“Better are the blows of a friend, than the false kisses of an enemy.”
Thomas was born on December 21, 1119, in Cheapside, London, England, to Gilbert and Matilda Becket. His family was from Thierville, Normandy of France and his father was a merchant.
He was sent to Merton Priory for education, and then onto Paris, where he demonstrated exceptional intelligence and a keen sense of duty. His father took a turn financially and so he served as a clerk to Theobald, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Recognizing his potential, the Archbishop sent him on several missions abroad, including Rome, and then to study canon law in Italy.
At the age of 25, he was ordained a deacon and appointed Archdeacon of Canterbury, a significant position within the diocese handling intricate affairs. He was also appointed several other posts and offices because of his efficiency.
Thomas’ diplomacy with Pope Eugenius III asserted Henry II’s claim to the English crown. The Archbishop then recommended Thomas to be Lord Chancellor of England, to which King Henry II appointed him in 1155.
Thomas enforced the king’s traditional sources of revenue that were exacted from all landowners and churches. Thomas and Henry became great friends who spent a lot of time together.
After the death of Archbishop Theobald, in rapid succession, Thomas was ordained a priest and nominated and made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162. The king had hoped Thomas would put royal government 1st, rather than the church, but instead Thomas had a dramatic transformation. He resigned as Chancellor, adopted an ascetic lifestyle, and became a staunch defender of the Church’s rights.
The turning point in their relationship came a couple of years later with the King’s Constitutions of Clarendon which curbed the Church’s privileges with weaker connections to Rome. Thomas wouldn’t sign citing conflict with Canon Law.
Due to the defiance, the king made him appear before a great council but Thomas stormed out and fled to France where he remained under the protection of King Louis VII. After 6 years, he returned under a fragile reconciliation with the assistance of the Pope but tensions reignited when Thomas excommunicated bishops who supported the king’s progressive policies against the Church. Enraged, Henry’s remarks spurred 4 knights to travel to Canterbury and on December 29, 1170, murder Thomas inside the Cathedral, a shocking act that reverberated across Christendom.
Thomas was canonized in just a little over 2 years later by Pope Alexander III, and his shrine became one of the most popular pilgrimages in Europe. “The Canterbury Tales” immortalized the tradition of pilgrims journeying to his tomb.
Henry II humbled himself in public penance at the tomb but King Henry VIII ordered the destruction of Thomas’ shrine. The 4 knights had fled and the Pope excommunicated them.
He is the patron saint of London and Exeter College Oxford
His feast day is December 29.
“For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.”
For God’s Glory.
