The Becket Casket: Enshrining Sanctity and Martyrdom in Medieval Europe

While some may question the validity of martyr saints and their hagiography, on the night of December 29, 1170, five eyewitnesses recount the murder of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. According to Edward Grim, a clerk visiting the Canterbury Cathedral from Cambridgeshire, Becket had already made his peace with his earthly life, embracing what was to come, “for the name of Jesus and the well-being of the Church I am prepared to embrace death” (Staunton 2013, 203). His murder at the hands of King Henry II’s barons propelled shock waves throughout medieval society, including the King. Quickly following his death, he became venerated as a martyr who was seen fighting for the Church, canonized as a Saint, and his tomb a pilgrimage site for many Christians. Of the many relics that emerged following his death, the Becket Casket, currently housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, emerges as a unique item. The detailed depiction on the casket underscores the dichotomy between the martyrdom of Thomas Becket and his sanctification, creating a political yet theological message to all those who lay sight on it. With a careful analytical exploration of Grim’s testimonial evidence and contextual scholarship, our research argues that the casket reliquary, though an object of devotional aid and ecclesiastical resistance, creates a duality that critiques the royal authority of King Henry II as well as mirrors Christ’s passion, aligning with other martyr saints of the Christian Church.

To fully grasp the nuances of the Becket Casket, we must first understand the broader historical and political context of Thomas Becket, his martyrdom, and the aftermath that followed. Born to merchant-class parents in 1118, Thomas Becket grew into an educated young adult. With introductions to distinguished individuals in London, such as Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury, his status climbed quickly. Becket, at the suggestion of Theobald, was appointed “…archdeacon of Canterbury, an important and lucrative post, and less than three months later recommended him to [King] Henry [II] as chancellor” (Knowles 2025). Similarly to the deep relationship he had built with Theobald, Beckets and King Henry became an effective duo in government and personal life. Following the death of Archbishop Theobald, King Henry successfully campaigned to install Becket as the new archbishop, “…expecting him to continue to put the king’s business first” (Freeman 2011, 2). However, Becket experienced a meaningful spiritual transformation and chose the Church as his primary focus, creating an unforgivable divide between the two men.

Following Becket’s rejection of the crown’s advances to take control of the Church, he spent six years in a self-imposed exile in France. Though returning to possibly reconcile with King Henry, according to William of Canterbury, Becket was warned by the Dean of Boulogne of the possible trouble that awaited him, “watch out for yourself. There are those lying in wait who seek your life, blockading the sea ports, so that as you leave the ship they might seize you and butcher you or put you in chains” (Staunton 2013, 184). Ultimately, several months after his arrival back to England, on December 29, 1170, four barons of Henry’s court arrived at Canterbury to demand that Becket “…absolve the excommunicated bishops and go with them to the new king” (Freeman 2011, 3). However, upon the refusal to align with their wishes, the scene at the cathedral escalated quickly. Grim paints this picture with such grit in The Lives of Thomas Becket, “…the butchers returned in hauberks with swords, axes and hatchets, and other weapons suitable for the crime which they had conceived in their minds to carry out…,” though Becket, “…mindful of his former promise that he would not in fear of death run away from the killers of the flesh, refused flight” (Staunton 2013, 198-199). This docile acceptance of death directly parallels that of Christ’s passion; he did not resist or circumvent being taken into custody regardless of the torment to come.

Almost immediately following Becket’s death, he was seen as a martyr. Benedick of Peterborough recounted how the ransacking of the archbishop’s palace mirrored Christ’s clothes being divided. He adds, “And while blood in the likeness of a crown, perhaps in a sign of sanctity, lay around his head, his face nevertheless seemed entirely free from blood…” (Staunton 2013, 204). Employing the recurrence of topoi that follow martyr saints, a list of miracles grew quickly. Just three years after his death, Pope Alexander III announced the canonization of Saint Thomas in 1173. In Holy Bones, Holy Dust: How Relics Shaped the History of Medieval Europe, author Charles Freeman outlines how the cult of Becket spread throughout Europe, including churches and art dedicated to him, and ultimately, relic dissemination. However, we must acknowledge Benedict of Peterborough’s expansive work on the liturgical integration of Saint Thomas Becket by his pen. Rachel Koopmans, a professor and scholar in medieval history, concluded that “Benedict’s Miracles [of St Thomas of Canterbury] had a much greater readership, and his Office [of Becket] formed the European conception of Becket for centuries to come,” aiding in the growth of the cult of Becket (Koopmans 2021, 268).

Benedict’s liturgical legacy drastically influenced Christian devotion and set the visual culture of Saint Thomas Becket’s martyrdom in motion. A beautiful, unique example of this visual embodiment is the Becket Casket, which offers a vast juxtaposition from the vibrant, jewel-encrusted reliquaries discussed throughout the semester. Upon first glance, the viewer witnesses a high contrast of goldish metal, black and white images, and a pop of red from the jewel on top. The rectangular casket features a roof-like lid made up of triangles. The seams of the casket and lid have unique indented piping that adds to the overall design. The Met dates this reliquary to “…1173, making it one of the earliest objects commemorating his sainthood” (Reliquary Casket with Scenes from the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket).

Each side is adorned with an iconographic narrative highlighting the Saint’s martyrdom. On the front panel, below the latch, we see Saint Thomas Becket depicted on the left-hand side in prayer in contrast to the three men on the right, two of whom carry swords. This symbolizes the moment right before he was killed in Canterbury. Additionally, as Becket is in prayer, it aligns with Christ’s passion, where he was praying in the garden of Gethsemane before being taken away by the guards. Above them, an angel watches over the scene as an indication of his chosen divinity from God. On the main back panel, Saint Thomas Becket is being laid to rest by two figures that look like clergy, symbolizing the mortal shift to martyr. Like the front side, the triangle above the back main panel features an angel; however, uniquely, the angle holds a child in their arms as they lift to the heavens as a depiction of his soul being escorted to heaven. On the smaller sides, a singular angel is depicted at either end of the casket. One could argue that, like the other two angles featured on the triangle parts of the lid, they are watching over Saint Thomas Becket in a sense of approval of his martyrdom.

The dichotomy between the storytelling of the front and back evokes a sense of action and visual narrative, underscoring one of Cynthia Hahn’s themes of pictorial hagiography. In Portrayed on the Heart: Narrative Effect in Pictorial Lives of Saints from the Tenth Through the Thirteenth Century, she writes, “…pictorial hagiography particularly suits silent reception, for it has the ability to effectively ‘engrave’ the saint’s deeds on the heart of the viewer, bypassing the mental or physical ‘noise’ of language” (Hahn 2001, 69). Condensing the narrative to these two key images allows those viewing the object to feel the physical suffering, creating a more significant emotional relationship and increasing the devotional or spiritual connection. Additionally, the placement of the angels on the triangle panels of the lid that frame Saint Thomas Becket’s martyrdom confirms that the sacrifice is divinely sanctioned. However, as Julian Luxford has shown in her article, “The Relics of Thomas Becket in England,” the ultimate control over Becket’s relics in England was bastardized by competition, fragmentation, and politics. The harmonious, celestial imagery depicted around the casket contrasts significantly with the human realities of how the English nobility contested Saint Thomas Becket’s sanctity.

The Becket Casket inexplicitly underscores the divine order, linking Becket’s martyrdom to divine justice through its unique iconography depiction. However, as Julian Luxford notes, the actual circulation of Becket’s relics was far from unified, fragmented by worldly upheaval. The reliquary is not just a reflection of sanctity or the divine but an emblematic representation to stabilize it. Cynthia Hahn argues that reliquaries are active agents that shape the meaning by translating invisible holiness into visible, authoritative forms. As she writes, “While at the same time, the relic is thus made “fully visible” in its power and associations, it is also unquestionably hidden from view,” turning the narrative into something material into persuasion (Hahn 2010, 289- 290). Aligning with her argument, the Becket Casket fulfills this indicator of sacrifice and sanctity while signifying the presence of the Saint.

Ultimately, this reliquary does not confirm the death of Saint Thomas Becket; it authorizes and sanctifies it through the visual imagery covering each section. Through the artistic interpretation of Becket’s death, the creator of this reliquary is directly drawing a correlation between Christ’s Passion and the murder of Becket. Further underscoring the argument Hahn is pointing to, Peter Brown, in The Cult of Saints: It’s Rise and Function in Latin Christianity, explains, “the physical presence of the holy, whether in the midst of a particular community or in the possession of particular individuals, was the greatest blessing that a late-antique Christian could enjoy” (Brown 1982, 88). The casket itself becomes a touchpoint for those seeking Becket’s spiritual presence.

In addition to activating the reliquary and becoming a physical representation of Becket, the casket is also an item of political activism. It is a commentary emphasizing that the Church is this serene entity juxtaposed with a tyrannical monarchy. Though King Henry II is not depicted, the front panel’s depiction of the armed men alludes to the barons who acted upon his inflammatory words. As Grim outlines, “Even though the shedding of innocent blood had not been done by him…the king bore responsibility for it on account of his anger…” (Staunton 2013, 217). Pope Alexander III also seized the moment, using Becket’s canonization to sow distrust “…of the ambitions of secular governments,” fanning the politicization Becket’s death caused (Freeman, 2011, 6). Outside of the visual or political implications attached to the Becket Casket, it also acted as a devotional and communal life conduit. As a reliquary, it is more than just a container to hold a Saint’s relic but is a physical embodiment of their presence. In this context, the Becket Casket would have been placed on or near the altar of a church and displayed for all to visit in the hopes of receiving some of his divinity from it through interaction. This direct connection and devotion created a visual capital, allowing the congregants to empathize with his martyrdom, eliciting an emotional response. Additionally, one could argue that all of Becket’s relics combined, including the Becket Casket, aided in the growth of the cult of Becket, providing late-antique Christians the most profound joy imaginable. In this light, the casket was more than an important reliquary of the time, but a liturgical kingpin that emphasized his authority and memory.

As a relic, the Becket Casket surpasses its primary function as a reliquary for the saintly relic of Thomas Becket. With its unique visual narrative, it not only memorializes Becket’s martyrdom but activates his divinity by paralleling his death with Christ, acts as a place of devotion, and outwardly critiques the royal monarch’s overreach. This casket not only records Becket’s historical record but also transcends the earthly realm. As Hahn and Brown outline, the power held by an object is not due to what it contains but because of what the relic exudes, such as memory, authority, and holiness—ultimately becoming a focal point of devotion and a piece of ecclesiastical resistance. The Becket Casket is far from a passive container but an active ingredient in the growth of his cult, a symbol of resilience and visual theology in medieval European history.

Works Cited

Brown, Peter. 1982. The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226076386.001.0001.

Freeman, Charles. Holy Bones, Holy Dust: How Relics Shaped the History of Medieval Europe. Yale University Press, 2011. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1nphg7.

Hahn, Cynthia. 2001. Portrayed on the Heart: Narrative Effect in Pictorial Lives of Saints from the Tenth Through the Thirteenth Century. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA56785444.

———. 2010. “What Do Reliquaries Do for Relics?” Numen 57 (3/4): 284–316. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20789594.

Knowles, Michael David. 2025. “Saint Thomas Becket.” Edited by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/SaintThomas-Becket.

Koopmans, Rachel M. 2021. “Benedict of Peterborough’s Compositions for Thomas Becket: Passion, Miracles, Office.” Medium Aevum 90 (2): 247-274. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/benedict-peterboroughs-compositionsthomas-becket/docview/2619482119/se-2.

Luxford, Julie. 2020. “The Relics of Thomas Becket in England.” Journal of the British Archaeological Association 173 (1): 124–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/00681288.2020.1787633.

“Reliquary Casket with Scenes from the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket.” n.d. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464490.

Staunton, Michael. 2013. The Lives of Thomas Becket. Manchester University Press.