The Assassination of Saint Thomas Becket - Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre

"By Mr. Pierre, Ecuyer, Professor.
38. A Table in height 9 feet by 5 wide, representing the Martyrdom of S. Thomas, Archbishop of Cantorbery. "

The conflict between Henry II of England and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury is the conflict of the two powers that share the government of England. Thomas was a friend of Henry II, who entrusted him with his son's education and favored his election as archbishop. From the moment of his election, however, Thomas was in violent opposition to the king, who, through the Constitutions of Clarendon (1164), intended to subject all the subjects of his kingdom, including the clergy, to a single, royal jurisdiction. Rather than submit, he went into exile in France, seeking the support of Pope Alexander III (then in Sens) and King Louis VII. Shortly after his return in 1170, he was assassinated by four knights in his cathedral, near the altar. The king had not explicitly ordered the assassination, but in a moment of exasperation he is said to have said, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest? Henry II had to do public penance, renouncing the Clarendon Constitutions. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173 by Alexander III, and his cult spread throughout Europe. His tomb became one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in England.