Thomas Becket

@Spiritual, Family and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his assassination in 1170 Assassination British Leaders Spiritual & Religious Leaders Sagittarius Celebrities Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his assassination in 1170 and was also popular as Saint Thomas of Canterbury or Thomas of London. He was the son of Gilbert and Matilda Becket. Over the course of history his father’s exact profession has somewhere been lost but it is believed that they were financially well off and Thomas received the best of education available. After school, he attended the University of Paris for a year and in the same time his father suffered a financial setback. To pay for his expenses he did secretarial work in a couple of offices before joining the household of Theobald, the then Archbishop of Canterbury. With his rigorous work ethic and remarkable diplomatic skills he won over the archbishop and became his most trusted employee. Theobald sent him to the University of Bologna to study canon law and when he returned, bestowed upon him several offices including that of deacon and later on the office of archdeacon. His life moved up a notch when he met King Henry II and became his Chancellor; the two developed a meaningful working relationship based on mutual admiration and respect. Trouble began brewing when the king elevated Thomas to the status of Archbishop, which ultimately led to the latter’s controversial assassination

Personal Details

Birthday: December 21, 1118 Died on: December 29, 1170 Nationality: British Famous: Religious Leaders, Saint, Spiritual, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders Known as: Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London, Thomas Ã�ï¿½Ã�Â Becket Universities: University of Paris Merton Priory Cause of death: Assassination Information Detail Birthday December 21, 1118 Died on December 29, 1170 Nationality British Famous Religious Leaders, Saint, Spiritual, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders Known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London, Thomas Ã�ï¿½Ã�Â Becket Universities University of Paris Merton Priory Cause of death Assassination Birth Place Cheapside Religion Catholicism Gender Male Father Gilbert Becket Mother Matilda Becket Sun Sign Sagittarius Born in Cheapside Famous as Saint Died at Age 52

Cheapside

Thomas Becket born at Unsplash Birth Place

Thomas Becket honored his Church duties by remaining celibate throughout his life. Unsplash Personal Life

He was assassinated on December 29, 1170 by four knights, Reginald fitzUrse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton. four knights, Reginald fitzUrse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton Unsplash Personal Life

Thomas Becket was canonised on February 21, 1173 by Pope Alexander III at the St. Peter’s Church in Segni. Unsplash Personal Life

Thomas Becket was born in London, England on St. Thomas Day, i.e. December 21, 1118. His father was Gilbert Becket and his mother was Matilda. He also had a sister named Mary. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

At the age of 10, he became a student of Merton Priory and then of a grammar school. For further education he went to the University of Paris. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His mother passed away while he was in Paris and his father suffered a financial crisis. These developments meant Thomas Becket had to fend for himself and eventually he became a clerk in the sheriff’s court. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Later, he did secretarial work for Sir Richer de l’Aigle and Osbert Huitdeniers, the Justiciar of London. In all the offices he had held so far, he showed great ability and spirit. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1141 Thomas Becket met Theobald, then Archbishop of Canterbury and started working for him. Theobald was impressed by the young man's intelligence and diplomatic skills and he sent Thomas to study canon law in Paris for a year. Unsplash Later Life

After returning he became the provost of Beverley, and canon at Lincoln and St. Paul's Cathedrals. He was made the deacon in 1154 and eventually the archdeacon of Canterbury. Unsplash Later Life

With the death of King Stephan of England there were several claimants to the throne lay open to claim and several clamwere made. With his diplomacy Thomas got Henry of Anjou crowned as the King Henry II in 1154 and in return was rewarded with Chancellorship under the new king. Unsplash Later Life

The newly crowned King Henry II coveted more power and believed controlling the Church would do that. He was presented with the perfect opportunity when Archbishop Theobald passed away in 1161 and he wanted Thomas Becket to hold the ecclesial office. Unsplash Later Life

Becket had a totally different viewpoint to the king’s proposal as being a chancellor blessed him with considerable power and influence already. He believed that if ordained, the king would ask him to perform tasks that might not uphold the sanctity of the archbishop’s office and he refused. Unsplash Later Life

Information	Detail
Birthday	December 21, 1118
Died on	December 29, 1170
Nationality	British
Famous	Religious Leaders, Saint, Spiritual, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders
Known as	Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London, Thomas Ã�ï¿½Ã�Â Becket
Universities	University of Paris Merton Priory
Cause of death	Assassination
Birth Place	Cheapside
Religion	Catholicism
Gender	Male
Father	Gilbert Becket
Mother	Matilda Becket
Sun Sign	Sagittarius
Born in	Cheapside
Famous as	Saint
Died at Age	52

Thomas Becket

British

Dec 21, 1118

Biography

Personal Details

Cheapside