Life of Thomas à Becket

"Life of Thomas à Becket" by Henry Hart Milman is a story about a big clash between the church and the king set long ago. It tells about Thomas à Becket, how he went from being buddies with King Henry II to a major rival over who had more power. At first, Becket's life is painted with somewhat legendary colors, but the story quickly shows he came from a regular merchant family. We see how he got smart, moved up in the church, and became best friends with the King, who made him Chancellor. But things got wild when Becket became Archbishop; he started standing up for the Church against the King, leading to a huge fight with loads of drama about loyalty, faith, and what's right.