Becket embraced life in the royal court: he is said by his contemporary biographers to have enjoyed vast wealth, throwing lavish parties, decorating his residences with beautiful furnishings and making numerous journeys to France on his own ships.
When the position of Archbishop of Canterbury became vacant, Becket was put forward. Given his lifestyle and reputation he was an unlikely candidate but the king had other ideas. Henry was keen to appoint his close friend to the role but, crucially, he wanted him to continue as Chancellor. With Becket in both positions, Henry saw an opportunity to exercise greater authority over the Church as well as the state.
Becket was appointed Archbishop on 23 May and consecrated officially blessed on 3 June. His actions drove a wedge between him and the king which would never be repaired.
A series of disputes ensued regarding the division of power between the Crown and the Church. He refused to accept the terms of his punishment and, fearing further repercussions from the king, he fled to France.
Becket remained in exile in France for six years. During this time Henry flexed his power in England. Becket appealed to the Pope and, under significant pressure, Henry agreed to reopen negotiations. Becket was reassured that it would be safe to return to England. However, his final act was to punish those involved in the unauthorised coronation.
Before leaving France Becket issued three letters expelling excommunicating the Archbishop of York and two bishops from the Church. This act was to have devastating consequences upon his return to England. Becket returned from exile on 1 December Contemporary reports record that he was greeted on his journey back to the Cathedral by cheering crowds and rejoicing monks, but he faced increasing hostility by the authorities loyal to the king.
What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born clerk! They attempted to arrest him but he refused.
Becket was persuaded by the monks to take refuge in the church, but the knights pursued him, bursting into the Cathedral with swords drawn, terrifying those inside by shouting:. Two of the other knights then started to attack Becket and most of the monks fled. Today, the Cathedral is still governed by the Dean and four Canons, together in recent years with four lay people and the Archdeacon of Ashford.
During the Civil War of the s, the Cathedral suffered damage at the hands of the Puritans; much of the medieval stained glass was smashed and horses were stabled in the Nave. After the Restoration in , several years were spent in repairing the building.
Thankfully, the Cathedral itself was not seriously harmed, due to the bravery of the team of fire watchers, who patrolled the roofs and dealt with the incendiary bombs dropped by enemy bombers. Today, the Cathedral stands as a place where prayer to God has been offered daily for over 1, years; nearly 2, Services are held each year, as well as countless private prayers from individuals.
The Cathedral offers a warm welcome to all visitors — its aim is to show people Jesus, which we do through the splendour of the building as well as the beauty of the worship. Accomodation Shop Translate Accessibility. Scarcely had he left Canterbury, when he heard that King William was captured and the naval invasion disrupted by a fierce storm. These events, chronicled in Latin and French, consolidated the status of Thomas as a powerful patron in the court of heaven, and pilgrims in their thousands flocked to the tomb in the crypt until the erection of the great shrine in The shrine was destroyed in Yet the empty space it left — adorned with marble columns in rose-pink and white, the colours of martyrdom — remains as a poignant witness to the martyrdom and the martyr.
Outside Canterbury, you can also retrace the path taken by the penitent king on 12—13 July Having landed at Southampton, he reached the leper house of St Nicholas at Harbledown, about two miles from the city.
This pension is still being paid by Canterbury City Council to the almshouse that replaced the leprosarium at the Reformation. There he removed his outer finery and walked barefoot through the west gate to the cathedral and down to the crypt. Saltwood Castle, where the four conspirators met and planned their final moves on the night before the murder, is not open to the public, but its gatehouse and walls still convey its formidable power.
Together with Gervase of Cornhill, sheriff of Kent, he gave full support to the conspirators, to the extent of leading the Kentish garrisons to surround Canterbury. This great fortress was regarded as one of the keys to England, protecting the main route from the coast to Rochester and London.
One of the great royal castles built to defend the north from Scottish invasions, this fortress was in the care of Hugh de Morville, one of the infamous four who murdered Becket. The outcry provoked by the murder, on both sides of the Channel, made the four barons personae non gratae. Violence against clerics attracted automatic excommunication and appropriate penance imposed by the pope.
There all four died, and a 13th-century tradition recorded that they were buried outside the entrance to the Temple in Jerusalem.
0コメント