Why Thomas Becket is a Martyr?

Answer 1

Most people forget that for the majority of his life, prior to his elevation the the titular head of the English church as the Arch Bishop of Canterbury (a position he neither sought nor wanted, and later tried to resign to Pope Alexander the III and was refused) Thomas Becket was one of the King Henry II's most ardent supporters and confidants. He held, with distinction, the secular position of Chancellor under the monarch and was a warrior who fought at the side of the king in many foreign wars. At its root though, the reason for Becket's assination was the battle between Henry and himself with respect to the primacy of the monarch over the Church. Henry codified his greivances in the 16 constitutions of Clarendon presented on January 30, 1164. The three most important of which endeavored the sever the clergy from the direct control of the Papacy in Rome, subjected clergy to secular courts for ajudication of greivances, and effectively ended the clergy's independance from the monarchy among other things, allowing taxation of the Church. In October of 1164 because of Becket's refusal to sumbit to the edicts of Clarendon he was summoned before the king to answer charges of Contempt of the Crown and Malfeasance in office (from the time he had served as the King's Chancellor). The result was a fine imposed by the crown in excess of 30,000 pounds of silver. The charges were baseless but as Becket could not raise the princely sum he fled to the north of France. Ultimately, an accord, brokered by agents of the Pope, was reached whereby many of the provisions of Claredon were accepted by Beckett in principle and he returned to England. Be it Henry's or Becket's intractabilty, historians differ in their opinion, but indisputably old differances resurfaced and ultimately Henry sent four of his knights, Reginald Fitzurse, William de Tracey, Hugh de Morville and Richard le Breton to kill his former friend in the Chancel of his own church.

Answer 2

Thomas A. Becket was an Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century. He stood up to the king in matters of the church and fled to France after falling out of favor with the king. Upon his return, he was confronted and murdered by several knights who believed that the king would desire it.

Answer 3

In 1170 in the Canterbury Cathedral, Thomas Becket was murderd by four knights send by King Henry after they dissagreed on wheather the church or the King had power over the land.Thomas, when he was being beaten did not try to fight back by knelt down praying to God.

Answer 4

Thomas Becket was a matyr because :

1 he had a chance to run away but didn't take it

2 as he was being slaughtered he didn't give in and kept on praying

3 he said that he would die for this Church to have freedom

Answer 5

The knight went into the cathedral, chopped the top of Becket's head off and let the brains spew all over the floor

Answer 6

He didnt kill him four knights overheard him say "will nobody rid me of this troublesome priest!" in a fit of rage. The knights thinking they would get a reward went and killed Thomas Becket.