The Lives of Thomas Becket

Description

This collection tells the story of Thomas Becket's turbulent life, violent death and extraordinary posthumous acclaim in the words of his contemporaries. These extracts, many previously untranslated, make it possible to read in English how one of the most controversial figures of the Middle Ages was seen by those who knew him best and those most powerfully affected by him. Written as the shock of Thomas's murder in December 1170 reverberated around Europe, these lives provide vivid testimony to the most dramatic events of his life: how the "proud and vain" Royal Chancellor became champion of the church and enemy of the king; how he fled into exile to lead a life of personal asceticism and political agitation; and how he returned to face martyrdom before the altar of his own cathedral, prompting unprecedented popular veneration. The biographers' accounts and the many eye-witnesses are by turn descriptive, reflective and argumentative, providing both a valuable glimpse of the late 12th-century world, and an insight into the minds of those who witnessed the events. This book should be a useful resource for the study of medieval religion, politics and thought, and an introduction to one of the most famous episodes in English history.

Michael Staunton is Lecturer in Medieval History at University College Dublin -- .