22:
224:. When Becket resisted their attempts to seize him, they slashed at him with their swords, killing him. Although nobody, even at the time, believed that Henry directly ordered that Becket be killed, his words had started a chain of events that was likely to have such a result. Moreover, as Henry's harangue had been directed not at Becket, but at his own household, the four probably thought that a failure to act would be regarded as treachery, potentially punishable by death.
87:, where they killed Becket due to an ongoing dispute between crown and church. The phrase is commonly used in modern-day contexts to express that a ruler's wish may be interpreted as a command by his or her subordinates. It is also commonly understood as shorthand for any rhetorical device allowing leaders to covertly order or exhort violence among their followers, while still being able to claim
289:
commented that even though Henry might not actually have said the words, "in such matters historical authenticity may not be the point". The phrase has been cited as an example of the shared history with which all
British citizens should be familiar, as part of "the collective memory of their
147:, where he described Henry II's words as follows: "O wretched Man that I am, who shall deliver me from this turbulent priest?" This was modelled on Romans 7:24: "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" A similar version of the phrase was later used in
47:
442:
books also feature this phrase/ideology in the form of Prince Cel, who often uses this method, even the exact phraseology to "keep his hands clean" while having what he wanted done, thus being able to swear 'honestly' that he did not order
155:, where the quote is rendered as " that he was very unfortunate to have maintained so many cowardly and ungrateful men in his court, none of whom would revenge him of the injuries he sustained from one turbulent priest." In
429:
159:(1821), it becomes "Will none of these lazy insignificant persons, whom I maintain, deliver me from this turbulent priest?", which is then shortened to "who shall deliver me from this turbulent priest?"
425:
355:; when asked if he would take "I hope", coming from the president, as a directive, Comey answered, "Yes. It rings in my ears as kind of 'Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?
220:
with the intention of forcing Becket to withdraw his excommunication, or, alternatively, taking him back to
Normandy by force. The day after their arrival, they confronted Becket in
192:
There are likely several
English iterations of Henry II's original quote because it had to be translated; Henry, though he understood many languages, spoke only Latin and French.
1065:
272:
According to Alfred H. Knight, the phrase "had profound long-term consequences for the development of constitutional law" because its consequences forced the king to accept the
1141:
135:
What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and promoted in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born clerk!
1312:
454:, the character of Clodio Pulcher says in regards to Cesar Catilina, his cousin and sociopolitical rival, "Will no one rid me of this fucking cousin?"
1251:
1115:
779:
848:
205:
148:
1317:
1168:
1015:
752:
805:
601:
401:
391:
these words are spoken by the
Director General of MI5 in reference to Harry Perkins, a left wing prime minister and trade unionist.
332:
was "an opinion". Sissons described this argument as being "a bit like the, 'who will rid me of this turbulent priest', isn't it?"
1130:
882:
387:
953:
254:. All four were excommunicated by Pope Alexander in 1171 during Easter and ordered to undertake penitentiary pilgrimages to the
120:
540:
298:
591:
1158:
340:
1287:
1091:
227:
Following the murder, Becket was venerated and Henry was vilified. There were demands that the king be excommunicated.
279:
It has been said that the phrase is an example of "direction via indirection", in that it provides the speaker with
1038:
1297:
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789:
526:
336:
72:
30:
1302:
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312:
168:
1322:
1225:
326:
826:
182:, Henry says, "Will no one rid me of him? A priest! A priest who jeers at me and does me injury." In the
1131:
Bradner, Eric. "Comey goes medieval: ‘Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?’", CNN, June 8, 2017
469:
439:
280:
88:
705:"A wink and a nod: a conceptual map of responsibility and accountability in bureaucratic organizations"
618:
464:
447:
247:
221:
501:
1307:
840:
435:
236:
189:, which was based on the Anouilh play, Henry says, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"
64:
26:
652:
931:
451:
409:
315:
in London, Mohammad Mehdi
Akhondzadeh Basti. The position of the Iranian government was that the
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183:
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209:
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Estepa, Jessica. "Comey quotes Henry II: 'Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?'",
797:
793:
382:
quote the phrase, which they misconstrue as a directive to assassinate the main character.
379:
112:
648:
The
Chronicle of the Kings of England, from William the Norman to the Death of George III
646:
720:
642:
369:
322:
232:
140:
834:
139:
The popular version of the phrase was first used in 1740 by the author and bookseller
1276:
1116:
Waxman, Olivia B., "The
Disturbing History Behind James Comey’s Henry II Reference",
957:
421:
352:
305:
100:
68:
33:
1252:"Federal judge issues gag order on Trump's public statements in 2020 election case"
414:
348:
173:
899:
980:
785:
344:
163:
124:
21:
1066:"Nick Clegg is wrong – I wish I had learnt a list of medieval kings and queens"
891:
1007:
Utter
Justice: Verbal Glimpses Into Fifteen Hundred Years of Our Legal History
775:
374:
217:
84:
954:"The Name and Family of Barham by Nobby Clark. Chapter 4 - REGINALD FITZURSE"
576:
351:
had told him that he "hoped" Comey could "let go" of any investigation into
255:
251:
75:, in 1170. While the quote was not expressed as an order, it prompted four
565:"The Origin of the Phrase 'Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?'"
564:
243:
104:
80:
235:
until he had expiated his sin. In May 1172, Henry did public penance in
276:, the principle that secular courts had no jurisdiction over clergy.
178:
116:
76:
704:
317:
20:
430:
attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election
309:
127:, who was present at Becket's murder and subsequently wrote the
1092:"Senate goes medieval: James Comey and the 'meddlesome priest'"
294:
424:
mentioned the quote during the
October 2023 hearing in the
269:
was the title of Piers
Compton's 1957 biography of Becket.
99:
Henry made the outburst on Christmas 1170 at his castle at
372:", a 1983 episode of the British television comedy series
744:
Christians in the Movies: A Century of Saints and Sinners
417:'s "'Who will rid me of this meddlesome democracy?' plot"
982:
The Turbulent Priest: A Life of St. Thomas of Canterbury
200:
Reportedly, upon hearing the king's words, four knights—
394:
In 2011, it was quoted by innkeeper Samuel Quested in
283:
when a crime is committed as a result of their words.
385:In the final episode of the 1988 television series
784:(in Latin and English). Edited and translated by
535:. University of California Press. p. 235.
133:
623:. Vol. 4. London: J. Dodsley. p. 353
308:described a February 1989 interview with the
8:
886:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
676:"An Austere Glow to Pizzetti's 'Assassinio'"
620:History of the Life of King Henry the Second
172:, as Henry does not appear in that play. In
153:History of the Life of King Henry the Second
111:. He had just been informed that Becket had
41:Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?
16:1170 quote prompting Thomas Becket's killing
1157:Parrill, Sue; Robison, William B. (2013).
413:, Maureen Dowd refers to former President
747:. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 169.
698:
696:
1188:(2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 2430.
880:Barlow, Frank (2004). "Becket, Thomas".
781:De Nugis Curialium or Courtiers' Trifles
596:. Oxford University Press. p. 370.
91:for political, legal, or other reasons.
1250:Knappenberger, Ryan (16 October 2023).
883:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
495:
493:
491:
487:
912:
867:
664:. The longer quote is in the footnote.
472: – Ability to deny responsibility
428:concerning Donald Trump's role in the
242:The four knights subsequently fled to
119:supportive of the king, including the
157:The Chronicle of the Kings of England
7:
1313:Incidents of anti-Catholic violence
593:The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
721:10.1111/j.1754-7121.1999.tb01545.x
14:
1160:The Tudors on Film and Television
502:"Becket, the Church and Henry II"
145:Chronicle of the Kings of England
1226:"Coup-Coup-Ca-Choo, Trump-Style"
500:Ibeji, Mike (17 February 2011).
1224:Dowd, Maureen (5 August 2023).
1064:Lewis, Jemima (10 April 2015).
25:14th-century depiction of King
1039:"Becket, the Man and the Myth"
709:Canadian Public Administration
703:Schafer, Arthur (March 1999).
674:Loomis, George (26 May 2009).
590:Knowles, Elizabeth M. (1999).
1:
836:Henry II: New Interpretations
341:Senate Intelligence Committee
925:Lipton, Sara (8 June 2017).
900:UK public library membership
833:; Vincent, Nicholas (eds.).
347:testified that US President
304:, journalist and newsreader
216:—travelled from Normandy to
162:No such phrase is spoken in
63:") is a quote attributed to
1090:Minsky, Amy (8 June 2017).
927:"Trump's Meddlesome Priest"
563:McGovern, Jonathan (2021).
407:In a 2023 opinion piece in
1339:
1186:Encyclopedia of Television
1004:Knight, Alfred H. (2008).
825:Vincent, Nicholas (2007).
617:Lyttleton, George (1772).
378:, two knights overhearing
131:, quotes Henry as saying:
1318:History of Seine-Maritime
1163:. McFarland. p. 28.
1184:Newcomb, Horace (2013).
1010:. iUniverse. p. 9.
831:Harper-Bill, Christopher
73:Archbishop of Canterbury
31:Archbishop of Canterbury
1256:Courthouse News Service
979:Compton, Piers (1957).
827:"The Court of Henry II"
741:Dans, Peter E. (2009).
651:. J. Fairburn. p.
169:Murder in the Cathedral
107:, at the height of the
67:preceding the death of
892:10.1093/ref:odnb/27201
577:10.1093/notesj/gjab094
440:Meredith Gentry series
343:, former FBI director
231:forbade Henry to hear
137:
36:
800:. pp. 476, 477.
470:Plausible deniability
402:The Night of the Stag
281:plausible deniability
89:plausible deniability
55:; also expressed as "
24:
465:Stochastic terrorism
448:Francis Ford Coppola
420:U.S. District Judge
267:The Turbulent Priest
248:Knaresborough Castle
222:Canterbury Cathedral
1288:Henry II of England
436:Laurell K. Hamilton
388:A Very British Coup
325:declared by Iran's
297:documentary on the
237:Avranches Cathedral
65:Henry II of England
27:Henry II of England
1230:The New York Times
1043:The New York Times
932:The New York Times
870:, pp. 235–37.
839:. Woodbridge, UK:
680:The New York Times
410:The New York Times
363:In popular culture
330:Ayatollah Khomeini
287:The New York Times
246:and from there to
129:Life of St. Thomas
121:Archbishop of York
109:Becket controversy
57:troublesome priest
37:
898:(Subscription or
850:978-1-84383-340-6
569:Notes and Queries
313:chargé d'affaires
274:benefit of clergy
214:Richard le Breton
202:Reginald FitzUrse
61:meddlesome priest
1330:
1298:Anti-clericalism
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956:. Archived from
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397:Midsomer Murders
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262:Use and analysis
210:William de Tracy
206:Hugh de Morville
149:George Lyttleton
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843:. p. 326.
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798:Clarendon Press
794:R. A. B. Mynors
790:C. N. L. Brooke
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1303:Accountability
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1295:
1293:1170 in Europe
1290:
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1191:
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1170:978-0786458912
1169:
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1146:, June 8, 2017
1134:
1123:
1120:, June 8, 2017
1108:
1082:
1056:
1030:
1017:978-0595475568
1016:
996:
971:
960:on 7 July 2011
945:
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915:, p. 237.
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370:The Archbishop
364:
361:
327:Supreme Leader
323:Salman Rushdie
300:Satanic Verses
263:
260:
258:for 14 years.
229:Pope Alexander
197:
194:
141:Robert Dodsley
113:excommunicated
96:
93:
15:
13:
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2:
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1323:Thomas Becket
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1070:The Telegraph
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868:Barlow (1986)
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841:Boydell Press
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832:
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807:0-19-822236-X
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788:. Revised by
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176:'s 1959 play
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166:'s 1932 play
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69:Thomas Becket
66:
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35:
34:Thomas Becket
32:
28:
23:
19:
1259:. Retrieved
1255:
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1207:. Retrieved
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1111:
1099:. Retrieved
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1085:
1073:. Retrieved
1069:
1059:
1049:20 September
1047:. Retrieved
1042:
1033:
1021:. Retrieved
1006:
999:
987:. Retrieved
981:
974:
962:. Retrieved
958:the original
948:
936:. Retrieved
930:
920:
908:
881:
875:
863:
853:– via
835:
820:
810:– via
780:
770:
758:. Retrieved
743:
736:
724:. Retrieved
715:(1): 22–23.
712:
708:
683:. Retrieved
679:
669:
656:. Retrieved
647:
637:
625:. Retrieved
619:
612:
592:
585:
568:
558:
546:. Retrieved
531:
521:
509:. Retrieved
505:
415:Donald Trump
408:
395:
386:
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349:Donald Trump
334:
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286:
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196:Consequences
191:
185:
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174:Jean Anouilh
167:
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144:
138:
134:
128:
115:a number of
98:
60:
56:
49:spoken aloud
40:
38:
18:
1096:Global News
786:M. R. James
776:Map, Walter
506:BBC History
452:Megalopolis
345:James Comey
339:before the
302:controversy
164:T. S. Eliot
125:Edward Grim
1308:Euphemisms
1277:Categories
902:required.)
796:. Oxford:
542:0520071751
482:References
375:Blackadder
337:appearance
335:In a 2017
293:In a 2009
290:country".
218:Canterbury
184:1964 film
85:Canterbury
1144:USA Today
477:Footnotes
256:Holy Land
252:Yorkshire
143:, in his
1235:5 August
1200:"Trivia"
1023:19 April
989:19 April
964:22 March
778:(1983).
760:16 April
726:19 April
685:16 April
658:19 April
645:(1821).
627:16 April
548:16 April
529:(1986).
511:19 April
459:See also
404:", 2011)
321:against
244:Scotland
151:'s 1772
105:Normandy
81:Normandy
1209:23 June
310:Iranian
117:bishops
77:knights
1261:3 June
1167:
1101:9 June
1075:9 June
1014:
938:9 June
896:
847:
804:
751:
600:
539:
186:Becket
179:Becket
95:Origin
71:, the
59:" or "
829:. In
318:fatwa
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