Dr Emily Guerry, Senior Lecturer of Medieval European History, has written an article for HistoryExtra, and spoken on their well-known podcast.
On the eve of the international conference on Thomas Becket: Life, Death and Legacy, for which she is co-organiser, Dr Emily Guerry has written a fascinating piece for HistoryExtra on the life, death and influence of Thomas Becket. The 29th December 2020 marked 850 years since his brutal murder and while Thomas Becket led a remarkable life, it was his death that yielded an even greater power, writes Emily. It took a matter of months for Thomas Becket to become one of the most famous martyrs in history.
In the podcast, Emily details various accounts from friends of Becket, bystanders and well known writers which look at his role in the changes within the church and the state in the 12th century, and the events leading up to and including his death, highlighting the famous words “will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?”.
Read the article and listen to the podcast on the HistoryExtra site.
Emily is working with colleagues at Christ Church University and Canterbury Cathedral to host this conference, with generous support from the British Academy. You can reserve a ticket, please note that ALL Kent students can book for free.
Our conference coincides with the launch of an exciting exhibition on Becket at the British Museum, which will feature a 6-meter-tall 800-year-old stained glass window showing the miracles of Becket, on loan from Canterbury Cathedral. For any queries about either of these events, please get in touch with Emily Guerry.