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The Evolution of the Becket Controversy in the Twentieth Century

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The Evolution of the Becket Controversy in the Twentieth Century Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 8-1968 The Evolution of the Becket Controversy in the Twentieth Century James Patrick Edmiston Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Edmiston, James Patrick, "The Evolution of the Becket Controversy in the Twentieth Century" (1968). Master's Theses. 3161. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3161 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EmUTIGM OP THE HECKBT CONTRCTOSX IN THE TWENTIETH CMFURY /> James P^Ectaiston A T h esis Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillm ent o f th e Degree o f Master of Arts Western Michigan University Kalamazooj, Michigan August,, 1968 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis was written under the direction* and with the help­ ful criticism and thou^iful suggestions of* Professors George To Beech and John R« Scnsnerfeldt. T© them and to many others on the faculty of the Department of History at Western Michigan Univer­ sity* 1 am deeply indebted for the intellectual training which they have given me® I must assume* however* fu ll responsibility for what is written in this paper. The financial benefits of a Fellow­ ship* in addition to a favorable academic atmosphere* have made graduate study a pleasure at Western Michigan University. James P. Bdmiston Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. MASTER'S THESIS M d»1662 EDMISTON, James Patrick THE EVOLUTION OF THE BECKET CONTROVERSY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTRY, Western Michigan University, M«A. 9 1968 History, general University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE y PREFACE..... ......................... 1 INTRODUCTION. ............ 4 .PART 1B THE STORY................ 8 f PART IX0 THE EVOLUTION OF HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP OH THE BECfffiT CONTROVERSY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.. 16 PART IH # CONCLUSION..................... ................... .. 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................ 71 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PREFACE Few medieval topics have received the popular attention and engendered the abundance of historical research and controversy as the struggle between Henry II of England and Archbishop Thomas Becket of Canterbury. The personalities of these two men* the mo­ tives for which thqy fought* and the institutions which they de­ fended have served to elevate this struggle to ©pic proportions in the minds and writings of many historians. In their writings* historians of the controversy have alternately condemned and eulo­ gised Backet and Henry to such an extent that it is now possible to discover several* if not many* conflicting interpretations of the struggle by considering the works of various authorities of the controversy. The scholars of the Becket controversy have long labored in the shadow of a problem which is unique in medieval history* and which might account in part for the enigmatic role which Becket has assumed in modern scholarship. While scholars of many other problems of medieval history have had to extract both their in­ formation and their conclusions from scattered and often p iti­ fully scanty sources* the historian of the Becket controversy is faced with a mine of primary sources so vast that any attempt at a complete mastery of them would take many years. There were* for example* no less that twelve contemporary biographers of Becket alone* and the letters of Becket and the many other principals - 1- permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. in th© c o n f lic t would f i l l many volum es. Modern sc h o la r s know what Backet at©, where he slept, and what clothes he wore? yet Becket even today remains one of the most pussling figures of medieval h is to r y . Many key issues of th© controversy—Becket* a personality and motives, his "transformation" upon becoming archbishop of Canter­ bury, the question of ’'criminous clerks,” to© Constitutions of Clarendon and toe "ancient customs," toe position of the ©igUsh bishops and clergy, and th© effect of Backet?s murder on Henry® s reign and personality—hav© bean toe subjects of continuous de­ bate among Becket scholars, and their positions and views of Becket have largsly been determined by their interpretation of these key issues. like any historical problem, to® Becket controversy has not r ©stained static, but has undergone a process of change in which new materials relating to toe subject have been edited, new issues have been stressed, and significant attempts have been made to clarify many of the long-standing areas of doubt in toe con­ tr o v e r sy . The purpose of this study is to trace toe evolution of twen­ tieth-century historical scholarship on th© Becket controversy. This is not to dismiss as unworthy for serious consideration at­ tempts made before to© twentieth century to discuss and clarify toe central issues. Much previous work has provided to® basis fro® which modem research has begun. For example, to© M aterials fo r to© H isto ry o f Thomas Beck®t«, Archbishop o f Canterbury, e d ite d with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission in seven volumes by J.C. Robertson and J.B. Sheppard in the Rolls Series,, 1875-1885* remains today th© single most valuable primary source collection for scholars of th© controversy,, Historical re­ search on Thomas Becket has assumed such a prominent p la c e in th® last seventy years among scholars of medieval history* however* that the twentieth century seemed a logical choice to begin a study of th is kind. Alter a general description of th® condition of western Europe in 1154 and th© church in England under th© Noman kings* 1066-1154* a brief outline of the struggle w ill be given in Part I in order to provide the basis for a discussion of the evolution of twentieth century scholarship on the controversy in Part XL Finally* in Part IE w attempt w ill be mad© to give th© current status of historical opinion on Thomas Becket* indicating* if possible* new areas "where significant historical research might be made. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. lOTRQDUCTI® 95Th© middle decades of the twelfth centusy were part of an epoch in which both ideas and men circulated with the greatest freedom throughout western Europe.”^; The early twelfth century was indeed one of profound socials economic^ political^ in tel­ lectual p and religious change in 'western Europe. S o c ia lly9 this period witnessed the continuation of a trans­ formation of feudalism and the growth of towns. Feudalism, was changed because^of the rediscovery of Roman laws the concept of a fief as a tract of land which could be inherited or sold0 and th© change fr a personal service to money payments by vassals. The economic development of towns occurred as a result of the trade revival which was taking place in western Europe after th© First. Crusade. Politicallys strong monarchs were already beginning to con- solidate their power with the aid of the middle classes in several areas of western Europe. France under Louis FI (U08-1137) end Sicily under Rogar XL (1101-1154) were two countries in which an effective monarchy was becoming a reality. Western Europe also witnessed the beginning of an intellectual revolution during the twelfth century. The cathedral schools had " *ii 'i1 ——“-—tit-—-*rrrrrr——T —irtn r* —r—— — — 1 David Knowles 9 The Episcopal Colleagues of Archbishop Thomas Becket (Cambridge: Hie University Pr3SSa l95L)s p. 50. - 4 - Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. provided the basis for a revival of classicism and jumanism, and the rise of the universities in this period led to a further sys­ tematization and specialization of study. The application of dia­ lectic to theology and. philosophy, which occurred partly as a result of th© discovery and dissemination of the co!rpus of Aristotelean thought, was the central feature of this renaissance. The dominant institution in twelfth-century Europe was the Church. The popes of the twelfth century were guided by Gregory VIPs motto of "justitia et pax,” and their efforts to secure Christian justice in the world often led to an involvement in tem­ poral affairs and conflict with national monarchs.2 All of these changes were taking place in western Europe then Henry II came to the Ehglish throne in 1154s but the religious changes were perhaps the most significant in England in the year's before Henry. In the reign of William I, 1066-1087, the main emphasis was on spiritual reform, and William acted in conjunction with his archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc, in stressing th© ideals of the Cluniac reform, while maintaining a tight personal control of the church structure in England. This co-operation between king and archbishop cams to an end with William Rufus, 1087-1100, whose quarrel with Anselm over the question of ley. investiture resulted in a general deterioration of « - Karl Bihlm eyer, The M iddle A ges. 692-1294. V ol. I I o f Church History, rev. by Hermann Tuchle and trans. from the 13th German edition by Victor E. M ills and Francis J. Muller (Westminster, Marylands Th© Mewan Press, 1963), p.
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