Research Catalog

Title

Thomas Becket : murder and the making of a saint / Lloyd de Beer and Naomi Speakman.

Author

De Beer, Lloyd

Publication

• London : The British Museum Press, 2021.
• ©2021

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Speakman, Naomi

Description

272 pages : illustrations; 26 cm

Summary

On 29 December 1170, Becket was assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights with close ties to King Henry II, an act that left Medieval Europe reeling. Becket was one of the most powerful figures of his time, serving as royal chancellor and later as Archbishop of Canterbury. Initially a close friend of Henry, the two men became engaged in a bitter dispute that culminated in his violent and public death -- an event that sent shockwaves across Europe and caused an immense political fallout. Marking the 850th anniversary of his brutal murder, this special exhibition presents Becket's tumultuous journey from a merchant's son to an archbishop, and from a revered saint in death to a 'traitor' in the eyes of Henry VIII more than 350 years later. Get up close to the man, the murder and the legend through an incredible array of objects associated with Becket; from illuminated manuscripts, some of which include eyewitness accounts of the murder, to jewellery and sacred reliquaries. The exhibition features objects from the British Museum collection as well as important loans from major collections across the UK and Europe, including an entire medieval stained glass window on loan for the first time from Canterbury Cathedral. Exhibition: British Museum, London, UK (20.04.- 22.08.2021).

Subjects

• Great Britain
• Christian saints
• Statesmen
• Biographies
• History
• 1154-1189
• England
• Thomas, à Becket, Saint, 1118?-1170
• Great Britain > History > Henry II, 1154-1189
• Christian saints > England > Biography
• Statesmen > England > Biography

Genre/Form

• Biographies.
• History.

Note

• "This publication accompanies the exhibition Thomas Becket : murder and the making of a saint at the British Museum from 22 April to 22 August 2021" -- Title verso.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

Introduction -- Rise: from Cheapside to the royal court -- Fall: exile, murder, canonisation -- Reactions, rebellion and the death of a king -- Canterbury Cathedral transformed -- The fifth window of Canterbury's Thomas Becket cycle: new readings / Rachel Koopmans -- Becket's shadow : England in the aftermath of the murder -- 'A wonderous tale' : Becket as legend -- 'From every shires ende' -- Becket and the Tudors -- Legacy.

Call Number

JFF 21-1008

ISBN

• 9780714128382
• 0714128384

OCLC

1242858750

Author

De Beer, Lloyd, author.

Title

Thomas Becket : murder and the making of a saint / Lloyd de Beer and Naomi Speakman.

Publisher

London : The British Museum Press, 2021.

Copyright Date

©2021

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Chronological Term

1154-1189

Added Author

Speakman, Naomi, author.

Research Call Number

JFF 21-1008