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King Henry II And Thomas Becket: Clash Of Personality

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‘The conflict between King Henry II and Thomas Becket was caused more by issues of principle than by a clash of personalities.’
The argument on whether the conflict between Becket and Henry was caused by an issue of principle than personality changes between 1163 and 1170. Both personality and principle comes into effect at different events but it is ultimately personality that dominates for both Thomas and Henry.
Henry chose Becket as Archbishop for his own needs this was clear as Becket was everything an Archbishop of Canterbury should not be, Henry believed Thomas would act on his orders and would place Prince Henry heir to the throne of England. 1164 was the first sign of a split between Henry and Thomas occurred. Henry passed a law which …show more content…

Thomas was ultimately doing what he was asked, his role as Archbishop required him to look after the best interests of the Church. Henry expected Becket to be manipulated by him to have an ally in the Church. Henrys personality led him to choose Becket as Archbishop due to their friendship of many years but mainly to use him to control the growing rights and powers of the Church. Henry wanted to ensure that all his vassals, ecclesiastical and lay, would owe allegiance to him, and not the Pope. However principle came into effect when Becket tried to protect the Church. After 1163 Becket and Henry where no longer friend, Henry in July 1163 proposed a sheriffs aid however Beckett stated that the sheriffs aid was not a royal rent and refused to pay it from his estates or Church lands. Animosity arose between Henry and Beckett …show more content…

However it soon turned into anger and as Thomas Becket pushed so the King began to push back and the quarrel intensified. This led to the trial of Becket which was significant because it shows a clear sign of personality dominating. Henry saw the problem of ‘criminous clerks’ as one where he could assert the King’s customary rights over the church, drawn up as the Constitutions of Clarendon. He wanted the clergy who were convicted of serious crimes to be tried in ordinary courts of law rather than ecclesiastical. Thomas publically accepted these constitutions only to renounce them later. Though Henry had strong principle it was evident in the trial of Becket in 1164 that Henry‘s personality took over. The King began to attack Becket whenever he could. At Northampton in October, Becket was summon not as an Archbishop but as a Baron accused of wrongful behaviour. Beckett was accused of contempt for the oath he had taken at Clarendon to observe the ancient customs of the realm and failure to repay royal loans which was untrue and was significant in showing Henrys personality take

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