6. Constitutions of Clarendon

The King summoned a great council at Clarendon in January 1164

Henry demanded that all the bishops give their assent, unconditionally, to the customs and privileges that his ancestor, Henry I, and his barons had observed. After great threats from the king and the barons, Becket obeyed, and told the bishops to declare their approval.

Howeve

However, when the details were drawn up in 16 written clauses, Becket went back on his word, refusing to add his seal. At this point, many bishops and member's of Becket's household began to leave his service.

The 16 clauses of the Constitutions of Clarendon were genuine ancient customs of the realm, but they were a sign of Henry's determination to subordinate the Church to his control - essentially, writing the constitutions down turned them into laws.

The clauses were at the centre of royal and feudal control over the Church. the clause concerning criminous clerks was at the heart of the clash in 1164 between Henry and Becket. 

Clarendon was the point of no return for Henry and Becket

The constitutions of Clarendon had defined relations between church and state in terms rather favourable to the King

The King attempted to hinder free appeal to the Pope

Becket's quote against the double trial of criminous clerks - 'God does not judge twice for the same offences' from the Canon Law

By 1169, when peace talks were held between the pair, negotiations no longer concerned the Constitutions of Clarendon, but were attempting a personal reconciliation 

The fact that the barons, bishops and initially Becket accepted the C of C suggests that they were reasonable claims. 

The constitutions were precisely the sort of thing that Becket, as chancellor before 1162, had been notorious for advocating

Bishops abandoned Becket after they were deserted by the leader who had persuaded them to bow to royal tyranny. Becket was a fraud and a hypocrite. 

Henry was infuriated by Becket's disobedience, therefore tried to bring him down at Northampton in October 1164, ritually humiliating him into resigning his archbishopric. 

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