Thomas A. Becket Thomas A. Becket’s shrine is a major focal point in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. However, unless a person lived during those times or is religiously affiliated with Thomas A. Becket, the audience may not know exactly why he was such an important person that a group of pilgrims would seek his blessing. In order to understand why, it is important to understand what he did during his life, who he was as a person, and the importance of the shrine as a place of pilgrimage. Thomas A. Becket was born in London around 1120 to a merchant. Because his father was a wealthy merchant, he was educated well and became an agent to Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury. Once Theobald died, King Henry II made Becket the new archbishop. Becket stood up for the church when there were disagreements between the king of England and the church. He lived in exile for quite a few years before returning to England. Becket was murdered in…show more content… His martyrdom is documented by a person named Garnier, who was a French chronicler. He documented times when Thomas A. Becket fought against the French in which he was seen to “unhorse many French knights,” (Thurston). Even so, Becket was never considered impure in any regard. He considered any sort of poor behavior or inappropriate speech hateful and punished people for these acts. Becket was in a constant state of prayer, fasting, and living with discipline. King Henry appointed Becket thinking that because they were friends, he would follow his new ideas and rules for the Church. However, Becket said “I served our Theobald well when I was with him; I served King Henry well as Chancellor; I am his no more, and I must serve the Church.” (Thurston). He committed himself wholly to the Church, which meant that King Henry was unable to push rules and regulations without challenge. Needless to say, King Henry was so unhappy with this arrangement that he had Becket
