Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket (1118–1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170 who defended the Church against demands by King Henry II. This foreshadowed a future conflict between English King Henry VIII and Thomas More.
Knights of King Henry II interpreted his intense complaints about Becket as a call to murder him. The King's specific words which influenced the knights have been variously recorded: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?", "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?", "Who will revenge me of the injuries I have sustained from one turbulent priest?", and "What a band of loathsome vipers I have nursed in my bosom who will let their lord be insulted by this low-born cleric!"
The King's knights murdered Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and within three years he was canonized as a saint by the Church in Rome.