Who Was Alive
Thomas Becket
Peter of Langtoft, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Thomas Becket

English archbishop

Born c. 1119 · died 29 December 1170
Also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London, Thomas the Martyr

Who was alive at the same time as Thomas Becket?

  1. Omar Khayyam, c. 1049 – 1131
  2. Pope Callixtus II, c. 1065 – 1124
  3. Henry I of England, c. 1068 – 1135
  4. Peter Abelard, 1079 – 1142
  5. Bernard of Clairvaux, c. 1091 – 1153
  6. Hildegard of Bingen, c. 1098 – 1179
  7. Pope Alexander III, c. 1100 – 1181
  8. Pope Gregory VIII, 1100s – 1187
  9. Muhammad al-Idrisi, c. 1110 – c. 1167
  10. Thomas Becket, c. 1119 – 1170
  11. Frederick Barbarossa, 1122 – 1190
  12. Averroes, 1126 – 1198
  13. Zhu Xi, 1130 – 1200
  14. Henry II of England, 1133 – 1189
  15. Maimonides, c. 1137 – 1204
  16. Saladin, 1138 – 1193
  17. Nizami Ganjavi, c. 1141 – c. 1209
  18. Pope Honorius III, 1148 – 1227
  19. Richard I of England, 1157 – 1199
  20. Pope Innocent III, 1160s – 1216
  21. Genghis Khan, 1162 – 1227
  22. Ibn Arabi, 1165 – 1240
  23. Philip II of France, 1165 – 1223
  24. John, King of England, 1166 – 1216

Drag across the timeline, or use the arrow keys, to see who was alive in any year and the age each person reached that year. Dashed lines mark world events. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.

When Thomas Becket died, Genghis Khan was 8, Saladin was 31 or 32, Averroes was 44, Zhu Xi was 40 and Richard I of England was 13.

Born during Thomas Becket’s lifetime: Genghis Khan, Saladin, Averroes, Zhu Xi, Richard I of England, Maimonides, Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Innocent III.

Not quite contemporaries: Al-Ghazali died about 6 years before Thomas Becket was born, Francis of Assisi was born about 9 years after Thomas Becket died, Shota Rustaveli was born about a year after Thomas Becket died and Anselm of Canterbury died about 8 years before Thomas Becket was born.

Where Thomas Becket’s contemporaries were born

Thomas Becket is labelled; the others are the best-known people we track who lived at the same time. Each dot is a birthplace from Wikidata (41 of 41 placed); tap one to open that person.
Birthplaces as a list

Compare Thomas Becket

The 40 best-known contemporaries

40 of the people we track were surely alive at the same time as Thomas Becket. All of them are listed here. See also everyone alive in 1146.

  1. Genghis Khan 1162 – 1227
  2. Omar Khayyam c. 1049 – 1131
  3. Saladin 1138 – 1193
  4. Averroes 1126 – 1198
  5. Zhu Xi 1130 – 1200
  6. Hildegard of Bingen c. 1098 – 1179
  7. Richard I of England 1157 – 1199
  8. Maimonides c. 1137 – 1204
  9. Peter Abelard 1079 – 1142
  10. Frederick Barbarossa 1122 – 1190
  11. Pope Innocent III 1160s – 1216
  12. John, King of England 1166 – 1216
  13. Bernard of Clairvaux c. 1091 – 1153
  14. Nizami Ganjavi c. 1141 – c. 1209
  15. Muhammad al-Idrisi c. 1110 – c. 1167
  16. Ibn Arabi 1165 – 1240
  17. Pope Alexander III c. 1100 – 1181
  18. Henry II of England 1133 – 1189
  19. Henry I of England c. 1068 – 1135
  20. Pope Gregory VIII 1100s – 1187
  21. Philip II of France 1165 – 1223
  22. Pope Honorius III 1148 – 1227
  23. Pope Callixtus II c. 1065 – 1124
  24. Pope Celestine III 1106 – 1198
  25. Louis VII of France 1120 – 1180
  26. Chrétien de Troyes c. 1130s – c. 1180s
  27. Pope Lucius III 1110 – 1185
  28. Manuel I Komnenos 1118 – 1180
  29. Anna Komnene 1083 – c. 1154
  30. Afonso I of Portugal c. 1109 – 1185
  31. Attar of Nishapur 1145 – 1221
  32. Geoffrey of Monmouth c. 1101 – c. 1155
  33. Stephen, King of England 1095 – 1154
  34. Eleanor of Aquitaine 1124 – 1204
  35. Empress Matilda c. 1102 – 1167
  36. Louis VI of France 1081 – 1137
  37. Bhāskara II c. 1114 – c. 1185
  38. Saxo Grammaticus c. 1150 – c. 1213
  39. Abdul Qadir Gilani 1078 – 1166
  40. Tamar of Georgia 1166 – 1213