December 29: Saint Thomas Becket was a holy bishop who defended the rights of the Church against the King of England. For this he gave his life.

29 December is the anniversary of one of the most controversial events in medieval Christendom: the murder at Canterbury Cathedral of Archbishop Thomas Becket, in 1170. Becket's assassination brought a bloody end to a long-standing political conflict between the archbishop and King Henry II, who was believed to have been...

Thomas Becket 1119 – 1170, was Archbishop of Canterbury . Falling Out with Henry II Resulted in Thomas Becket's Slaughter. The quarrel between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England lasted 7 years between 1163 and 1170. ... Becket then chose to no longer aid the king in defending royal interests in the church, and instead began to champion ecclesiastical rights

It’s no coincidence that we celebrate three martyrs’ feasts during the Christmas Octave, including the Commemoration of St. Thomas Becket today. The martyrs are our Christian heroes, explains Br. Cassian Derbes. And like any hero, they inspire us to want to be like them.

Thomas Becket (aka Thomas á Becket) was chancellor to Henry II of England (r. 1154-1189) and then archbishop of Canterbury (1162 to 1170). Thomas repeatedly clashed...

Thomas Becket, killed in Canterbury in 1170, was attached to a "little book", which may now have been found in Cambridge.

The Murder of St. Thomas Becket

Manuscript KB 76 F 5 Picture Bible Folio 028v Dating 1190-1200 From France (exact location unknown)

The martyrdom of S. Thomas Becket Today is when the Church commemorates Saint Thomas Becket, who was martyred on 29th December, 1...