Henry ii (Becket) Flashcards
By 1154, how were most legal cases handled?
By 1154, most legal cases were delegated to God through Trial by Oath or Trial by Ordeal
How did Popes hold power over monarchs in Europe?
The threat of excommunication which was the process of being removed from the Catholic Church.
How did Henry gain religious legitimacy?
For religious legitimacy, Henry II petitioned pope Alexander III to canonise his ancestor Edward the Confessor at his coronation, which was eventually granted in 1161
in 1154, how much legal power did the church have?
In England by 1154, the church had ecclesiastical jurisdiction, provided by their canon law (legal code of the clergy) and their own system of courts which heard cases on heresy, blasphemy, usury, sorcery, marriage, adultery and also any crime which a member of the clergy has committed
What were Henry’s ecclesiastical privileges?
Henry II’s ecclesiastical privileges and exemptions law was an attempt to give Henry II the legal right to remove legal cases from ecclesiastical courts and instead to be held in secular courts
What was Henry eager to do?
Henry II was eager to consolidate his legal power over England, which meant removing the barrier of ecclesiastical law
What did Henry’s attempt at ecclesiastical reforms involve?
ensuring no member of the clergy could receive a letter from the pope unless the king had read it first and agreed with its contents, no papal legates could visit England without the king’s permission, all seriously criminous clerks should be handed to secular courts
What did Henry make Beckett in 1162 and why?
Archbishop of Canterbury.
Henry II viewed Thomas Beckett as the ideal candidate for the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 for he was competent, loyal and trusted – he even looked after Henry II’s son and heir, Henri
What did Thomas Beckett think of being archbishop?
Thomas Beckett hated the idea of being Archbishop of Canterbury due to the conflict of interest it would develop – to prior of Leicester he disclosed “I will have to forfeit either the king’s favour or my service to God Almighty”
Who was sent to convince the bishops of England to vote for Beckett?
Richard de Lucy, the loyal, was in charge of convincing the bishops that he should be made archbishop
What did Beckett do a few weeks after being elected as archbishop?
A few weeks later, Becket, surprisingly resigned as Chancellor
How had Beckett changed?
he started studying theology, washing the feet of paupers, giving abundantly to charity and taking his role very seriously
He posted the king’s seal back to Henry to demonstrate he had chosen to be archbishop, only
When did disagreements start between Henry and Beckett?
Disagreements between the two began in 1163 in Woodstock during a council where Henry wanted to raise the “sheriff’s aid” tax where landlords pay sheriffs two shillings per acre of land to pay for further legal reforms. Thomas refused
Henry responded with by the eyes of God, it shall be given as revenue and entered in the royal rolls’
Thomas responded with by the reverence of the eyes by which you have sworn, my lord king, there shall be given from all my land or from the property of the church not a penny
What other issue did Henry and Becket disagree over in 1163?
Henry and Thomas then disagreed over the issue of criminous clerks later in 1163
Where and when did Henry and Beckett meet the second time
Thomas and Henry met again in Northampton in 1163 to try and come to a
resolution
What occured in Northampton in 1163?
Becket refused Henry II’s attempts to reform the church and argued that the church should be completely legally separate from the rest of England
What occured as a result of the meeting in Northampton in 1163?
Henry II was livid at Becket’s refusal and confiscated all of Becket’s castles and removed his son from his care
In retaliation, Thomas refused to allow a marriage between Henry’s younger brother, William, and his love Isabelle of Warenne – William later died an early death (27) in 1164 because of heartache
How did the pope respond to Henry and Becket’s disagreement?
Pope Alexander III needed Henry II’s support, so he pressured Becket to be more lenient to the king’s demands in response to Henry gathering Roger Bishop of York, Gilbert Bishop of London, Robert Bishop of Lincoln and Hilary Bishop of Chichester to his side in order to appeal to the pope
How did Henry and Becket respond to the pope?
In response, Becket and Henry II met in Clarendon to agree on a compromise of ecclesiastical reform in 1164
What occured at the meeting at Clarendom?
Becket gave verbal confirmation to the king’s demands at the Council of
Clarendon
Henry II then revealed 16 terms written down which were much stricter than what was originally agreed and gave Henry II more jurisdiction than the pope
What were some of the clauses of the Constitutions of Clarendon?
Clause 3 said that all criminous clerks would be tried in secular courts
Clause 4 said Bishops and Archbishops had to receive royal permission before leaving England
Clause 7 said barons and royal officials could not be excommunicated without the permission of the king
Clause 8 said there was to be no appeals to the pope
Clause 9 said any land disputes involving the clergy would be treated as a secular matter
Clause 11 said all ecclesiastical land must pay rent to the king
Clause 10 said that anyone who flaunted the church’s ruling would be punished
Who did Henry want to sign the Constitutions of Clarendon?
Henry II wanted the bishops, including Thomas Becket to sign this document
Why was the constitutions seen as without precedent?
This was without precedent – the balance of power between church and crown had always been unwritten, informal and in flux
This move shook people up – even Matilda!
What did Roger of York warn Becket about?
Roger of York told Thomas that if he did not agree “he would fall into Henry’s hands and be condemned as a disturber of the royal majesty and enemy of the crown, and killed”
