What were the accomplishments of Thomas Becket?
Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury. At the same
time, King Henry II, who had been Becket's close friend, was trying
to increase his own power at the expense of the Church. Becket
resisted this and was assassinated in the cathedral during Vespers.
Four knights had tried to get him to leave with them, and when he
refused, they attacked him with their swords, while he continued to
say his prayers.
As a result of these acts, King Henry was humiliated and the
power of the Church was significantly increased. Becket was a
martyr, and the Church soon declared him to be a saint. Pilgrims
went to Canterbury to visit the shrine of a saint to had stood up
to a king, and this also diminished the stature of the monarchy for
centuries, until the Church in England was pretty much overwhelmed
by King Henry VIII.