Introduction

In the last episode I described Henry II as a tyrant. In fact he was scrupulous in clarifying and improving the delivery of justice. So Henry fits empress, please accept my humble apologies. Thomas Beckett is still right up there as a core part of every school child's education. The thing that struck me hard is with just how difficult it is to understand Thomas' motivation and character. On the other hand it seems pretty clear what Henry wanted. We are in Henry's green period, when he's full of aggression and diplomatic solutions are not his first option. But by 11s Louis of France knew what he was up against after an attack on Toulouse. He had thrown