Becket

Both church and state have both been large parts of the English culture for great amounts of time. But not only in England but also through out Europe itself. Dividing church from state would be difficult at the times of Becket and King Henry II. The pope seemed more powerful then some kings. Yet some kings believed they were the power that ruled all. That was the problem that came between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England. Neither one knew which had more power. King Henry believed that he was king, so he had all the power in the world. Becket might not have believed that he was all-powerful but he did know that he was the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most powerful religious position in England at the time.

King Henry and Becket were good friends in the beginning. King Henry called him “my valet” when Becket wiped him dry in the beginning. Becket answered “ I am your servant, that all.” Meaning that he loved his king and wanted to help him in every way that he could. King Henry secured Becket’s places af

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The pain of having the seal of England returned to Henry hurt him so much because to Henry it meant that his “friend” didn’t love him anymore. Being the archbishop of Canterbury went to Becket’s head. Becket being chancellor gave Becket the seal of England. Becket feels pity for the king but never shows it till his death at the end when he says “ Poor Henry. King Henry helped Becket start his career by making Becket his chancellor. All that King Henry wanted was to have Becket by his side as a friend and a trustee. That caused him to split his love into both hate and love. Henry was hoping that if he succeeded in this he could power church with state. ter Theobald the archbishop of Canterbury helped him out first. ” Henry had no choice but to have Henry killed or the pain would of kill Henry first. Henry’s grandfather had taken over Becket’s people and most Norman’s didn’t like the Saxons much.

When Henry and Becket are told of the archbishop of Canterbury death while they were in France, King Henry is quite happy about it. When Henry pitches the idea to Becket, the reaction of Becket is one of amazement. The constitution only resulted in more problems between him and Becket. King Henry’s idea for making Becket the archbishop of Canterbury was an idea for him to unite church with state more.

Approximate Word count = 711
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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