The year is 1155 and Thomas Becket was on the fast track to riches and power. Henry II, King of England, had just promoted him to the role of Chancellor and he had become one of the King's trusted advisers. In 1162, Theobald, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury died. Henry saw this as his chance to promote one of his own men to this powerful position and so he selected his Chancellor, Thomas Becket.
I think it is important to this story to realize that Thomas Becket was not born into royalty, he was the son of a merchant. His talents and work ethic had enabled him to the reach the position of Chancellor to the King and all the power, riches, and fame that this position included. This is a man who owed his king all that he had. His loyalty was expected after his rapid rise to power.
Henry had Thomas Becket first installed as a priest, then as a bishop and last as the Archbishop of Canterbury, in just a few days. You can imagine the suspicion in the Church over this man, handpicked by the King, promoted from priest to Archbishop in less than two weeks! Henry was ecstatic, finally he could exert his wishes on the Church that had been a thorn in his side for too long. Yet, a funny thing happened on the way to this marriage made in King Henry II dreams.
Thomas Becket became a convert, a believer, a fanatic for the cause of Christ and His Church. This was not something that Henry had planned on. With Thomas's new perspective he quickly recognized the plan that his friend, King Henry II, had in mind to exert his dominion over the Church. Friend was about to turn to foe.
As Thomas started pushing back on the king's wishes, Henry's rage increased. Finally, after Thomas had made it clear that he was not going to allow the king to dictate his wishes to the church, Henry had Thomas declared a traitor and charged him with treason. Thomas fled to France in 1164 where he remained for the next six years. But Thomas was not without powerful friends . . .
Under the threat of excommunication by the Pope, King Henry II allowed Becket to return to England and resume his role as Archbishop. But if the king expected Thomas to be grateful for his reinstatement he was mistaken. Thomas continued to defy the king and his quest for authority over the church which resulted into Henry begging his court, "Will no one ride me of this troublesome priest?"
Four mercenaries, knights of the court of King Henry II, decided to obey their King's wishes. On a cold, winter night in December the knights appeared at the Canterbury Cathedral. Thomas, no fool, recognized their true intentions and fled into the Cathedral which was hosting a service at the time. He fell on his knees at the altar in the front of the Cathedral (the picture above is the spot where Thomas was murdered) which is where the knights found him. The knights confronted Thomas at the altar and all four attacked him with great malice. Thomas's final words were, "For the Name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death." The rage of the blows of the knight's swords resulted in Thomas's skull being split wide open.
The death of Thomas Becket did not, however, give the King the peace and authority that he had sought. The violent attack left the King shaken, the public outraged, and the knights who performed the deed fell into disgrace. The tomb where Thomas was buried became a popular sight for pilgrims and followers of the Church. Several miracles were reported to have happened at Thomas's crypt and the Pope granted Thomas Becket sainthood.
King Henry II, after four years and much outcry from his subjects, sought penance for his role in the death of Thomas Becket. He walked barefoot, wearing a sack cloth, in the city of Canterbury while eighty monks flogged him with branches. But his penance was not yet complete. The king finished his atonement by spending the night in the crypt of Thomas Becket. Can you imagine that night? The voices the king had to hear, in his imagination or in his reality would have made for a terrifying experience. Some say the ghost of Thomas himself haunted the king for the remainder of his days.
King Henry II reigned until his death in 1189, but his remaining time as king was not peaceful. There were coups against his own court, his sons fought among themselves for power and the King of France used all of this chaos to sew discord between their two countries as well. Some claimed that the curse of Thomas Becket's death was the catalyst for all of these acts of violence against the king. True or false, the story remains a powerful testimony of one man who defied his earthly king to obey his heavenly King. A lesson for us all.
