Henry II Thomas Becket

King Henry II was ruler of England during the 12th century. He and his loyal, Saxon Chancellor, Thomas Becket ruled over the state and government of England. With Becket at his side to provide insight and ideas Henry was a better ruler. Henry loved being head of throne. He became obsessed with power and thought by using Becket he would gain control over the church by appointing him Archbishop. Thus began the decline of his power as Becket turned his loyalty away from the crown and instead to the cross. Because of King Henry’s mental unstableness, it lead to the demise of the king and to the death of Thomas

King Henry was a power hungry man. He knew Becket was an extremely intelligent person, and considered him the only one in his kingdom. Henry made Becket the Chancellor of England and gave him the seal of England. Even though he was a Saxon, he proved his loyalty to King Henry and became his best friend. With him as his right hand man, Henry felt he could have greater control over the church within the kingdom. Becket also

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He didn’t show much care towards anyone in the movie except for Thomas. His greed for power and personal gains brought him to his end as a great king, and lead to the death of his only friend and person he loved, Thomas Becket. After all the years Thomas and he had worked to gain power for the state and break down the church, Becket’s sudden political change sent the king over the edge. He only wanted what was best for him, which is seen in his quest for supreme rule of England.

King Henry was nothing more than a man on a power trip. King Henry had to be whipped by the high priests in order to save face of the people of England. The only loved he ever showed was to Becket and even that loved ended once Becket turned to God. helped him in the war against the Saxon’s and had great success in his strategic plans in battle. He became obsessed with Becket even. He hated that he had turned against him, but at the same time marveled at his intelligence and power. Henry despised everything about them, constantly verbally abusing them and threatening them. If it weren’t for Thomas, Henry would not have been the great leader people of England thought he was. Four of King Henry’s nobles stormed the cathedral and killed Becket and his monk friend. Unfortunately for the king Becket found his love and devotion serving God and his church, and Henry could not handle the fact of not having complete power over state and church.

Approximate Word count = 707
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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