Chancellor Thomas Becket combines his administrative skills,…
1164 CE
Chancellor Thomas Becket combines his administrative skills, charm, and initiative to forge strong bonds of affection and reliance between himself and his patron, Henry II.
Lavish in his hospitality, Becket initiates a series of ambitious building projects.
At the death of Archbishop Theobald in 1161, Henry forces Becket's nomination and appointment as the archbishop of Canterbury.
In promoting Becket to this office, Henry clearly hopes to rely on his close ties with Becket to bring the church into submission with the rest of his realm.
The new archbishop energetically applies himself to his new duties as leader of the church in England, and a rift grows between the former friends as each pursues his separate policies.
In a heated disagreement with Becket, Henry attempts to decree that priests accused of crimes be tried by royal courts, like any other subjects of the realm.