Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Becket Casket (c. 1180)
The blue-and-gold box contains the mortal remains (or relics) of St. Thomas Becket, who
was brutally murdered. Look at the scene depicted along the side—the Archbishop of Can-
terbury is about to grab a chalice from the altar, when knights tiptoe up, draw their swords,
and slice off his head. Two shocked priests throw up their hands.
Becket's soul (upper right) is borne aloft on a sling by two angels. His body is laid to
rest (upper left) and blessed by the new bishop. Mourners kneel at the tomb, just as the
man behind Becket's murder—King Henry II—is said to have done, out of remorse.
Henry II had handpicked his good friend Thomas Becket (1118-1170) for the job of
archbishop, assuming he'd follow the king's orders. In two days, Thomas was made a
priest, a bishop, then archbishop—the head of all England's Christians. But when Becket
proved loyal to the Church and opposed Henry's policies, the king, in a rash fit of anger,
said he wanted Becket dead. Remorseful after his knights murdered the archbishop, Henry
had 80 monks whip him, and then he spent all night at the foot of the tomb.
