Year 7 - History Extended Homework Project
Name:
Form:
Thomas Becket Investigation
Extended homework task
Your mission:
To solve one of the most famous murders of all time. On 29th December 1170, Archbishop
Thomas Becket was killed inside Canterbury Cathedral. His skull was cut open and his brains
scattered across the floor. Your job is to decide once and for all who was to blame…
The evidence:
In this pack you have some real historical evidence which can help you get to the bottom of
who was to blame for Becket’s murder. You need to look carefully at each piece of evidence,
and decide which evidence you can trust.
The report:
You will need to produce a final report which solves this great mystery, answering the
question ‘Who was to blame for the murder of Thomas Becket?’
This report must:

Be written in full sentences

Include two paragraphs, one explaining why the Knights were to blame and one
explaining how King Henry was to blame

Include a conclusion which explains who was most to blame for Becket’s death

Use at least four of the sources in the pack to back up your points

If you can, try to discuss how useful and trustworthy the sources are
Source A
On December 29th Becket was resting in his room near the cathedral. All in a fury, four
knights burst into the room. They demanded, in the name of King Henry II, that the
archbishop Becket should allow the bishops he had expelled from the Church to be given
back their jobs. Becket said that he would only forgive the bishops if they would swear to
obey him. The knights left the room, white with anger, and hurried away to prepare their
wicked plan.
From the account of the priest Ralph of Diceto writing shortly after Becket’s death. Ralph was
friends with some of the bishops expelled by Becket, but he did not fully agree with how
Becket was treated.
Source B
Becket wanted to be as great a man as the King, and tried to stop the judges punishing
wicked clergy in the Church courts. For this reason there were sad quarrels (arguments)
between the King and Becket.
From a nineteenth-century children’s history book.
Source C
The painting shows Becket and Henry II arguing
Source D
It is certain that Kings receive their power from the Church. You have not the power to give
orders to bishops, nor to drag priests before your courts.
From a letter written by Becket to King Henry. The letter was written a few years before
Becket’s death
Source E
A Painting of Becket’s death, made in the fifteenth century.
Source F
One of the knights raised his sword and wounded Becket in the head. The same blow
almost cut off my arm as I held the archbishop. Then Becket received a second blow, but
still he managed to stand. At the third blow he fell. He said, “For the name of Jesus and the
protection of his Church I am prepared to die.” Then the third knight struck Becket so hard
that his sword broke. The top was cut off the archbishop’s head so that blood stained the
cathedral floor. Another man put his foot on Becket’s neck and scattered his brains all over
the floor. He called out, ‘Let us away knights. He will trouble us no more’.
From the eyewitness account of Edward Grimm who saw the events in the Cathedral
Source G
Henry was a strong King. He tried to force the clergy (priests) to obey his rules, and in a fit of
temper said some words which made some of his knights kill Becket.
From a twentieth-century history book
Source H
My Lord Archbishop, let us return to our old friendship, and help each other as best we can,
forgetting our hatred completely.
From a letter written by King Henry II to Becket before his death
Source I
Henry asked his barons and knights how Becket should be punished. Some said that Becket
should be arrested; others said that he should be killed. On Christmas Day Henry made a
fateful speech. It is difficult to be sure exactly what he said, but one version stated he said
the following word to his advisors:
‘You are lazy traitors for letting me be so badly treated by this low-born priest’.
From a modern secondary school textbook
Source J
Henry was a man with a large round head and grey eyes which glowed fiercely and grew
bloodshot in anger. His angry outbursts were well known, on one occasion he was seen
rolling on the ground of his palace, chewing the rushes which covered the floor and banging
his fists.
Written in the 1180s (after Becket’s death) by Gerald of Wales, a bishop
When writing your report, try to include the following features:
 State who you think was to blame in the first sentence
 Mention the sources you use to support your point
 Use quotes from these sources as evidence
 Explain how these quotes support your point
Extension:
 If you can, explain how some sources help back each other up
 If you can, discuss how reliable or useful the sources are as evidence in this case
Here is an example paragraph to help you write your Police report:
On one hand, Thomas Becket is to blame for his own death. Evidence for this can be seen in
Source B. This source says ‘Becket wanted to be as great a man as the King’. This quote
suggests that Becket wanted all of the power for himself and was trying to be like a King.
This would make Henry angry. Furthermore, the source says that Becket ‘tried to stop judges
punishing wicked priests in the church courts’. This explains why Henry and Becket fell out
because Becket was letting people get away with crimes they had committed. Although
Source B was not written at the time, it is still fairly reliable because it is for a school
textbook, so the author would have done a lot of research to get the facts right. Source B is
also backed up by Source D. The fact that Becket wants power over the King is also clear
from Source D because Becket is saying to Henry that ‘You have not the power to give
orders to bishops’, which is very arrogant because he is refusing to listen to the King. If
Becket hadn’t challenged the King’s authority then Becket and Henry wouldn’t have argued
and Becket wouldn’t have been killed.