Thomas Becket

Appointed Lord Chancellor of England by King Henry II. They're close friends. Becket is lavish, worldly, and politically shrewd. He hunts with the king, leads troops into battle in France, and lives in a style that rivals the court.

Henry makes him Archbishop of Canterbury, expecting a compliant ally. Instead Becket transforms overnight. He wears a hair shirt under his vestments, washes beggars' feet, and opposes the king on every question of Church privilege. Henry is furious.

Flees England after Henry issues the Constitutions of Clarendon, asserting royal authority over the Church courts. Becket refuses to sign. He lives in exile in France for six years. The pope supports him but cautiously.

Returns to Canterbury after a fragile reconciliation. He immediately excommunicates three bishops loyal to Henry. When the king hears this in Normandy, he reportedly says: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"

Four knights ride from Normandy to Canterbury Cathedral and demand Becket absolve the bishops. He refuses. They strike him with swords in the northeast transept. One blow slices off the top of his skull. A monk later reports that Becket's last words are: "For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death."

Pope Alexander III canonizes Becket as a saint, just three years after his murder. Henry does public penance, walking barefoot to Canterbury and submitting to a flogging by monks. Becket's shrine becomes the most visited pilgrimage site in England for 370 years, until Henry VIII destroys it.