posted on 31/07/2024
This series of three talks, convened in the 850th year of King Henry’s penance and King William’s capture, will explore the extraordinary friendship and the equally astonishing rupture between Henry and Thomas Becket that shocked and appalled mid-12th-century Europe. Over the course of three lectures we will explore the making of their alliance, the genesis and growth of their enmity, and the transformation of their relationship in the wake of Becket’s brutal murder. We will do so with the help of a combination of manuscripts, luxury items and buildings.
They take place every Wednesday from 9th–23rd October at 4.30pm (London) and, including Q&A, will probably last just under an hour. They are available for viewing for eight weeks after the last episode is streamed (18th December 2024).
Register for the webinar series for £45
This talk will examine how the young Angevin king and the ambitious London fixer came to forge an unlikely, if highly effective, friendship at a critical moment in the history of the kingdom of the English.
In 1164 Thomas the Chancellor was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury. All was set for a brilliant alliance between king and primate. But then it went wrong. This lecture will explain why and how the relationship failed so publicly and explore the consequences of the conflict for both men, their supporters, and the kingdom
Archbishop Thomas was slain on 29th December 1170. This was the moment when the difficult and divisive man became a saint. But it was not the end of the relationship between Henry and Thomas: more was to follow. There were the immediate miracles; there was talk that spread like wildfire; and there was still more drama. The final talk will explore this crucial chapter in the afterlife of Thomas Becket.
Lecturer in medieval history at the University of East Anglia. He was taught at the Universities of London, Cambridge, and Oxford, and was a research fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. He specialises in the period, 700–1200, and publishes on western kings, secular élites and their records. He is a keen believer in the value of exploring and understanding the architectural fabric, material culture and landscapes of the past.
Register for the webinar series for £45
An electronic invoice will be sent to your e-mail address 1–3 working days after you have completed our registration form Payment can be made online using AMEX, Apple Pay, Google Pay, MasterCard or Visa.
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No, unfortunately not. The series must be purchased in full.
An e-mail confirmation will be sent to you after you have paid for your subscription, which includes your unique link for joining the webinar. Reminder e-mails will be sent to you one day and one hour before each event. We recommend that you download the Zoom software in advance of the first webinar.
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A recording will be uploaded to a dedicated webpage approximately two hours after the live broadcast. For copyright reasons, these recordings cannot be made available indefinitely; access is granted for eight weeks after the final live broadcast of the series.
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