The Compromise of Avranches in 1172 marked the reconciliation of Henry II of England

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

 with the Catholic Church after the Becket controversy

Becket controversy

The Becket controversy or Becket dispute was the quarrel between Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and King Henry II of England, from 1163 to 1173...

 from 1163, which culminated with the murder in 1170 of Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...

.

Henry was purged of any guilt in Becket's murder, and swore to go on crusade. He agreed to allow appeals to the papacy in Rome, and to eliminate all customs to which the Church objected. He also agreed that the secular courts had no jurisdiction over the clergy, with the exceptions of high treason, highway robbery and arson: the Benefit of Clergy

Benefit of clergy

In English law, the benefit of clergy was originally a provision by which clergymen could claim that they were outside the jurisdiction of the secular courts and be tried instead in an ecclesiastical court under canon law...

provision in English law.

In return, the king managed to secure good relations with the papacy at a time when he faced rebellions from his sons.