Famous Wine Drinkers: Thomas Becket -St Thomas of Canterbury
Thomas Becket became Archbishop of Canterbury, only to be murdered in his Cathedral for refusing to endorse the divorce of Henry VIII.
Whilst exiled in France during 1166, Becket drank the best wine that money could buy -albeit diluted with water and only as a form of medication for a bad stomach. He was later venerated as patron saint of wine coopers in Venice and of beer brewers in London as a result of reports that he had turned water into wine and deferred fermentation of beer using his own blood.
As a result of his tempestuous relationship with the king, a ship carrying the archbishop’s wine back from France was sunk by Ranulf de Broc.
Good grif! Where DO you get your history from. Becket had absolutely nothing to do with Henry VII or his divorces. How could he - he’d been dead for a few hundred years! Becket fell out with HENRY II, who was once his closest friend. Henry(II) was so enraged by Becket’s insistence that the Church (Rome) took precedence over the King, that he uttered something along the lines of “And who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” Hearing this, fiveknights in his company at the time decided that they would do the deed, and assassinated Becket in his own cathedral in Canterbury. He was venerated as a Saint soon after.
Just thought that you might like to know!