Why Is Becket Be Considered A Martyr

Throughout history, Thomas Becket has been regarded as Chancellor, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr, and Saint. He was a friend of Henry II, and when Henry II became King, he appointed Thomas Becket as his chancellor in 1154. Eight years later, as Becket and Henry II’s relationship grew stronger, Henry II wanted to gain greater control over the English Church so he appointed his chancellor Becket to the position of Archbishop of Canterbury as well. Although Becket was reluctant at first, he accepted the position. However, soon after things started to turn sour. Becket firmly believed that church and state should be kept separate. Henry II and Becket soon clashed, and Becket was exiled for six years. Once he was finally allowed to return,
the unspeakable happened. On December 29, 1170, four of Henry II’s barons caught wind that Becket was back in town. They kidnapped him, and murdered him at the altar of the Canterbury Cathedral. Because of his death at the altar and great courage, Becket was soon regarded as a martyr.
The townspeople came to get as much of his blood as they could, for they believed his blood worked miracles. According to an article by Robert Scully, “The first recorded miracle associated with Thomas Becket occurred on the very night of his murder when a man from Canterbury restored his paralyzed wife with the martyr’s blood.” The so-called miracles became more frequent, and a writer of the time wrote, “the miracles occurred at first about his tomb, then through the whole crypt, then the whole church, then all of Canterbury, then England, then France, Normandy, Germany, [and the] whole world” (Scully, 582). Due to the amount of popularity his increasing miracles were getting, Pope Alexander III declared Thomas Becket a Saint on February 21,
1173. Soon after his canonization, St. Thomas developed a cult-like following. His relics were kept at the Canterbury Cathedral, which soon became a main destination for pilgrimages that even Monarch’s made a point to go to. In 1220, a new shrine was built for Becket’s tomb and the people of Canterbury had two feasts per year in honor of St. Thomas. People continued to visit his shrine for many years, and in the Jubilee of 1420 more than 100,000 people visited the Canterbury Cathedral to pay their respects (Scully, 584). Over the years St. Thomas was depicted in many art forms across Europe, and by 1485 he was “an integral part of the religious, social, and political life of England” (Scully, 585). Even into the early 16th century Becket’s shrine still attracted visitors.
By this time, Henry VIII was king and William Warham was the Archbishop of Canterbury. Warham disagreed with Henry VIII on a number of issues, and would use Becket’s life and beliefs to back himself up. Henry VIII did not like this, however, he put up with it until Warham died in 1532. Upon Warham’s death, Thomas Cranmer was selected by Henry VIII as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry VIII did not get along well with many people, and by 1533 Henry VIII and Pope Clement VII had already had a falling out. Then in 1536 Henry VIII began to eliminate monasteries, which caused an uproar from the pilgrims. When that finally came to a stop in 1537, Henry VIII then pushed for English reformation, which included the abolishment of certain holidays and the destruction of images and shrines (Scully,
590). By 1538, the destruction of shrines had become widespread. Henry VIII especially did not like Becket’s shrine because of his previous Archbishop of Canterbury, William Warham as well as the fact that Becket and Henry II had become enemies. The shrine of St. Thomas was officially destroyed in September 1538 and it was Henry VIII’s goal to eliminate Thomas Becket and Papacy from the country of England. Finally, in December of 1538 Henry VIII was excommunicated by Pope Paul III (Scully, 596). Despite Henry VIII being excommunicated, his campaign against Becket continued and anything that had to do with him was to be destroyed. Some people still followed the cult of St. Thomas, however, it was much more rare now. Ultimately it is believed that Henry VIII wanted to eliminate Becket from English culture for political reasons, however, because Becket prevailed over Henry II, “destruction of the Becket cult and shrine appears to be at the heart of Henry’s personal- and often political and ideological- approach to the English reformation” (Scully, 599). Thomas Becket had quite an extraordinary life. From friends with Henry II to mortal enemies, and from chancellor and archbishop to a martyr, he was looked at as a figure of great respect in England and throughout Europe. He is now considered a Saint once again, and his story and legend will continue to live on throughout history.