The Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket of Canterbury

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on his clerical duties. This decision again exemplifies how Thomas Becket took up Hildebrand’s mantle of endeavoring for an independent church and state.

It must also be considered how his fate influences how we evaluate his career. Documents of the time referring to Thomas Becket are likely more biased toward recording the events surrounding his death, rather than a more cumulative understanding of his life and career. We may have a more biased perception of Becket’s motives and reasoning behind opposing the king. Perhaps he sought for further power for the church or himself, or he was a devoutly pious man who manipulated his way into a position of both ecclesiastical and social power. The true nature of Thomas Becket is shrouded behind his martyrdom for the independence of the church.

Thomas has come to be regarded as one of the greatest saints of the Middle Ages. Religious affairs were central to most of societies everyday life, as this was a time where people were born into both church and state. People were obligated to take part in the Catholic religion, or were otherwise considered a heretic and faced serious punishment. St. Thomas became a prominent figure throughout the centuries, and greatly impacted religious, political and social aspects of medieval life until the 16th century (Scully 2000). The townspeople began to believe that miracles occurred at his shrine, and regular pilgrimages were made to the place of his death (Lehmberg and Meigs 2009). The first miracle allegedly occurred the very night of his death, as a man brought home some of Becket’s blood from where he was murdered, and cured his paralyzed wife. Even allowing for exaggeration throughout the centuries, hundreds of miracles globally were attributed to St. Thomas Becket (Scully 2000). The pope Alexander III granted him sainthood nearly two years after his death, for the ‘public fame of his miracles’ and the passion with which he stood for his beliefs (Scully 2000). The shrine of St. Thomas was created anew in 1220, as his remains were transferred to a new resting place within the cathedral. This garnered a large public ceremony that was attended by the reigning monarch of that tome, King Henry III. From then on, there were two feast a year held for St. Thomas, one the day of his death on December 29, and the other for his translation on July 7 (Scully 2009). The shrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury remained a popular place for pilgrimage until it was destroyed in the 16th century.

Furthermore, Becket symbolized the ability for a person from modest origins to advance within the ranks of society. This period of medieval society had very distinct classes within society. There were the well-known aristocracy and gentry population, as well as the burgage and villein classes. It was a time when feudalism was still thriving, and with it were certain limitations on individual rights and freedoms. The people classified as villeins were ‘unfree’ people who were bound to reside within the area of the manor that they were born to interference (Lehmberg and Meigs 2009). Although Becket was not unduly unfortunate in his beginnings, he did manage to make massive leaps within society that could have been romanticized by the people as an example of moral fortitude and hard work reaping rewards.

During the 12th century, there were great efforts made by the common population toward ‘independence’ (Crick and van Houts 2011). Tentatively moving away from feudalism, burgage tenures became more common and the economy became increasingly based on coinage. Furthermore, there was less exploitation of people as villeins, and instead people were more often able to work for payment and have more security of person and property. This enabled the people to form unique customs and guilds for trades, as well as the development of independent non-agriculture based settlements. However, the increased importance on coinage also altered the balance of power that the king held. It enabled the king to take more control of justice and administration from fief holders (Britton 2015). Becket was one such person who attempted to restrain the amount of power that the monarchy obtained. As he fought to maintain ecclesiastic control of the church courts, he also stood as a symbol of thwarting the king’s attempt at gaining total authority over lawful issues.

Overall, the most prominent turning point in Becket’s career would be his stance on the independence of the church courts with the introduction of the Constitution of Clarendon. It was the moment where he set himself against the king, and chose a path through life with more turbulence than if he had simply relented and allowed the passing of the constitution. However, this turning point is what also speaks for Thomas Becket’s devout character and beliefs. Even unto his dying hour in the cathedral of Canterbury, Becket stayed true to his beliefs and refused to concede to the king’s men who assailed him.

This turning point could alternatively be labeled a fatal mistake as well, as it is undeniably what led to his death. Another decision that could be regarded as a mistake was the decision to excommunicate the bishops who supported the king, just as he endeavored to return to England. It is what sparked the fury that led to the knights and their followers to pursue Becket. However, when considering how steadfast Becket was in his beliefs of the independence of the church courts, he may have met with secular punishment regardless. As he continued to anger Henry II throughout the later years of his career, Archbishop Becket faced increasing risks of retribution from the king. Although it was wholly unjust and inexcusable, Thomas Becket’s demise may easily have been foreseen as he continued to oppose the king.

However, it was also his death that ultimately led to his career being considered ‘successful’. Although he was murdered in the end, his martyrdom actually achieved what he was striving toward, even when he was unlikely to have achieved it in life. His career can be considered a success for many reasons. He was also able to consider himself close friends with the reigning king of England, and was appointed Chancellor. He was able to rise from a middling position within society to one of great power and influence as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Further more, instead of becoming a pawn in the game of politics between church and state, he stood against the most powerful man in England, and his personal friend, to protect the rights of the church. Regardless of his demise, Becket proved himself to be a man of upstanding character and steadfast beliefs in the church. Upon his death, Henry II’s guilt and remorse led to him dropping the Constitution of Clarendon, which Becket would likely not have been able to facilitate in life. There are certain aspect of Becket’s