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
The Report
In pen and double-spaced, write a paragraph answering the following question:
Who is the most to blame for Becket’s death?
When writing your report, you need to include the following features:
 State who you think was to blame
 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
Length: around 200-250 words