From Thomas Becket's early life as a merchant's son and his time as the Archbishop of Canterbury to his assassination in the Cathedral itself, this enlightening book brings to life a colossal figure of British history.
'Lively, effortlessly readable, superb. A beautifully layered portrait of one of the most complex characters in English history' The Times
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This is the man, not the legend . . .
Thomas Becket lived at the centre of medieval England. Son of a draper's merchant, he was befriended and favoured by Henry II and quickly ascended the rungs of power and privilege. He led 700 knights into battle, brokered peace between warring states and advised King and Pope.
Yet he lost it all defying his closest friend and King, resulting in his bloody murder and the birth of a saint.
In award-winning biographer John Guy's masterful account, the life, death and times of Thomas Becket come vividly into focus.
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'Suspenseful, meticulously researched . . . however well you think you know the story, it is well worth the read' Financial Times
'Wonderfully moving and subtle. Reading of the assassination is almost unbearably intense and brings tears to one's eye' Daily Express
'Compelling, marvellously measured, entertainingly astute, and in places positively moving' The Independent
'Scintillates with energetic scene-setting, giving us a tactile, visual feel for early medieval England . . . breathes new life into an oft-told tale' Financial Times
Thomas Becket
Warrior, Priest, Rebel, Victim: A 900-Year-Old Story Retold
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
December 6, 2012 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780241963982
- File size: 374868 KB
- Duration: 13:00:58
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from May 7, 2012
Guy (Queen of Scots) gives us another masterful biography, this time of Thomas Becket (1118–1170), the man who refused to subordinate the power of the church to the power of the state, and was martyred for it. Through his engrossing chronicle of Becket’s life and work, Guy, a history fellow at Cambridge, regales us with the tale of a man who, because of his own rhetorical and administrative skills became Henry II’s right-hand man and eventually his mortal enemy. Distilling and disputing materials from several previous Becket biographies, Guy traces his subject’s development from a handsome, superficial, and socially ambitious youth to a mature man who rose intellectually, morally, and politically to become lord chancellor to Henry II. In 1162, he was named archbishop of Canterbury, a position he accepted reluctantly, knowing that his honest exercise of the office as a defender of liberty and as one who would assert the church’s power to cancel unjust state laws would bring him into conflict with Henry. Guy’s masterfully told tale of a man attempting to live up to his ideals amid political and religious intrigue brings Becket fully to life. 2 photo inserts, 2 maps. Agent: Grainne Fox, Fletcher & Co.
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