Why do pilgrims visit the Shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury?
Thomas Becket (1118 – 29 December 1170) or Thomas à Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to his death. Thomas Becket was assassinated by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. People used to think his name was Thomas á Becket, but it is now known to be wrong. In June 1170, the archbishop of York and the bishops of London and Salisbury held the coronation of Henry the Young King in York. This was a breach of Canterbury’s privilege of coronation. In November 1170, Becket excommunicated all three. While the three bishops fled to the king in Normandy, Becket continued to excommunicate his opponents in the church. Soon word of this reached Henry who was in Normandy at the time. He was a close friend of King Henry II, but they argued about the rights the Church could have, and he was killed by four followers of the King. However, evidence shows that the King had no knowledge of the murder, and English stories say that he went around Canterbury being whipped as punishment for
