The Murder of Thomas Becket: A Tragic Tale of Betrayal and Power Struggles
In 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, a result of a fallout with King Henry II over the church's autonomy. This historical event sheds light on the complex relationship between church and state authority in medieval England.
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W/C Monday 23rd March 2020 Who was responsible for Thomas Becket s murder? Task 1: Read the story of Thomas Becket s death. We learned a little about this last lesson, so this should help refresh your memory. Once you ve read the story, complete the questions about it on the next page. The murder of Thomas Becket In 1154, Henry II was appointed King of England. The people of England were very pleased when Henry became king. At the beginning of his reign, Henry appointed Thomas Becket as Chancellor (an important position in government). Becket and Henry II had been good friends they had enjoyed hunting, playing jokes and socialising together. Henry thought that by making his close friend the Archbishop, he would be able to control the Church much better. In 1162, Becket finally agreed to become Archbishop of Canterbury. He knew that Henry wanted to make changes to the Church courts. Henry thought that the courts were too soft on criminals and that England was becoming lawless. In 1164, Henry passed a law which said that any person found guilty in a Church court would be punished by a royal court (which were much harder on criminals). This really upset Becket as he felt that Henry was trying to take power from him. Becket rejected Henry s law, and due to this falling out, Henry asked the Archbishop of York to crown his son. This job should have been given to Becket. Becket was so angry that he asked the Pope to excommunicate the Archbishop of York. Henry was furious about Becket s actions and so ordered he be arrested. Becket fled abroad because he feared for his safety. When he returned to England in 1170, Thomas Becket was cheered by the people. This made Henry angry, and he was known to have a very bad temper. When Henry heard that Becket had come back to England as a hero, he shouted will no-one rid me of this troublesome priest? Four knights heard what Henry had shouted. They went to Canterbury and on 29 December 1170, they killed Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.
1. Who was the king of England in 1154? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Why did the king make Thomas Becket the Archbishop? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ What is an Archbishop? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Why did the king and Thomas Becket fall out? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ What did the Archbishop of York do? What happened to him? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ What does excommunicate mean? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ What made Henry angry in 1170? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ What did Henry shout, which led his knights to act? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Where was Thomas Becket murdered? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Task 2: There is a lot of debate about who should be blamed for Thomas Beckets death Was it the knights? They did the actual killing! Or was it the king? He s the one who shouted out in anger would the knights have attacked if he hadn t said anything? And what about Thomas Becket himself? Did he cause his own murder by going against the king? Read through the cards below. Decide which ones show the king is to blame, which ones show the knights are to blame, and which ones show Thomas Becket is to blame. You can either colour them in on the cards, or sort them into the columns on the next page. Henry knew that the Church Courts were important to religious people. He deliberately tried to take away their power in this area. When Henry heard that Becket had returned, he shouted out "will no one rid me of this troublesome priest! King Henry had tried to take power away from the church by forcing them to hand over criminals to the Royal Court. Thomas Becket did not put up a fight when the knights arrived. Instead, he knelt down and prayed. He did not try to escape. The knights attacked Thomas Becket in a cathedral. They struck him 4 times in the head with their swords. One hit him so hard that the sword broke. Thomas Becket rejected Henry's law about the church courts, even though he knew it would make the King angry. Did he have a right to go against the king? Thomas Becket took the job of Archbishop very seriously. He strongly believed in the power of the church, so much that he went against the king. The knights heard Henry was angry with Becket, so they went to Canterbury and killed him. The King didn't actually ask them to do this. Henry and Becket had been friends, and Henry thought putting his friend in charge of the church would allow him to control it better. After Becket was dead, one of the knights scattered the brains and blood onto the stone floor. This additional violence was unnecessary. Thomas Becket ran away when he should have been arrested. He should not have expected to return free and get away with it. Thomas Becket accepted his death through a desire to be with God. He said he was ready to die. Key: It s Henry s fault It s the knight s fault It s Becket s own fault
Task 2 Option: If youre working on a computer, you might find it easier to type your answers in this table, instead of colouring the boxes. It s Henry s fault It s the knights fault It s Becket s own fault
Task 3: Who do you think is to blame? Write your answer in the space below try to use some evidence from task 2 to prove your point. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
