3. Moving UP
King Henry appointed Becket as Chancellor
upon the recommendation from Theobald,
the Archbishop of Canterbury
His job was to manage the distribution of royal
charters, writs, and letters
During this time, the King and Becket became
good friends.
To show the loyalty to the king, Becket led an
army into battle. In return, when Theobald
died, Becket was appointed Archbishop of
Canterbury
4. Role as Archbishop
Thomas Becket’s appointment to Archbishop
upset the people because of his little religious
affiliations in the past.
People feared that because he was friends
with the King, the church would not rule
separately.
He demonstrated charity by giving to the
poor.
13 new people were brought to his home
everyday where he washed their feet, gave
them a meal, and gave them each 4 silver
pennies.
5. Cont’d.
Instead of fancy garments, he chose to
wear a monastic habit.
To punish himself for his sins, he slept on a
stone cold floor wearing a tight fitting hair
shirt that was infested with fleas.
He was whipped daily by his fellow monks.
6. Trouble in the Knight
1164, King Henry passed a law ranking royal
courts as higher than church courts.
Becket did not agree with this law, so he fled
the land. And came back 6 years later.
Tensions rose again when Becket asked the
pope to excommunicate the Archbishop of
York because he was only being loyal to the
King and not adhering the rules of the church.
4 Knights took it into their own hands to kill
Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on Dec.
29, 1170.
7. Sainthood
He was canonized a saint and his death
site has now become a pilgrimage.
Four years after his death, King Henry
walked the streets of Canterbury barefoot
while monks flogged him with branches.
This was done to honor the righteous
Archbishop of Canterbury.
