{"product_id":"thomas-becket","title":"Thomas Becket","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom Thomas Becket''s early life as a merchant''s son and his time as the Archbishop of Canterbury to his assassination in the Cathedral itself, this enlightening book brings to life a colossal figure of British history. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Lively, effortlessly readable, superb. A beautifully layered portrait of one of the most complex characters in English history'' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ____________________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is the man, not the legend . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eThomas Becket lived at the centre of medieval England. Son of a draper''s merchant, he was befriended and favoured by Henry II and quickly ascended the rungs of power and privilege. He led 700 knights into battle, brokered peace between warring states and advised King and Pope. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYet he lost it all defying his closest friend and King, resulting in his bloody murder and the birth of a saint. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn award-winning biographer John Guy''s masterful account, the life, death and times of Thomas Becket \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ecome vividly into focus. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e____________________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ''\u003cb\u003eSuspenseful, meticulously researched \u003c\/b\u003e. . . however well you think you know the story, it is well worth the read'' \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ''Wonderfully moving and subtle. \u003cb\u003eReading of the assassination is almost unbearably intense and brings tears to one''s eye\u003c\/b\u003e'' \u003ci\u003eDaily Express\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ''\u003cb\u003eCompelling, marvellously measured\u003c\/b\u003e, entertainingly astute, and in places positively moving'' \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ''\u003cb\u003eScintillates with energetic scene-setting\u003c\/b\u003e, giving us a tactile, visual feel for early medieval England . . . \u003cb\u003ebreathes new life into an oft-told tale\u003c\/b\u003e'' \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57319911489918,"sku":"NW9780141044675","price":11.67,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780141044675.jpg?v=1778689798","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/thomas-becket","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}