Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Becket" in English language version.
Anouilh wanted to capture a personality clash within a theatre troupe he worked with, but couldn't find a way to frame the conflict on stage until he visited Canterbury. "He read about five sentences [concerning Becket's clash with Henry] giving a brief outline of what happened, and said" ... "I've got the plot. And that's all the research he did. Hence, many, many factual errors."
Thomas Becket was a Norman, just like Henry II. Writer Jean Anouilh knew this, but he thought Norman-Saxon tensions made a good story.
