Download or read book Thomas Becket written by John Guy and published by Random House. This book was released on 2012-07-03 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revisionist new biography reintroducing readers to one of the most subversive figures in English history—the man who sought to reform a nation, dared to defy his king, and laid down his life to defend his sacred honor NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY KANSAS CITY STAR AND BLOOMBERG Becket’s life story has been often told but never so incisively reexamined and vividly rendered as it is in John Guy’s hands. The son of middle-class Norman parents, Becket rose against all odds to become the second most powerful man in England. As King Henry II’s chancellor, Becket charmed potentates and popes, tamed overmighty barons, and even personally led knights into battle. After his royal patron elevated him to archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, however, Becket clashed with the King. Forced to choose between fealty to the crown and the values of his faith, he repeatedly challenged Henry’s authority to bring the church to heel. Drawing on the full panoply of medieval sources, Guy sheds new light on the relationship between the two men, separates truth from centuries of mythmaking, and casts doubt on the long-held assumption that the headstrong rivals were once close friends. He also provides the fullest accounting yet for Becket’s seemingly radical transformation from worldly bureaucrat to devout man of God. Here is a Becket seldom glimpsed in any previous biography, a man of many facets and faces: the skilled warrior as comfortable unhorsing an opponent in single combat as he was negotiating terms of surrender; the canny diplomat “with the appetite of a wolf” who unexpectedly became the spiritual paragon of the English church; and the ascetic rebel who waged a high-stakes contest of wills with one of the most volcanic monarchs of the Middle Ages. Driven into exile, derided by his enemies as an ungrateful upstart, Becket returned to Canterbury in the unlikeliest guise of all: as an avenging angel of God, wielding his power of excommunication like a sword. It is this last apparition, the one for which history remembers him best, that will lead to his martyrdom at the hands of the king’s minions—a grisly episode that Guy recounts in chilling and dramatic detail. An uncommonly intimate portrait of one of the medieval world’s most magnetic figures, Thomas Becket breathes new life into its subject—cementing for all time his place as an enduring icon of resistance to the abuse of power.

Download or read book The Lives of Thomas Becket written by Michael Staunton and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2001-12-07 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the eye-witness and contemporary biographical accounts, this book provides valuable insight into the late-12th century world. The extracts, many previously untranslated, expose one of the most controversial figures of the Middle Ages. Written as the shock of Becket's murder in 1170 reverberated around Europe, the accounts provide vivid testimony to the most dramatic events of his life. They show how he became champion of the church and enemy of the king, fled into exile to lead a life of asceticism and political agitation, and returned to face martyrdom before the altar of his own cathedral.

Download or read book The life and martyrdom of st Thomas Becket written by John Morris and published by . This book was released on 1859 with total page 630 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book St Thomas Becket written by Michael Green and published by Gracewing Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 is one of the most famous events in English history, creating shock waves which reverberated across Europe. His shrine at Canterbury (destroyed in 1538) became the most famous in Christendom, and after his canonisation the cult of St Thomas of Canterbury was the most important of any English saint. Millions of pilgrims have made the journey to Canterbury Cathedral to visit the shrine and the site of the martyrdom. In modern times his life and death have been celebrated in music, literature, theatre and film. The story of Becket's life and work shows why it has continued to fascinate and enthral across the centuries. A brilliant young man, he studied in London and Paris, and after entering the service of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury, in Bologna and Auxerre. He accompanied Theobald to Rome to enlist the support of Pope Eugenius III for Henry Plantagenet's claim to the English throne, and after Henry's accession as Henry II in 1154 Thomas became the new king's Chancellor. Becket's relations with Henry deteriorated after 1162, when he unwillingly accepted the position of Archbishop of Canterbury, and championed the rights of the Church in opposition to the wishes of the king. The conflict between the two men reached its tragic climax on the evening of 29th December 1170, when Thomas was murdered by four of Henry's knights in a side chapel of his own cathedral. . Here is a popular introduction to the life and work of this important English saint. Michael Green has spent most of his life in Kent, and in retirement took a degree in Social Science at Canterbury Christ Church University College. Married for fifty years and an active member of the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury.

Download or read book The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket written by John Morris and published by . This book was released on 1859 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Thomas Becket written by Father John S. Hogan and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2020-09-18 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who was Thomas Becket? The answer is as complex as he was. Deacon; priest; archbishop; sometime royal chancellor; friend of the king; troublemaker; penitent; exile; turbulent enemy of the king; unyielding, ungrateful wretch; shepherd; martyr; saint; enigma. Thomas Becket: Defender of the Church reintroduces this enigmatic saint and invites us to consider his background, his influences, his progress in ambition and office, and his personal struggle for holiness. Fr. John S. Hogan transports us to twelfth-century Europe, the era that formed Thomas - times full of grandeur and chaos, complex relationships and political intrigue, sinfulness and virtue. Along the way, this biography reveals the relevance Thomas's life and struggle have to our own day. As secularism seeks to destroy faith, Catholics can turn to Saint Thomas for help. His is the story of every Christian; though the time and circumstances may differ, the struggle remains the same. Nine hundred years after his death, Saint Thomas Becket remains a man and a saint for our times. Ambition's servant The king's servant Servant of Christ

Download or read book The Cult of St Thomas Becket in the Plantagenet World C 1170 c 1220 written by Paul Webster (Medievalist) and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2016 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The extraordinary growth and development of the cult of St Thomas Becket is investigated here, with a particular focus on its material culture. Thomas Becket - the archbishop of Canterbury cut down in his own cathedral just after Christmas 1170 - stands amongst the most renowned royal ministers, churchmen, and saints of the Middle Ages. He inspired the work of medieval writers and artists, and remains a compelling subject for historians today. Yet many of the political, religious, and cultural repercussions of his murder and subsequent canonisation remain to be explored in detail. This book examines the development of the cult and the impact of the legacy of Saint Thomas within the Plantagenet orbit of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries - the "Empire" assembled by King Henry II, defended by his son King Richard the Lionheart, and lost by King John. Traditional textual and archival sources, such as miracle collections, charters, and royal and papal letters, are used in conjunction with the material culture inspired by the cult, toemphasise the wide-ranging impact of the murder and of the cult's emergence in the century following the martyrdom. From the archiepiscopal church at Canterbury, to writers and religious houses across the Plantagenet lands, to thecourts of Henry II, his children, and the bishops of the Angevin world, individuals and communities adapted and responded to one of the most extraordinary religious phenomena of the age. Dr Paul Webster is currently Lecturer in Medieval History and Project Manager of the Exploring the Past adult learners progression pathway at Cardiff University; Dr Marie-Pierre Gelin is a Teaching Fellow in the History Department at University College London. Contributors: Colette Bowie, Elma Brenner, José Manuel Cerda, Anne J. Duggan, Marie-Pierre Gelin, Alyce A. Jordan, Michael Staunton, Paul Webster.

Download or read book The Life and Martyrdom of St Thomas Becket written by John Morris and published by . This book was released on 2017-08-20 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Life of S Thomas Becket of Canterbury written by Mrs. Anne Hope and published by . This book was released on 1868 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket written by Both of the Department of Human Anatomy John Morris and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-11-21 with total page 662 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE life of St. Thomas of Canterbury is exceptionally well known. More than seven hundred years have elapsed since he died, and yet his history stands out before us with a distinctness and minuteness that is extremely rare among the records of great men. The witnesses to the facts are both numerous and trustworthy. They wrote of matters of which they had personal knowledge, and their writings were in the hands of those who were the most capable of judging of their truthfulness. The universal and vehement interest taken in all that concerned St. Thomas, while later on it may have caused an embroidery of legends to be attached to his name, would ensure attention to the minutest details while the story was yet fresh, and this is a guarantee for accuracy and care. The substantial agreement of several writers, evidently independent of one another, is a further assurance of fidelity. The personal character of the writers is above suspicion, and their ability manifest; and lastly, all that skilful editing can do for them has happily been done, and that too at the public expense. Benedict, a Inonk of Christ Church, Canterbury, is said by the editor of the Quadrilogue (about 1220) to have been on the day of the martyrdom among the Saint's more intimate friends, and to have recorded those things of which he was an ear or eye witness. He wrote only of the martyrdom and of the subsequent miracles. No copy of his narrative of the martyrdom exists, but considerable fragments have been preserved in the Quadrilogue. The miracles are now in six books. Of these the last two art: by another hand, as events are there related which happened after Benedict's death. He died in 1193 or 1194 at Peterborough, of which house he was made abbot in 1177. The fourth book of miracles is of about the date of Benedict's election as Abbot of Peterborough, for it mentions the great fire at Rochester, which occurred in the April of that year. But the work is not in strict chronological order, for after the passage relating to the fire, a letter is inserted addressed to Odo as Prior of Canterbury; but Odo was made Abbot of Battle, and Benedict himself became Prior of Canterbury in 1175. The first three books of miracles, according to Mr. Magnusson, formed the original volume, and all that is related in them happened during the seventeen months that fol1owed the martyrdom. In July, 1172, William was charged to record the miracles in addition to Benedict, who had fulfilled that office from the beginning. By this fact Mr. Magnusson ingeniously dates not Benedict only but Fitzstcphcn. For Fitzstephen says that there was a Codex which was read in the Chapter at Canterbury, which related the miracles wrought in England, and he adds that those in France, Ireland, and elsewhere had as yet no historian. This Codex was Benedict's volume, ending then with the third book; and Mr. Magnusson concludes that Benedict's three books were written before Fitzstephen's Life of St. Thomas; and further that Fitzstephen wrote before William of Canterbury began, that is within the first seventeen months. The argument is pressed perhaps a little too closely, as there would be but one Codex until William had made some progress with his work. Afterwards Gervase speaks of two volumes of miracles, Benedict's and Williams and the mention of one by Fitzstephen may fairly be taken to mean that there then was but one.

Download or read book The Life Of S Thomas Becket written by Anne Hope and published by Legare Street Press. This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This historical biography examines the life and legacy of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of King Henry II of England. Drawing on accounts from Becket's contemporaries and later writers, the authors provide a vivid portrait of a complex figure who was both a respected scholar and a political lightning rod. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Download or read book Materials for the History of Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury Canonized by Pope Alexander III AD 1173 written by James Craigie Robertson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-11-15 with total page 627 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This seven-volume work, published 1875-85, brings together all Latin materials concerning the life and fall of Thomas Becket (c.1120-70). Volume 1 contains the collection of miracles compiled by William of Canterbury, who was present at the scene of Becket's murder.

Download or read book The Life and Martyrdom of St Thomas Becket written by John Morris and published by Theclassics.Us. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1859 edition. Excerpt: ... NOTES AND REFERENCES. The names of Herbert de Bosham, Roger de Pontigny, Edward Grim, and John of Salisbury, tell their own tale of their respective opportunities of learning the events they narrate, as they have been frequently mentioned as personally present, and as having taken parts in the scenes of which they were afterwards the historians. John of Salisbury was so called because he was for many years a canon of that church (Fitz-St. Vita, ed. Giles, i. p. 215). He was elected Bishop of Chartres on the 22d of July 1176 (Gerv. p. 1434), before which time he had written his Life of St. Thomas (vide infr. note 436). The date of Herbert's book is given us by himself (i. p. 37). He began it in the fourteenth year after the martyrdom, and ended it in the pontificate of Urban III. (i. p. 367), who reigned from December 1185 to October 1187. It was professedly supplemental to the writers who had preceded him. William Fitz-Stephens gives his own credentials: "I was the fellow-citizen of my lord, his cleric, and one of his household. Called by himself to a share of his anxieties, I was dictator in his chancery; when he sung Mass, I was the subdeacon of his chapel; when he sat to hear causes, I read the letters and documents that were presented; and I conducted some causes at his bidding. I was present with him at the Council of Northampton, where matters were transacted of such high importance; I saw his martyrdom at Canterbury; and of many other things which are here written I was an eye and ear witness, while others, again, I learnt from those who witnessed them." Odo, the prior whom St. Thomas had appointed just before his martyrdom (supr. p. 336), was made Abbot of Battel, July 19, 1175 (Chron. of Battel, p. 166; Gerv. p. 1432). He was...

Download or read book Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury written by William Holden Hutton and published by . This book was released on 1910 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury by William Holden Hutton, first published in 1910, is a rare manuscript, the original residing in one of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, which has been scanned and cleaned by state-of-the-art publishing tools for better readability and enhanced appreciation. Restoration Editors' mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life. Some smudges, annotations or unclear text may still exist, due to permanent damage to the original work. We believe the literary significance of the text justifies offering this reproduction, allowing a new generation to appreciate it.

Download or read book The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury written by John Morris and published by . This book was released on 1885 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Quest for Becket s Bones written by John R. Butler and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 1995-01-01 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In January 1888, workmen excavating in the eastern crypt of Canterbury Cathedral discovered the bones of a skeleton many believed to be that of the martyred archbishop, Thomas Beckett. This book traces the full history of `Beckett's bones', from their alleged destruction by Henry VIII's commissioners during the Reformation to the present day. Includes fascinating observations, such as the unexpected discovery by workmen in 1865 of Dante's bones concealed in a wooden box a short distance from his empty tomb.

Download or read book The Life of S Thomas Becket of Canterbury written by Dalgairns and published by . This book was released on 2014-04-07 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Life of S. Thomas Becket of Canterbury is a biography of the famous medieval Archbishop who was murdered during the reign of Henry II. He's now considered a martyr of the church. From the preface of the book:IT ought not to be hard to read the character of S. Thomas of Canterbury, nor to understand for what cause he shed his blood. Ranke, with simply honest endeavour, has comprehended both. Speaking of Henry, he says: "He did not choose to allow the Church freedom of election to high ecclesiastical dignities; he would not permit her excommunications to proceed without the supervision of the State. Not only did he insist on the right of the civil tribunals to judge ecclesiastics for great crimes, which would otherwise have been left unpunished, but in the sphere of spiritual jurisdiction he claimed for the State the right of being the highest court of appeal, instead of the Pope."Of S. Thomas himself the same historian says: "Becket was not actuated by the same unbending obstinacy which characterizes most of the champions of the hierarchy." All this is quite clear and simple, and ought to be seen by anyone who takes the trouble to study the question. S. Thomas died for the liberty of the Church.