Thomas Becket, Origin

Thomas Becket is a name already familiar to many, but I am going to talk about him anyway.

It is popular to think of Becket as having 'humble beginnings," but his father Gilbert was a Norman merchant and a one-time sheriff of London. A popular legend says that his mother, Mathilda, was originally the daughter of a Middle eastern emir, who fell in love with Gilbert while Gilbert was captured on Crusade. Mathilda helped him escape, then later tried to join him although the only word she knew in English was "London." She kept traveling, repeating the word "London" wherever she went, until finally she was directed to a ship bound for England.

Having reached London, her foreign appearance attracted attention. Gilbert discovered her, and consulted with the clergy about marriage; they advised him to have her baptized a Christian. One bishop predicted she would give birth to a saint. (see the picture below, from the Queen Mary Psalter) It is far more likely is that Mathilda was of Norman descent. The pair are buried in Old St. Paul's Cathedral.

The young Thomas (born c. 1120) was often invited to the estate of a wealthy family friend in Sussex, Richer L'Aigle, where he learned the aristocratic pursuits of hawking and hunting. Thomas attended Merton Priory school in Surrey, and later a grammar school in London. He is not known as a particularly good student. He learned the basics, but his Latin was not very good.

His father had some financial difficulties when Thomas was about 20, and Thomas was forced to earn a living as a clerk. He eventually found a position with the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec. (One hypothesis is that the surname "Becket" indicated origins in Bec in Normandy, and that Gilbert and Theobald were related.) Theobald trusted Thomas with missions to Rome and sent him to study canon law. Theobald named him Archdeacon of Canterbury in 1154 and gave him several responsibilities for different places and made him Provost of Beverley. He was so efficient at these posts that Theobald recommended him to King Henry II for the vacant position of Lord Chancellor. Thomas became Chancellor in January 1155. As Chancellor, he was responsible for carrying out the will of the king in law and policy.

Henry and Thomas seemed to get along extremely well. Henry sent his son, the Young King Henry, to be raised in Becket's household. (It was common for aristocratic families to "foster" each other's children.)

A few months after the death of Archbishop Theobald, Thomas Becket was named Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry was pleased to have a trusted friend who understand the aristocratic life and had proven loyal to the king's interests in the highest ecclesiastical position in the land. It was an opportunity for Henry to extend his authority over the Church in the matter of legal disputes and appointment of clergy, etc.

...and that's when the trouble started. See you tomorrow for part two of three about Thomas Becket.