Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket was the son of a Norman merchant in London. He worked as a clerk and joined the household of Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him to study law. In 1155 the young King Henry II made him chancellor, and the two became close friends; Becket lived in splendor and served the king loyally. In 1162 Henry had him made archbishop of Canterbury, expecting him to support royal control of the Church. Instead Becket changed his way of life, wore a hair shirt, and defended the rights of the Church, especially the right of clergy accused of crimes to be tried in church courts. After a bitter quarrel over the Constitutions of Clarendon, he fled to France for six years. Soon after his return in 1170, Henry, in a rage, is reported to have asked whether no one would rid him of this troublesome priest. Four knights rode to Canterbury and killed Becket in his cathedral on 29 December 1170. Europe was shocked, and Henry did public penance. Becket was declared a saint in 1173, and Canterbury became a great place of pilgrimage.

Faith: Archbishop of Canterbury and martyr; venerated as a saint. Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)