Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest ? - Wikipedia Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest ? 14th - century depiction of King Henry II of England with Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket `` Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest ? '' ( or turbulent priest ) is a cry attributed to Henry II of England, expressing his frustration regarding his conflicts with Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. While this was not a direct order, upon hearing this comment from their sovereign, four knights -- Reginald FitzUrse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy and Richard le Breton -- traveled from Normandy to Canterbury and killed Becket. This phrase is now used to express the idea that a ruler 's wish can be interpreted as a command by their subordinates. Contents 1 Origin 2 Legacy 3 Notable usages 4 References Origin The phrase attributed to Henry II, most commonly expressed as `` Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest ? '', comes from oral tradition and there are multiple versions of the exact words he used. A more elaborate version is `` What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their Lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low - born cleric ? '' In all versions the basic scenario remains the same : Henry made an outburst against Becket which his courtiers interpreted as an order to kill the priest. Henry later took responsibility for Becket 's death but claimed he had never intended it. Legacy `` Meddlesome priest '' is indelibly associated with Becket, whose death made him into a revered saint. The New York Times commented that even though Henry may not actually have said it, `` in such matters historical authenticity may not be the point. '' The phrase has been cited as an example of the shared history that all British citizens should be familiar with, part of `` the collective memory of their country ''. Notable usages This phrase received fresh attention in September of 2017, when it was quoted by Former FBI director James Comey, during his 8 June 2017 testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee. During the testimony, Senator Angus King asked Comey, `` When the president of the United States, in the Oval Office, says something like ' I hope, ' or ' I suggest, ' or ' would you, ' do you take that as a directive ? '' ( This was in reply to President Donald Trump 's statement, `` I hope you can let this go, '' regarding the investigation of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. ) Comey testified that he took it to be an order, although the order was not explicit. Comey replied, `` Yes. It rings in my ears as kind of ' Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest ? ' '' At which point, King replied, `` I was just going to quote that ! '' References Jump up ^ Becket, Thomas ( 1120 ? -- 1170 ), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Jump up ^ Lipton, Sara ( June 8, 2017 ). `` Trump 's Meddlesome Priest ''. The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2017. Jump up ^ Knowles, Elizabeth M. ( 1999 ). The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Oxford University Press. p. 370. ISBN 0 - 19 - 860173 - 5. ^ Jump up to : Gambles, Robert ( 2013 ). `` Thomas Becket : `` The Turbulent Priest, '' 1170 ``. Great Tales from British History. Amberley Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 9781445613499. Jump up ^ `` Becket, the Man and the Myth ''. The New York Times. May 29, 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2017. Jump up ^ Lewis, Jemima ( 10 April 2015 ). `` Nick Clegg is wrong - I wish I had learnt a list of medieval kings and queens ''. The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2017. Jump up ^ Bradner, Eric ( June 8, 2017 ). `` Comey goes medieval : ' Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest ? ' ''. CNN. Retrieved June 9, 2017. Jump up ^ Minsky, Amy ( June 8, 2017 ). `` Senate goes medieval : James Comey and the ' meddlesome priest ' - National ''. Global News. Retrieved 9 June 2017. This article related to the history of England is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Will_no_one_rid_me_of_this_meddlesome_priest%3F&oldid=804181445 '' Categories : English history stubs English phrases Henry II of England Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 7 October 2017, at 08 : 45. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: will someone not rid me of this troublesome priest
Answer: a cry attributed to Henry II of England, expressing his frustration regarding his conflicts with Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170