King Henry II and Thomas Becket

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, by naming his Chancellor and friend, Thomas Becket, to be Archbishop of Canterbury, King Henry II created the devastating conflict between these men, which affected not only the English monarchy, but also the country of England itself. The author points out that King Henry II's reign can be broken down into three specific events: (1) his endeavors to reconstruct the England of his grandfather, which started his quarrel with Becket; (2) his efforts to develop the legal machinery of his grandfather and create a new foundation for English government, which was soon thwarted by Becket; and (3) his vain attempts to resolve the problems of governing a difficult empire and controlling an unruly family by placing his sons in a position as sub-rulers in the empire.

From the Paper:

"King Henry II (1154-1189) was obviously one of the most remarkable and tragic figures in English history. A great amount of information is known about him, for he lived and reigned during an age when it was common to observe about the monarchy through oral and written records, especially when a king such as Henry II was popular with contemporary society. However, a good deal of his subjects hated him and his numerous enemies found him too intelligent and overwhelming; those that were close to him, such as Thomas Becket, feared his occasional outbursts of great anger and were often exasperated by his unpredictable reactions to certain situations within his realm and his family."

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