Murder of Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral - Canterbury, Kent, England, UK
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 51° 16.771 E 001° 04.890
31U E 366195 N 5682657
Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 and was later named a martyred saint.
Waymark Code: WM4573
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/08/2008
Views: 144
As Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket took some positions against King Henry II and his campaign to acquire power in church business.
Unable to get his way yet again, King Henry II was so exasperated with Thomas Becket he reportedly exclaimed "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?"
Four knights in the court at the time took that as an order and set out to remove the Archbishop from distrupting the king's plans.
On December 29, 1170, the four knights found the Archbishop at the alter during services and killed him with their swords.
Shortly after the murder, miracles attributed to Thomas Becket were recorded and within three years he was canonized as a saint.
Thomas Becket, although now dead, continued to be a thorn in English Kings' side. King Henry VIII - as part of his attempt to remove the Roman Catholic Church from England - tried Thomas Becket for treason, despite the fact it had been a few centuries after his murder.
Since Thomas Becket was unable to muster a competent defense for himself - being dead hurts your chances at that, he was found guilty and his sacred grave, since he was a saint, was removed from the church never to be seen again.
Please forgive this brief, paraphrased version. Please use the link below ("The Murder of Thomas Becket, 1170" EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com - 1997) to read a fuller account of this history.
Date of crime: 12/29/1170
Public access allowed: yes
Fee required: yes
Web site: [Web Link]
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