PUBLIC DEBATE, PROPAGANDA, AND PUBLIC OPINION IN THE BECKET CONTROVERSY

When Thomas Becket was slain in the church of Canterbury 29 December 1170, it reverberated throughout European society. Already from the first signs of conflict in 1162, the clash between the king and the archbishop was accompanied by campaigns to sway the allegiance of public opinion. From this point of departure, the article addresses the question of public sphere formation in the Becket controversy by emphasizing characteristic communicative features-and changes in these. These observations are the basis for a discussion of cases of written public debate, with a particular emphasis on the debate of 1166.