HENRY II AND THOMAS BECKET.
Understanding the reasons for the argument between Henry II and Thomas Becket.

Can you spot things that show what Henry was like as a man and a king and what Becket was like as a man and an archbishop.
Background information.
In Medieval England the Church was all-powerful. The fear of going to Hell was very real and people were told that only the Catholic Church could save your soul so that you could go to Heaven. The head of the Catholic Church was the pope based in Rome. The most important position in the church in Medieval England was the Archbishop of Canterbury and both he and the king usually worked together.

King Henry II
Henry II became King in 1154. The country had suffered a civil war for almost twenty years before, between Henry II's mother Matilda and the old King Stephen. The country was in a terrible mess, villages had been destroyed , crops burnt and many of the Barons would not obey the kings laws.

Henry II is known as a strong king. He was a good soldier and leader. Henry forced the barons to obey him by using his army. For example William Le Gros the Duke of York refused to obey Henry , Henry took his army to meet William on the battle field and it was not long before William gave in.

Once in control, Henry II made sure he knew what was going on in the country he ruled; he travelled about the country visiting the barons . He changed the system of justice to make sure people who were accused of a crime were given a fair trial. During the reign of King Stephen many innocent people had been made to pay fines so that the barons could have the money.

King Henry also introduced a new law for the barons , instead of having to fight for the king they could pay him some money. This was another way that the King could get money to pay his army and other expenses.

In 1162, Henry II, king of England, appointed Thomas Becket, as Archbishop of Canterbury. This was the most important religious position in England. No-one was surprised by Henry’s choice as both he and Thomas were very good friends. They enjoyed hunting, playing jokes and socialising together. Becket was known to be a lover of wine and a good horse rider. Henry II loved to ride as well but his personality was troubled by his fearsome temper. He tried to keep his temper under control by working very hard as it distracted him from things that might sparked off his temper.

Henry II also controlled a lot of France at this time. William the Conqueror had been his great-grandfather and he had inherited his French territories as a result of this. When Henry was in France sorting out problems there, he left Becket in charge of England - such was his trust in him. Becket became Henry’s chancellor - the most important position in England after the king.

Thomas Becket.
Thomas Becket, the son of a wealthy Norman merchant living in London, was born in 1118. After being educated in England, France and Italy, he joined the staff of Theobald, the Archbishop of Canterbury .

When Henry II became king in 1154, he asked Archbishop Theobald for advice on choosing his government ministers. On the suggestion of Theobald, Henry appointed Thomas Becket as his chancellor. The king and Becket soon became close friends. Becket carried out many tasks for Henry II including leading the English army into battle.

When Theobald died in 1162, Henry chose Becket as his next Archbishop of Canterbury . The decision angered many leading churchmen. They pointed out that Becket had never been a priest, had a reputation as a cruel military commander and was very materialistic (Becket loved expensive food, wine and clothes).

After being appointed Thomas Becket began to show a concern for the poor. Every morning thirteen poor people were brought to his home. After washing their feet Becket served them a meal. He also gave each one of them four silver pennies. Instead of wearing expensive clothes, Becket now wore a simple monastic habit. As a penance (punishment for previous sins) he slept on a cold stone floor, wore a tight-fitting hairshirt that was infested with fleas and was scourged (whipped) daily by his monks.

In 1163, after a long spell in France, Henry arrived back in England. Henry was told that, while he had been away, there had been a dramatic increase in serious crime. The king's officials claimed that over a hundred murderers had escaped their proper punishment because they had claimed their right to be tried in special church courts.

The king decided that clergymen found guilty of serious crimes should be handed over to his courts. At first, the Archbishop agreed with Henry on this issue but after talking to other church leaders Becket changed his mind. Henry was furious when Becket began to say that the church should retain control of punishing its own clergy. The king believed that Becket had betrayed him and was determined to get revenge.