This biography examines the life of Thomas Becket, who was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. His dramatic death, which transformed him into one of the most venerated saints of the Middle Ages, inspired a wealth of contemporary accounts that document his life and legacy in remarkable detail.
Excerpt:
Since the twelfth century Thomas’s story has been recognized as an important and dramatic one that demanded to be told and retold. For centuries people have been telling the story in different ways, and this is just the latest attempt to do so. As with any biography, it is both an account and an interpretation. The aim is to narrate some of the most significant events in Thomas’s life, as well as his murder and its aftermath, but also to address questions that this life provokes: How did a London merchant’s son advance to the position of chancellor to King Henry II, and then archbishop of Canterbury? Did Thomas, as his champions claim, undergo a dramatic conversion on becoming archbishop? Was the rift with his former friend the king based on personal rivalry, or on deeper issues? Was Thomas’s murder a willing martyrdom for the Church, or an arrest gone wrong? And how did such a divisive figure become the greatest saint of his age?
Who is this book for?
This biography stands out for its focus on Thomas Becket’s life rather than his posthumous cult or miracles. Readers interested in Becket himself and the events leading up to his dramatic murder will find it an engaging and insightful account.
‘In “Thomas Becket and His World,” Mr. Staunton, a professor of medieval history at University College Dublin, aims to set these events “in their broader landscape, looking at the environment that Thomas inhabited.” Above all, Mr. Staunton is concerned with “the developments in kingship, government and law that provided the background” to Becket’s conflict with Henry II.’ ~ review by Tom Shippey in The Wall Street Journal.
The Author
Michael Staunton is a Professor at University College Dublin, where he focuses on England after the Norman Conquest. He has written extensively about Thomas Becket, making an ideal person to pen this biography.
You can listen to Michael talking about this book on The Medieval Podcast:
Thomas Becket and His World
By Michael Staunton
Reaktion Books
ISBN: 978 1 83639 070 1
This biography examines the life of Thomas Becket, who was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. His dramatic death, which transformed him into one of the most venerated saints of the Middle Ages, inspired a wealth of contemporary accounts that document his life and legacy in remarkable detail.
Excerpt:
Since the twelfth century Thomas’s story has been recognized as an important and dramatic one that demanded to be told and retold. For centuries people have been telling the story in different ways, and this is just the latest attempt to do so. As with any biography, it is both an account and an interpretation. The aim is to narrate some of the most significant events in Thomas’s life, as well as his murder and its aftermath, but also to address questions that this life provokes: How did a London merchant’s son advance to the position of chancellor to King Henry II, and then archbishop of Canterbury? Did Thomas, as his champions claim, undergo a dramatic conversion on becoming archbishop? Was the rift with his former friend the king based on personal rivalry, or on deeper issues? Was Thomas’s murder a willing martyrdom for the Church, or an arrest gone wrong? And how did such a divisive figure become the greatest saint of his age?
Who is this book for?
This biography stands out for its focus on Thomas Becket’s life rather than his posthumous cult or miracles. Readers interested in Becket himself and the events leading up to his dramatic murder will find it an engaging and insightful account.
‘In “Thomas Becket and His World,” Mr. Staunton, a professor of medieval history at University College Dublin, aims to set these events “in their broader landscape, looking at the environment that Thomas inhabited.” Above all, Mr. Staunton is concerned with “the developments in kingship, government and law that provided the background” to Becket’s conflict with Henry II.’ ~ review by Tom Shippey in The Wall Street Journal.
The Author
Michael Staunton is a Professor at University College Dublin, where he focuses on England after the Norman Conquest. He has written extensively about Thomas Becket, making an ideal person to pen this biography.
You can listen to Michael talking about this book on The Medieval Podcast:
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
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