Thomas Becket

. . . Thomas was born in London, in about 1118, the son of middle class parents who were descended from the Normans.^[1] He was trained by the Church as a clergyman. He studied civil and Church law in Italy, then returned to England and soon rose to the position of Archdeacon of Canterbury. So superior were his abilities and intellect that Henry [King Henry II] made him Chancellor of England at the age of 37.

As Chancellor, Becket lived in luxury and enjoyed the king’s confidence. They were close friends and spent much time together—governing, scheming, drinking, hunting, and carousing. Some of that scheming involved ways of tapping into the wealth of the Church for the benefit of the kingdom, which made many enemies for Becket among the English clergy. Becket also served his king well in war as a more than capable military leader, and he carried out diplomatic missions for Henry. Thomas was the king’s right-hand man, and probably his best friend. All of this changed in 1162 when Henry appointed Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury. . . .

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[1]. The Normans came from the Normandy region of northern France. William the Conqueror claimed the throne of England when he led the Normans to victory over King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.