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History Daily

The Brutal Killing of Thomas Becket Shocks England

History Daily

Airship | Noiser | Wondery

History

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 December 2023

⏱️ 19 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

December 29th, 1170: Archbishop Thomas Becket becomes a martyr after he is brutally killed by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:03.7

Listen with Wonder Plus in the Wonder App.

0:06.0

Or you can get all of History Daily, plus other fantastic history podcasts at

0:10.5

Into History.

0:11.6

com. It's spring 1153 at Mansbury Abbey in Wiltshire, England.

0:26.0

20-year-old Henry Plantagenet bangs his fist against the Abbey entrance and demands entry.

0:32.0

A large wooden door opens a crack to reveal the pale face of a monk who

0:36.3

pleads with Henry to guarantee the safety of the people inside. Soldiers

0:40.5

Russell impatiently behind Henry stepping closer to the monk.

0:44.0

Twelve years ago England was plunged into a civil war which will come to be known as the anarchy.

0:50.0

Henry's mother Matilda claimed she was the rightful monarch and that the throne had been

0:54.6

usurped by Henry's uncle Stephen. Now Henry's here with an army to seize Momsbury,

1:00.1

but the town's men are loyal to King Stephen, and they've taken refuge in the Abbey.

1:05.0

Henry ignores the monks please and pushes the door open,

1:09.0

standing back as his soldiers charged into the Abbey with swords drawn. Henry draws his own sword and follows

1:15.2

them into the Abbey, but the men of Momsbury are unarmed and offer no threat. The two groups

1:20.7

eye each other warily until the tension is broken by one of Henry's soldiers

1:24.8

who stepped forward and plunges his sword into the chest of a nearby townsman.

1:29.9

The killing begins a mass slaughter as Henry's soldiers attacked the townsfolk.

1:34.6

Even the monks who enter the fray and beg for mercy are killed.

1:38.3

The last surviving men of Momsbury tried to make a desperate rush for the exit but it's of no use.

1:43.5

Every last one of them are cut down by Henry's soldiers and blood covers the Abbey floor.

...

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