~ 1118 - 1170
Thomas Becket was a 12th-century English cleric who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Born around 1120, he became a key figure in the struggle between church and state, famously opposing King Henry II's attempts to exert control over the church. Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, and he was canonized as a martyr by Pope Alexander III soon after his death, becoming a symbol of the struggle for ecclesiastical independence.