The murder that shocked medieval England

If the past is another country where they do things differently, as LP Hartley wrote, 12th century England is a foreign place indeed.

From diet to customs, and from clothing to life expectancy, the times in which Thomas Becket lived and, crucially, died, seem so alien we might be tempted to think that few lessons can be learned from these people who were part of a church that was doctrinally losing its way.

Thomas Becket

Becket was no theologian. In fact, he had not even been formally made a priest when he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry II.