An Early Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket in Art Notebook

In Bures, Normandy, at his 1170 Christmas court, Henry II, King of England, had ranted: “What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household who let their Lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric?” Or, more pithily: “Will no-one rid me of this turbulent priest?” And, four of his knights had taken his words as a not-so-subtle call to action against Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Just days later, on December 29th, Becket lay dead—his brains spattered across the floor of his Cathedral. It was a murder that shook Medieval Christendom. + There are several contemporary accounts in writing of the brutal assassination. This manuscript miniature from c. 1220 is its earliest known visual representation. Reading initially from left to right, the four knight-assassins enter the chapel brandishing their swords. The first and second blows have already been struck respectively by Sir William Tracy and Sir Reginald FitzUrse who carries a bear shield. Becket, who was kneeling before the altar, has lost his hat and is pitching forward. A few droplets of blood trickle down his forehead. Behind the altar, Edward Grim, Becket’s monk-assistant who holds the archbishop’s crosier, reacts with shock. He himself was wounded trying to deflect the first sword-slash from the archbishop by wielding the crosier as a defensive weapon. Returning to the group of knights, the third knight Sir Hugh de Morville stands guard at the door holding his sword upright. And, finally, in an example of artistic license taken with the event’s timeline, Sir Richard Brito (or de Breton), the fourth knight, the one who delivered the last blow striking with such force that he removed the entire crown of Becket’s head, holds up his broken broadsword. It had shattered against the stone floor from the force of the death blow that resulted in Becket’s decraniation. + Because he championed keeping Church rights and privileges free from State interference, Becket was declared a martyr and canonized by Pope Alexander III on 21 February 1173--just two years after his assassination. Becket’s first tomb and later shrine became the third most important pilgrimage destination in Europe after Rome itself and Santiago de Compostela in Spain until the Reformation. + St. Thomas Becket is patron of secular clergy. + Feast: December 29 + Image Credit (M 030): Detail of an antique Romanesque manuscript illumination of The Martyrdom of Thomas Becket, originally created in England [East Midlands?], c. 1220 and inserted into a Psalter, now in The British Library (Harley MS 5102, f. 32 [whole folio]). Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. See also: M 031.