Michael
Swanton, ed.
The Lives of Thomas Becket.
Manchester U.P., 2001.
Manchester
Medieval Sources series.
Publisher's
recommended price
Hardback ISBN
0719054540;
Paperback
ISBN 0719054559, £16.99
This
collection tells
the full story of Thomas Becket's turbulent life, violent death, and
extraordinary
posthumous acclaim in the work of his contemporaries. These extracts,
many
previously unpublished, make it possible for the first time to read in
English how one of the most controversial figures of the Middle Ages
was
seen by those who knew him best and those most powerfully affected by
him.
Written
as the
shock of Becket's murder in December 1170 reverberated around Europe,
these
accounts provide vivid testimony to the most dramatic events of his
life;
how the 'proud and vain' royal chancellor became champion of the Church
and enemy of the king; how he fled into exile to lead a life of
personal
asceticism and political agitation and how he returned to face maryrdom
in his own cathedral of Canterbury, prompting unprcedented popular
veneration.
The
biographers'
accounts and the many eye-witnesses, are descriptive, reflective and
argumentative,
providing both a valuable glimpse of the late twelfth-century world,
and
an insight in to the minds of those who witnessed the events. This book
is an essential resource for the study of medieval religion, politics
and
thought, and a lively introduction to one of the most famous episodes
in
English history.
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