Thomas Becket: Playing a role
In exile
Becket showed Pope Alexander the Constitutions of Clarendon. He thought that some of them were intolerable and others were impossible, and he rebuked Becket for ever having considered accepting them. The next day, Becket confessed that 'he had, though unwillingly, received the see of Canterbury by an election somewhat irregular and uncanonical, and had acquitted himself badly in it.' He resigned his office, but after deliberation, the pope reinstated him and ordered him to go to the Cistercian abbey at Pontigny, between Sens and Auxerre, where Becket had once studied.
Banishment
He was only able to stay at Pontigny for two years. In 1166, according to Roger of Hovenden, writing in the early 13th century, Henry first:
expelled from England, and from all the lands of his dominions, all the men and women he could possibly find belonging to the kindred of the blessed Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury; even infants crying in the cradle, and still hanging at the mother's breast, he sent into banishment, that, upon seeing them, the grief of the above-named archbishop might be increased.
Then 'the king of England sent word to the … abbot of Pontigny, that if he any longer harboured the archbishop of Canterbury in his house, he would, in such case, banish all the monks of his order from England.' To prevent this, Becket left Pontigny and took refuge as the guest of King Louis at the royal abbey of St Columba nearby.
'The wrath of my lord'
At about this time, Becket wrote to Henry:
… Difficulties beset me on every side; even tribulation and difficulties have come upon me, who am placed between two most grave and fearful alternatives … a dangerous silence on the one hand, and admonition of you on the other. If, on the one hand, I am silent, it will be death to me, and I shall not escape the hands of the Lord, who says, 'If thou canst not warn the wicked from his wicked way, and he shall die in his iniquity, his blood He will require at your hands.' If, on the other hand, I admonish you, I fear, which God forbid, that I shall not escape the wrath of my lord...
However, when he wrote to Pope Alexander, he was less conciliatory:
… I have … excommunicated Ranulph de Broc, Hugh de Saint Clair and Thomas Fitz-Bernard, who, without, our licence and consent, have seized the property and possessions of the church of Canterbury. I have excommunicated all besides who, contrary to our will and assent, have laid hands upon the property and possessions of the church of Canterbury. The king, however, I have not as yet personally excommunicated, being still in expectation of his reformation; him, however, I shall not delay to excommunicate, if he does not speedily recover his senses, and submit to discipline for what he has done …
Trying to repair the breach
The quarrel dragged on, with frequent attempts by various individuals to repair the breach between the two men. Their endeavours were complicated by the fact that Becket was seen by many, and especially by the clergy, as the 'good guy' in the argument. In addition, Henry, who had a strong case in some respects, was quite plausible, and Pope Alexander was unwilling to go against such a powerful monarch.
One abortive attempt to patch things up occurred on 6 January 1169, when Henry and Louis were conferring at Montmirail. Becket arrived and threw himself at the English king's feet. However, although Louis argued in Becket's favour, Henry sent him away when he discovered that the archbishop still refused to sign the Constitutions of Clarendon.
The prince's coronation
On 14 June 1170, Henry arranged for his son and heir Prince Henry – known as the 'Young King' – to be crowned king of England, which would, at a stroke, give Henry II imperial clout. Not only did the Church severely disapprove of this increase in the English monarch's power, Becket was livid because, in his absence, Henry had had the coronation carried out by Roger, the archbishop of York, when that particular duty had always been under the authority of Canterbury.
When the pope learned that the coronation had taken place without his permission, he threatened to excommunicate the king if he did not make peace with Becket. A reconciliation of sorts was patched together. Henry agreed that Roger of York and two bishops involved in the coronation would be excommunicated. Becket would also be allowed to re-crown the prince in a second ceremony. Everything else was left a bit vague, and the matter of the Constitutions was simply not mentioned.
But Becket seems to have known that all would not go well on his return. As he left France, he said to the bishop of Paris: 'I am going to England to die.'
