomas à (1118–1170)

English archbishop and politician. He was chancellor to Henry II from 1155 to 1162, when he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. The interests of the Roman Catholic medieval church soon conflicted with those of the crown and Becket was assassinated; he was canonized (made into a saint) in 1172.

A friend of Henry II, Becket was a loyal chancellor, but on becoming archbishop of Canterbury he changed his lifestyle and fiercely defended the rights of the church. In 1164 he opposed Henry's attempt to increase the power of the crown over the church courts, and had to flee the country; he returned in 1170, but the reconciliation soon broke down. Some historians suggest that Becket consciously engineered his own martyrdom. Encouraged by a hasty outburst from the king, who shouted out angrily:‘Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?’, four knights burst into Canterbury Cathedral and murdered Becket in front of the altar, the last blow taking off the crown of his head and scattering his brains over the floor. His death ended Henry's attempt to dominate the church; in 1174 the king had to do penance for the murder, walking barefoot through Canterbury, and allowing the monks to whip him. Becket was declared a saint, and his shrine became the busiest centre of pilgrimage in England until the Reformation. His martyrdom was the subject of T S Eliot's play Murder in the Cathedral (1935).