A Brazenly Criminal Act in a Church, that Rocked the Medieval World
King Henry II (1133 – 1189) was probably England’s most transformative monarch. His reign, from 1153 to 1189, laid some basic foundations that shaped England ever since. He saw the delivery of justice as a king’s key duty, and revolutionized England by reorganizing its legal system, helped by his chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. Henry laid the foundations for the English common law that shaped England, and through it the US and the rest of the Anglophone world. He imposed judicial uniformity throughout the realm, expanded the role of juries, and codified the law. Then he fell out with Becket, his chancellor and once a close friend. Becket defied the king time after time, and on one of those occasions, an enraged Henry reportedly shouted “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”
Odds are that Henry said something less catchy: “What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric?” Whatever words Henry used, they were interpreted by some of his knights as a wish that Becket be ended. Four of them immediately went to Canterbury Cathedral to confront the archbishop. When Becket refused their demands to submit to the king’s will, they slaughtered him inside on the spot. Such a criminal act shocked Europe. Becket was swiftly canonized as a saint, and Henry II took a huge political hit. The king was forced to humble himself, and do public penance at Becket’s tomb for the criminal act carried out in his name. He reportedly agreed to let himself get whipped and scourged by priests as part of his atonement.