As the British Museum opens its doors with an exhibition on the life and death of Thomas Becket, we reflect on his enduring appeal
Over the course of western history, many martyrs to secular causes have perished in defence of their beliefs, from Socrates to Martin Luther King. But when FBI director James Comey was questioned before US Senate Intelligence in 2017 about his refusal to drop the bureau’s investigation into Michael Flynn at President Trump’s request, he chose to compare himself with Thomas Becket.
Comey’s choice of reference was lost on many, but it showed how enduring Becket’s appeal is. The example of this medieval martyr has stood the test of time because, independently of its religious context, it’s a ripping yarn. The story has everything going for it: the “rags to riches” rise of a child of second-generation immigrants from “Cheapside brat” to chancellor in 1155 at the age of 36, then Archbishop of Canterbury three years later; the dramatic fall from royal favour ending in his sacrilegious murder in his own cathedral; and, to cap it all, the miracles that followed within days of his death on 29 December 1170, leading to his canonisation just over two years later – the fastest in history.