Thomas Becket
Archbishop martyred for defending church freedom against royal authority.
Patronage
Clergy, cathedral schools, Kent, those who suffer religious persecution
Virtues & Traits
Biography
Thomas Becket (1118–1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury and a central figure in the conflict between church and state in medieval England. Initially serving as Chancellor under King Henry II, he was appointed archbishop in 1162 and became a fierce defender of ecclesiastical rights against royal authority. The conflict between king and archbishop escalated over the trial of clergy in secular courts, leading Henry to reportedly exclaim words wishing Becket dead. Four knights, interpreting the king's frustration as a command, murdered Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170. His martyrdom shocked Christendom and transformed him into one of the most venerated saints of the medieval period. Within three years of his death, he was canonized, and his shrine became one of Europe's greatest pilgrimage destinations, immortalized in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.