Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. XXI, part 1 · Unit 7: The Crusades
28. Henry the Second and Thomas Becket
Goal: Your child can tell where the name Plantagenet comes from, and the story of Henry II's quarrel with Thomas Becket.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Europe and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter XXI, section I (1154-1189): Henry II, grandson of Henry I and great-grandson of William the Conqueror, rules England and large lands in France. His family name comes from the broom plant his father wore. He makes his friend Thomas Becket chancellor, then Archbishop of Canterbury, but Becket opposes him. After angry words from the king, four knights murder Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. Becket is made a saint; Henry does penance at his tomb. His sons rebel, and he dies brokenhearted.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Canterbury in Kent, in the southeast of England. Then find Anjou and Normandy in France. Say: Henry II ruled England and a great part of France as well.
Read the chapter
Read section I aloud. It begins:
In 1154, while Barbarossa was reigning in Germany, Henry II, one of England's greatest monarchs, came to the throne.
Heads-up: Becket is killed by the four knights inside the cathedral. The book tells it in one sentence.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- Where did the name Plantagenet come from?
- Why did Henry make Becket archbishop, and why did they quarrel?
- What did Henry cry out in anger, and what did the four knights do?
- What did Henry do at Becket's tomb?
Talk it over
Read Becket's answer to the knights:
Here am I—no traitor, but a priest of God.
Ask:
- Henry said he never ordered the murder. Was he still to blame for his angry words?
- Why do you think he let the monks scourge him?
Remember it
Read what a man who knew Henry said:
He never sits down; he is on his feet from morning till night.
SayBecket's tomb became a famous place of pilgrimage. Long afterward, Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales about a group of pilgrims riding there.
Extra (optional)
Add "1154 Henry II, first Plantagenet king" to the timeline. Draw a sprig of broom, the yellow-flowered plant Count Geoffrey wore in his hat.
Afterwards
Ask your child to explain to someone why Henry walked barefoot to Canterbury.
Tip
"Planta genista" is the broom plant in Latin; the book says so itself. It is a nice link back to the Latin words in the Rome book.
Answers to the book's problems
Count Geoffrey wore a sprig of broom, planta genista in Latin, in his hat. Henry wanted Becket, as head of the Church in England, to bring the clergy under the king's authority; Becket refused to do what the king most wanted. He cried, "Is there no one who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" and four knights went to England and killed Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. He walked barefoot and bareheaded, fasted and prayed a day and a night, and had the monks scourge him. Good answers say angry words can do real harm even if not meant as an order.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.