The Medieval Murder of Thomas Becket
After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal
History Hit
4.7 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2026
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Anthony is joined by the iconic Eleanor Janega from our sister podcast 'Gone Medieval' to tell the story of the most famous murder of the medieval world - Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Cantebury.
How did a bromance between Thomas and his king turn into a deadly divide between church and crown?
This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.
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Transcript
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| 0:25.2 | to start exploring the past. |
| 0:32.9 | A fire snaps in the hearth. |
| 0:35.8 | The hole is loud with Christmas feasting, but the mood turns. |
| 0:41.3 | In Normandy, before a court of armed retainers and watchful bishops, |
| 0:46.0 | Henry II is pacing. |
| 0:47.9 | Once, he and Thomas Beckett hunted together, governed together, trusted each other absolutely. |
| 0:56.8 | Now the king and the Archbishop of Canterbury stand on opposite sides of a question that cuts to the bone of medieval Europe. Who truly ruled |
| 1:04.1 | medieval England? Crown or church? Beckett has excommunicated royal allies. He has defied the crown, and Henry's anger spills over. |
| 1:16.0 | Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest? His cry echoes off the thick stone walls, |
| 1:23.5 | and four knights hear more than frustration. They hear a call to action. |
| 1:32.0 | The most notorious murder of the Middle Ages |
| 1:34.8 | took place on the evening of December 29th, 1170. |
| 1:38.8 | Four nights burst into a cathedral. |
| 1:41.7 | Within minutes, the archbishop, |
| 1:43.4 | the most senior spiritual leader in the country, |
| 1:46.3 | lay dead. His skulls split open before the altar. This was not a Viking raid, nor a foreign |
| 1:54.1 | invasion. This was a political murder inside the heart of Christianity in England. And at the |
| 2:00.4 | centre of it all stands a king, |
... |
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