Thomas Becket Facts & Worksheets

Thomas Becket is also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury. He served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 and is most famous for being murdered in 1170 because he disagreed with King Henry II about the rights and powers of the Church. He is seen as a martyr by the Catholic Church because of this.

See the fact file below for more information on Thomas Becket or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Thomas Becket worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

• Thomas Becket was born in around 1119 to a merchant family of Norman origin. He was fortunate to be well educated and his father had some wealthy friends.
• As a child, Thomas was influenced by his mother, who was very religious. She died when he was 21 years old.
• As a young adult, Thomas became a city clerk and accountant, and assisted the town sheriffs.
• When Thomas was 24, his father introduced him to Archbishop Theobald. Theobald took Thomas into his household and was impressed by his excellent memory and arguing skills, so he sent him to study civil and canon law in France and Italy.

THOMAS BECKET’S CAREER AS LORD CHANCELLOR

• In 1154, at the age of 34 or 35, Thomas was rewarded for his service to Theobald and was appointed the Archdeacon of Canterbury. 
• The archdeacon was a powerful and profitable position but just a few months later in 1155, he was recommended to King Henry II of England to be the Lord Chancellor, the highest officer of the Crown.
• Thomas showed his brilliant mind in this position where he razed castles, repaired the Tower of London, and conducted embassies. He even raised and led troops in war.
• Thomas was loyal to the king and aided Henry II with policies to secure absolute sovereignty, even when this went against the Church.
• As a result, Thomas was completely trusted by the king and they had a good friendship.
• Thomas benefited greatly from his position and became very wealthy. He wore splendid clothes, having gained a lot more money from taxing church land.

BECKET’S CAREER AS ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

• Theobald died in 1161, and a year later, Thomas was nominated to become the new Archbishop of Canterbury even though the rightful successor was a man named Gilbert Foliot.
• Thomas was appointed on June 3, 1163 and Foliot was given the position of Bishop of London instead. 
• At the same time, the Gregorian Reform was spreading through Italy, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. It was also starting to influence English churchmen.
• The reform was in favor of free elections to clerical posts, security from the Crown of Church land, freedom of appeal to Rome, and immunity of churchmen from common courts. 
• Henry II was against these reforms, and he hoped that Thomas would help him stop them from happening. But to his surprise, Thomas became radical upon being appointed Archbishop. This created tension between the king and his friend.
• Once Thomas became the Archbishop of Canterbury, he radically changed to become more strict and devoted to the Church.
• King Henry quickly realized that he would not be able to rely on Thomas to implement his plans to have more power over the Church and for the Church to distance itself from Rome.
• Since Thomas and Henry argued a lot over clerical privilege and Thomas opposed the king’s policies, Henry II turned to Foliot instead. 
• Despite their disagreements, Henry was shocked when Thomas decided to resign from being Lord Chancellor to focus on his role in the Church.
• He was even more shocked when Thomas committed himself to freeing the Church from any civil or royal interference and ensuring Church land and wealth stayed only belonged to the Church.
• More importantly, Thomas wanted crimes committed by churchmen to be tried by a bishop, with the punishment usually being exile and degradation, while a civil court would result in mutilation or even execution. Thomas argued it was not fair to be tried twice for the same crime.
• While Henry’s ultimate motive was to have authoritarian control over England, he claimed to be enlightened and attempted to stamp out crime in the Church because the penalties were too lenient.

BECKET AND THE CONSTITUTIONS OF CLARENDON

• Some historians believe Becket was too determined to stick to his point of view and this hurt his career.
• This is because, by October 1163, the issue had grown into a crisis and Henry was demanding total approval of traditional royal rights (aka total control).
• In January 1164, these demands were written down under 16 articles and came to be known as the Constitutions of Clarendon.
• These articles reinforced the king’s insistence that the clergy could not be totally dependent on Rome and that England had the right to punish clergy who committed crimes.
• The articles also demanded that royal officials could not be excommunicated, and clergy could not appeal to Rome if the outcome in England did not work in their favor.
• Other points demanded the king could get the revenue for vacant land, and that he could influence elections within the Church.
• After much arguing by the king, who said the rights he wanted were exercised by Henry I, and Thomas, who said the demands contravened Church laws, a treaty was drawn up, but Thomas refused to sign it.
• Thomas and Henry were now at war with each other. Henry tried to use the courts to get rid of Thomas by summoning the great council of Northampton in October 1164.

DOWNFALL AND MURDER OF THOMAS BECKET

• At the council, Henry accused Thomas of disobeying royal authority and abusing his position as Lord Chancellor.
• Thomas realized he was now in serious danger and so he went into exile. On November 2, 1164, he fled for France.
• Thomas went to Pope Alexander III for protection, and Henry had also sent an envoy to Alexander to ask for Thomas to be punished.
• The Pope sided with Thomas instead of Henry. In response, Henry issued decrees against Thomas, his family, and any supporters.
• Nevertheless, King Louis VII of France took Thomas into his court and gave him protection.
• Thomas then spent years in exile at an abbey but still remained the Archbishop of Canterbury. He threatened anyone with ex-communication and interdicts.
• By 1167, mediation was underway. Thomas agreed to the king’s conditions as long as he could keep his power. But when Henry II made his son co-king of England in 1170, he crossed a line and Thomas was about to excommunicate the king.
• However, Henry allowed Thomas to come back to England to continue his ministry, which Thomas agreed to.
• The tension was so high between the king and Thomas that no resolution could be reached.
• On December 29, 1170, four knights loyal to the king went to meet with Thomas on behalf of the king. They were Reginald FitzUrse, Hugo de Morville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton.
• The knights demanded that Thomas reverse the ex-communication of Roger of York and Bishop Foliot, and when Thomas refused to open the doors of Canterbury Cathedral to let them in, they forced their way in.
• When they gained entry, they killed Thomas by stabbing him with their swords. 
• Almost immediately after his death, he was revered by faithful Catholics and became a martyr.
• In 1173, he was canonized by Pope Alexander III.
• Then, on July 12, 1174, his former friend Henry II carried out public penance in front of Thomas’ tomb, which became a popular place of pilgrimage in England until it was destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538-41.

Thomas Becket Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Thomas Becket across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Thomas Becket who is also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury.

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Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• Thomas Becket Fact File
• Boxing Lies
• Becket and Henry II
• The Crown and Church
• Constitutions of Clarendon
• Sequencing
• Religion and State
• Famous Figures
• Significance
• Murder in the Cathedral
• Life and Legend

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Thomas Becket famous for?
Apart from being the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas had a long-lasting feud over power with King Henry II which resulted in his death.

How did Thomas Becket die?
He was killed by four of King Henry II’s knights when he refused to reverse the ex-communication of Roger of York and Bishop Foliot.

Why did Henry II and Thomas Becket fall out?
King Henry II wanted to limit the power of the church over governance of the population to which Thomas Becket vehemently disagreed.

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