A year-long programme of events will mark 850 years since the murder of Thomas Becket.

Becket2020 will see venues in Canterbury and London commemorate his death - which shocked Europe exactly 849 years ago today.

Canterbury will be the centre of activity celebrating Becket next year.

Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until he was murdered in 1170 by four knights with close ties to his former friend King Henry II.

The two men had disagreed over the rights and privileges of the church.

Although historical accounts differ, the King is alleged to have said, “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?”.

This was interpreted as a royal command and four knights confronted him in Canterbury Cathedral before killing him with their swords near to the cloister.

He was quickly canonised by Pope Alexander III and became a major centre of European pilgrimage before being destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII in the early years of the English Reformation.

In both the Roman Catholic and Anglican Church he is recognised as a saint and a martyr.

A major new production of T. S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral will be performed for the first time in Canterbury Cathedral in October.

The Cathedral will also host a special choral evensong service to commemorate Becket’s martyrdom on December 29, 2020.

Other highlights include Saint Thomas Becket - World Celebrity Healer at The Beaney, a community creative project focusing on mental and physical health and wellbeing in the context of Becket’s fame.

In July, Canterbury’s fifth annual Medieval Pageant and Trail will take place, and this year commemorates Henry ll’s pilgrimage to Canterbury to perform penance for his association with the murder of Becket.

London, the city of Becket’s birth, will also host a range of events.

Thomas Becket at the British Museum will open in October and will showcase an array of more than 100 objects associated with the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

Also in the capital, The Museum of London will display a selection of their extraordinary collection of pilgrim badges.

For more than 300 years, Londoners flocked to Becket's shrine in Canterbury often returning with a badge as a keepsake.

The Museum of London will use examples to illustrate Becket’s extraordinary life and his connections to the capital. V

Co-curator of Thomas Becket at the British Museum Naomi Speakman said: "The story of Thomas Becket’s life, death and legacy has all the hallmarks of a Game of Thrones plot. There is drama, fame, royalty, power, envy, retribution, and ultimately a brutal murder that shocked Europe. These events had repercussions that have echoed out through time, and we’re delighted to be telling this important story for the first time in a major exhibition."

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