Lecture 1 - Thomas Becket: Life & Death
Appointed as Chancellor of England in 1155, Becket enjoyed a gilded life, and basked in the approbation of his king; no-one could have predicted he would die violently, slaughtered by four knights acting on Henry II’s orders. Relations between Becket and his king soured after Becket became Archbishop of Canterbury, primate of the English Church in 1162. Archbishop Becket resisted the Crown on various issues, opposition that culminated in his shocking murder, which desecrated Canterbury Cathedral and left Henry in danger of excommunication. Illuminated manuscripts, alabaster and ivory carvings and wall paintings featured in the BM’s exhibition, chronicle the life and death of England’s most notorious archbishop, and explain how, and why, his friendship with Henry failed.
