Beautiful webpage on William I

Click and enoy!
William the Conqueror

Look up the meaning of the names in ...

What is a Friar, a Knight, a Miller, a Pardoner, a Parson and a Reeve?

 Canterbury Cathedral

Ruins of the monastery

A song about the tales...

Where are the pilgrims going?
Who will tell the stories? Why?
What will happen at the end?
In what way are the characters different?
Do you know the song?

Who was Geoffrey Chaucer?

Chaucer in an initial from British
Library Lansdowne MS 851 fol. 2.


The pilgrims on their way to Canterbury

Pilgrimage route

 

Chaucer was a famous Medieval writer in the of the Middle Ages and the author of the Canterbury Tales

Nationality: English

Nickname: Father of English Literature

Date of Birth: He was born in London in 1343

Family connections : He was the son of a vintner

Married: Geoffrey Chaucer married Philippa de Roet at St Mary de Castro in Leicester. She was a lady-in-waiting to Edward III's queen, Philippa of Hainault

Education: Geoffrey Chaucer was well educated and studied law at the Inner Temple in London

Career: Geoffrey Chaucer was an author, poet, philosopher, courtier, and diplomat.

Date of Death: Geoffrey Chaucer died in 1400

Character of Geoffrey Chaucer: Intelligent, loyal and hard working

Henry II and Thomas a Becket

Henry II (1154-89) was the son of Queen Maud and Geoffrey of Anjou. He took as his emblem the "sprig of broom" of the House of Anjou, which in the French of the day became "plant a genet", or Plantagenet. Henry was a good administrator, but he had a terrible temper, which would get him into trouble. He destroyed unlicensed castles and reclaimed many of the rights and powers of the crown that had permitted.

Becket - Henry's friend and chief administrator was a cleric by the name of Thomas a Becket. When the See of Canterbury fell empty in 1162 Henry convinced a very reluctant Becket to become the new Archbishop.

        Becket arguing with Henry II

 Henry, of course, assumed that his friend would be sympathetic to the royal cause in the escalating battle between church and state. He wasn't. Thomas underwent a change of character as Archbishop. He was ostentatiously severe and strict in his observance of church law. He wore a penitential hair shirt under his vestments, and had his underlings flog him frequently. More importantly, he opposed Henry over the question of the supremacy of ecclesiastical courts.
Criminous Clerks - At that time anyone in orders could only be tried in church courts. In practice, the number of clerics was huge, including several levels of lay priests and clerks. Henry, anxious to assert the power of royal justice, claimed that the "criminous clerks" should be tried in royal courts. To his surprise, Becket refused to agree.

Becket's Death - The Archbishop fled to France after defying Henry. They eventually were reconciled with the help of the pope, and Becket returned. He immediately angered Henry by excommunicating those bishops who had prudently supported the king during Becket's exile. Henry flew into one of his famous rages. Four knights, perhaps seeking to curry favour with the king, rode from Westminster to Canterbury and killed Becket in front of the main altar of the Cathedral when he refused to relent.

Henry's Penance - Henry, full of remorse, did penance imposed by the pope. He walked to Canterbury Cathedral in sack cloth and ashes and allowed himself to be flogged by the monks there. He also gave way for the moment on the question of court authority.

Consequences of Becket's Death - Becket's martyrdom did Canterbury Cathedral no harm at all. In a very short time miraculous cures began to be reported at his tomb. The old Cathedral burned down in 1174, and it was the growing popularity of Becket's shrine as a place of pilgrimage that paid for the rebuilding. Much of the magnificent Cathedral that we see today was built on the proceeds of gifts and the sale of "official souvenirs" at the shrine during the next few hundred years. Canterbury became one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in western Christendom.

Write down 6 things about this text (1 from each paragraph) that we have mentioned in class and are VERY IMPORTANT.

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What did Henry really say?

Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?"

"Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?"

"Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"

Can you find any other versions?

Canterbury Cathedral

Me

outside view

inside view

Becket's shrine used to be here, now there's only a candle

Notice on his empty shrine

exact place of Becket's murder

Which picture do you like best? Explain why.

Henry II and his possessions

Which present countries did Henry's domains include?

Was it bigger or smaller than Great Britain now?

Was it bigger or smaller than France?

Henry II

Henry II

King of England from 1154, Henry strengthened royal administration but suffered from quarrels with Thomas Becket and his own family.

Henry was born at Le Mans in north west France on 4 March 1133. His father was Count of Anjou and his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. Henry had named Matilda as his successor to the English throne but her cousin Stephen had taken over.

In 1150 - 1151, Henry became ruler of Normandy and Anjou, after the death of his father. In 1152, he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, the greatest heiress in western Europe. In 1153, he crossed to England to pursue his claim to the throne, reaching an agreement that he would succeed Stephen on his death, which occurred in 1154.

Henry's now began to restore order. Using his talented chancellor Thomas Becket, Henry began reorganising the judicial system. The Assize of Clarendon (1166) established procedures of criminal justice, establishing courts and prisons for those awaiting trial. In addition, the assizes gave fast and clear verdicts, enriched the treasury and extended royal control.

In 1164, Henry reasserted his ancestral rights over the church. Now archbishop of Canterbury, Becket refused to comply. An attempted reconciliation failed and Becket punished priests who had co-operated with Henry. On hearing this Henry reportedly exclaimed, 'Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?' Four knights took his words literally and murdered Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in December 1170. Almost overnight Becket became a saint. Henry reconciled himself with the church, but royal control over the church changed little.

Who did Henry marry? Why?
What was the Clarendon Assize?
When and where was Becket murdered? Why?

Henry II & Thomas Becket

The murder of Thomas Becket