Henry II Thomas Becket

A detailed Summary of Henry II Thomas Becket


King Henry II was ruler of England during the 12th century. He and his loyal, Saxon Chancellor, Thomas Becket ruled over the state and government of England. With Becket at his side to provide insight and ideas Henry was a better ruler. Henry loved being head of throne. He became obsessed with power and thought by using Becket he would gain control over the church by appointing him Archbishop. Thus began the decline of his power as Becket turned his loyalty away from the crown and instead to the cross. Because of King Henry's mental unstableness, it lead to the demise of the king and to the death of Thomas

King Henry was a power hungry man. He knew Becket was an extremely intelligent person, and considered him the only one in his kingdom. Henry made Becket the Chancellor of England and gave him the seal of England. Even though he was a Saxon, he proved his loyalty to King Henry and became his best friend. With him as his right hand man, Henry felt he could have greater control over the church within the kingdom. Becket also


All of King Henry's thirst for power foreshadows his selfishness. He only wanted what was best for him, which is seen in his quest for supreme rule of England. He didn't show much care towards anyone in the movie except for Thomas. Not even his family was of any concern to him. He constantly cheated on his wife with other women. He even went so far as to take a peasant girl from her home just for his personal pleasure. He also hated his children. Henry despised everything about them, constantly verbally abusing them and threatening them. The only loved he ever showed was to Becket and even that loved ended once Becket turned to God.

Once King Henry received news that Becket was completely devoted to the church, their loyalty and friendship became an unstable trust that eventually dissolved all together. This lead to Henry's quite unstable mental health. After all the years Thomas and he had worked to gain power for the state and break down the church, Becket's sudden political change sent the king over the edge. King Henry began to lose wha

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Approximate Word count = 707
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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