The lives of Thomas Becket

by Michael Staunton (Editor), Rosemary Horrox (Series Editor), Simon MacLean (Series Editor)

This collection tells the story of Thomas Becket's turbulent life, violent death and extraordinary posthumous acclaim in the words of his contemporaries. The only modern collection from the twelfth-century Lives of Thomas Becket in English and features all his major biographers, including many previously untranslated extracts. Providing both a valuable glimpse of the late twelfth-century world, and an insight into the minds of those who witnessed the events. By using contemporary sources, this book is the most accessible way to study this central episode in medieval history. Thomas Becket features prominently in most medieval core courses. This book allows the subject to be taught as never before, and is highly suitable as a set text.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School, Church History, Christianity

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 7, 2001

Reviews

[Madison Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well structured and organized work overall, but was weighed down by lengthy accounts of court proceedings.

[Anneke Michaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good recording of Becket's life, and his relationship with King Henry II was fascinating. I appreciated seeing different perspectives and how Becket was viewed by his contemporaries.

[Brittany Petruzzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

People who are worried about the status of the church because of American politics should really brush up on their history. The problems between the City of God and the City of Man are not new and not limited to places in which there is a distinct antithesis and the Body of Christ has continued through much worse circumstances. Thomas Becket's story remains on of the most convoluted and interesting tales of Christian martyrdom, whether or not you believe the tales of his post-mortum miracles. Editor Michael Staunton has gathered a laudable swath of contemporary accounts and ordered them in an engaging way. Well worth the read.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting and complicated, to say the very least. I have come away from this book with a few thoughts.
One, I believe Henry II was doing all he could to systematically change the ecclesiastical/state power lines, but because the Council of Clarendon was essentially calling for a reformation of the Catholic Church— which wouldn’t happen for another 400ish years— he was unable to do this effectively. This is understandably difficult, especially when the Pope threatens to excommunicate your entire nation.
Two, I don’t believe in writing unbiased history, but some of these historians were perhaps a bit to close to Becket for their own narratival good. Their almost universal love for Becket made it hard to determine what was actually commendable, and what wasn’t.
Three, Becket was a complicated individual, and I am not comfortable commending his involvement in this historical instance. It is hard to tell which times he is working from seeking his own power, what times he has deceived himself into thinking his actions are righteous, and what times he is being sincerely righteous. I do not, however, love how ardently he wanted to achieve martyrdom.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, and maybe some of those above thoughts are interesting or helpful.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book quite interesting (and a bit shocking and disturbing) as I was able to read and ponder on the actual words by those who knew and witnessed the events of Thomas Becket’s life. The book provides the opportunity for the reader to assess this significant time period in history and to come up with their own conclusions regarding who was right and wrong. This as well as what is included in this brief description shows the great value of this book.

“This collection tells the story of Thomas Becket's turbulent life, violent death and extraordinary posthumous acclaim in the words of his contemporaries. The only modern collection from the twelfth-century Lives of Thomas Becket in English and features all his major biographers, including many previously untranslated extracts. Providing both a valuable glimpse of the late twelfth-century world, and an insight into the minds of those who witnessed the events. By using contemporary sources, this book is the most accessible way to study this central episode in medieval history. Thomas Becket features prominently in most medieval core courses. This book allows the subject to be taught as never before, and is highly suitable as a set text.“

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars not because it's the most engaging read (honestly, the very premise of putting together lots of different authors kind of takes away any hope of it being the best prose ever), but because it's such a thorough and well-put together work on Thomas Becket. I read this for school, but absolutely do not regret it, as it provided a great deal of insight on the Investiture Controversy, Becket himself, and some of the general ideas that were prevalent at the time, while showing both the support and dislike of Becket from his own time and allowing the reader to take both sides with a grain of salt.

[Riziki Ní Néill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I completely forgot this book existed; this does not bode well for final exams. However, reading about the relationship between Becket and Henry II as well as the religious tensions and controversies that emerged was very interesting. Becket definitely deserves a place on my list of Cool Historical Figures Of Dubious Moral Standing That I May Or May Not Have Been Obsessed With At Some Point In Time.

[Katherine P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, though dull at moments, takes you through the interesting life of Thomas Becket. From indulging in profanities as a youth the being crowned archbishop by his great friend King Henry, he has done it all.

[Larinmtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading history. The first few pages of this were painful to me, and if I hadn't been teaching it I might have stopped there. I'm glad I was forced on, though, because it actually turned out to be quite interesting. The many primary sources were helpful to read, although I came away still full of questions about the motives of each man involved. Enjoyable in the end and still very relevant here in the 21st century.

[Ruth Dahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for school, but I really got to know Beckett through these biographies.
The issues of how separate church and state leadership should be still remains applicable to this day.