If you have ever heard about the "Canterbury Tales" written by Geoffrey Chaucer, then you may know about pilgrims. Who were they and why the name of Thomas Becket is related to them? Let's find it out!
The pilgrims that Geoffrey Chaucer describes in his Tales are traveling to Canterbury to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. At that time it was very popular to go on pilgrimage and visit tombs of saints.
The Canterbury Cathedral is still an important and famous touristic place and plays an important role in English Christianity.
Thomas Becket is said to be born in 1119/1120 and was a son of a merchant. In 1155, he was Chancellor to Henry II. The King trusted Becket a lot and then increased his power over the Church - he became the Archbishop of Canterbury which was in reality a well-thought-out plan...
Since the Church had its own laws and courts at that time, Henry II wanted to change it, so that the Church would be totally under his control. But Becket objected all King's plans... and was sent to France for six years as he was charged with treason!
Later, in 1170, Henry allowed Becket to return to England thinking that now he would change his mind and would obey the King. But Becket insisted that the Church was above the law. The King was raging! And once, being in a fit of rage, Henry is said to have exclaimed: WILL NO ONE RID ME OF THIS TURBULENT PRIEST?
Some of the King's knights thought it was an order and went to the Canterbury Cathedral where they ruthlessly killed Thomas Becket. The murder was shocking to everyone and even to the King!
Some time later. in 1173 to be precise, Becket was canonized. He was buried in the Cathedral and this place became the center of the pilgrimage in England and Becket himself became a symbol of Christian resistance to the power of the monarchy.
After his death, many people found some pieces of the Archbishop's clothes soaked in blood and then rumors about them healing blindness, epilepsy and leprosy started to appear. Some monks even began selling little bottles of Becket's blood to pilgrims who came to visit the shrine.
Unfortunately, the shrine was destroyed in 1538 by the order of Henry VIII. The King who accused the rebel archbishop of treason and removed his the title of saint. All Becket's pictures were being destroyed, references to him removed from church books. But nevertheless, Henry VIII lost that war - Thomas Becket was soon rehabilitated and recognized as the patron saint of London.
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