Notable Events that Happened During the Christmas Season (Dec 8, 2024 - Part 2)

by Scott Sosebee

This continues the Christmas Season series

This week we will continue with our “snapshots” of historical events that occurred during the Christmas Holiday season.

The Murder of Thomas Becket

For our first entry this week, we stay in England with an event associated with a direct relative of William the Conqueror, Henry II, who was a grandson of Henry I, a subject of last week’s column. Like his predecessors, Henry II spent a lot of his time fighting over who would control what in most of western Europe. Henry II’s direct predecessor, Stephen, had lost or squandered a large portion of what his grandfather had gained, and the grandson made it a mission to get those lands back. But it was another struggle that involved Henry II, one that allows him to make this list. When England—and the rest of western Europe—began to be dominated by individual rulers, it made sense that those men would clash with ecclesiastical authority. Those tensions seemed particularly acute in England and caused a rift between Henry II and someone he considered a friend, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Christian Church in England. In fact, it was Henry II who had made him archbishop, which perhaps played a role in the relationship between the two men. Henry II expected Becket and the Church to defer to his authority, but Becket viewed things much differently. He publicly and privately insisted that the Church was God’s direct vessel on Earth and that made the Church above all law but God’s—even above the King’s. Henry, during a bout of exasperation over the conflict with his friend apparently uttered one day in court, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” Henry II was likely simply letting off steam, but four of his loyal knights did not see it that way. That led them, on December 28, 1170, to approach Becket as he prayed at the altar and kill him. Instead of praise from Henry II, they plunged the King into grief over the death of his friend.

Oliver Cromwell Appointed Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1653

We seem to be spending a lot of time in England, but that is fine as it is a fine place to spend Christmas time. Without getting too deep into the historical “weeds,” which in this case would fill volumes, we can just stipulate that from 1642 to 1651, England fought a series of civil-military engagements and even more political maneuvers that are collectively referred to as the English Civil War. Essentially, it began as a battle over who would wield authority over the English government and thus people—the King authoritatively, or would he be forced to share power with the Parliament. Under Charles I, the disagreement led to open warfare between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists. Eventually, after uniting under Oliver Cromwell, the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalists in 1649, executed Charles I, and established the Commonwealth of England which in turn established the “Rump Parliament,” which ran England from the House of Commons. But, this proved unwieldy; so, on December 16th, 1653, Cromwell was named the “Lord Protector of the Commonwealth” and became the first person who was not a royal to be head of state in Great Britain.

George Washington Crosses Delaware and Defeats a British Army, 1776

This event is well-known to Americans. It has become the stuff of legends, largely through the iconic painting by Emanuel Leutze, a highly glorified and mythologizing portrayal of the event. As 1776 was drawing to a close, the situation was becoming grave for the Continental Army. They had suffered defeat after defeat and had to watch as the British gained control of the key cities of New York and Philadelphia. Washington was desperate for a victory, both for morale and for strategic purposes, before the armies headed to camps for the winter. Washington accomplished both goals by initiating a bold strategy. Early on Christmas morning, he guided almost 25,000 men across the icy Delaware into New Jersey. Their goal: attack the city of Trenton that was held by Hessian mercenaries for the British. After the crossing, Washington and his men surprised the cold and sleeping Germans and took the city, inflicting a serious loss on the British Army. Washington knew that he didn’t have enough men to hold the city, so they crossed back over the next day. But, the Americans had a victory, something they could point toward as a reason to continue their fight.

Charles Dickens Publishes “A Christmas Carol” (1843)

One of the most enduring Christmas traditions in both the United States and the United Kingdom is the chance to see the various interpretations and representations of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” It is perhaps the most iconic story of Christmas in the English language and has been stylized in story and film from the very first one, “Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost” in 1901, to the Albert Finney starring role in 1970’s “Scrooge,” which was adapted as a musical, to the more modern 1988 movie titled “Scrooged” starring Bill Murray, to even one starring the Muppets in 1992. That is not even considering countless versions since then. It has been called the most recognizable Christmas story ever. The story of the eventual production of the novel is fascinating. Dickens was perhaps the most celebrated writer in Great Britain by the 1840s, but he produced a string of duds between 1841 and 1843. He was also, as a man who came to wealth from a poor background, a profligate spender, and he was approaching financial ruin. He needed a hit, and he needed one quickly; so, starting in October 1843, in a flurry of writing, Dickens conceived of and completed his Christmas masterpiece. He sent it to be printed on December 19 and, by Christmas Eve, its first edition of 6,000 copies had sold out. Since then, it has never been out of print and more than five million copies have been sold in the United States alone.

The East Texas Historical Association provides this column as a public service. Scott Sosebee is a Professor of History at Stephen F. Austin State University and the Executive Director of the Association. He can be contacted at sosebeem@sfasu.edu or via www.easttexashistorical.org.