Murder of Thomas Becket

Timeline

1. 1170Canterbury · KentThrough papal mediation, Becket ended six years of exile and returned to Canterbury in July 1170; the surface reconciliation did not resolve disputes over church jurisdiction and ceremonial authority.
2. 1170England · EnglandHenry II's decision to have the Archbishop of York crown the prince angered Becket; after returning, Becket excommunicated the bishops who had taken part in the coronation, escalating conflict with the king and his entourage.
3. 1170Buxton · DorsetHenry II's angry remarks about Becket's excommunication were understood by four knights—FitzUrse, Morville, de Tracy, and le Breton—as an order to kill, and they rode at once to Canterbury.
4. 1170Canterbury Cathedral · CanterburyThe knights broke into the church, pursued Becket through the nave and transept, and shattered his skull with swords, killing him on the spot; witnesses recorded that Becket offered no resistance and accepted his martyrdom.
5. 1170–1173Canterbury · KentBecket's remains quickly sparked a wave of pilgrimage, and he was canonized by the papacy in 1173; Henry II was forced to do public penance and accept flagellation, while church judicial privileges were effectively consolidated.