A lively new biography of one of medieval England's most famous sons, who became a europe-wide phenomenon through his martyrdom in his own cathedral. John Guy tells the story of his rise from the son of a Norman businessman to Chancellor and finally Archbishop of Canterbury. He aims to explore Becket's complex motivations and psychology, and it is a sympathetic take on Becket's actions, with the blame for the conflict between King and Archbishop, seen as the result of Henry's petulence and unprincipled behaviour much more than of obstinacy on Becket's part.