[Footnote 10: The number usually given, '1,115,' is probably an error.] CHAPTER X. HENRY II. =1154--1189=. LEADING DATES Accession of Henry II. 1154 Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury 1162 The Constitutions of Clarendon 1164 Murder of Archbishop Thomas 1172 The Assize of Arms 1181 Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem 1187 Death of Henry II. 1189 1. =Henry's Accession. 1154.=--Henry II. was but twenty-one when he returned, after Stephen's death, to govern England. He had before him the difficult task of establishing order where anarchy had prevailed, but it was a task for which he was specially suited. His frame was strong and thick-set, and he was as active as he was strong. His restlessness was the dismay of his courtiers. Eager to see everything for himself, and having to rule a territory extending from the Pyrenees to the Scottish border, he was always on the move. His followers were not allowed to know till he started in the morning where he intended to sleep at night, and he frequently changed his mind even after he had set out. He was as busy with his mind as he was with his body, as fond of a book as of a horse, and ready to chat with any one of whatever rank. Even when he was at mass he either drew pictures to amuse himself or conversed in whispers with his neighbours. His ceaseless energy was combined with a strong will, a clear perception of the limits beyond which action would be unwise, a good eye for ability in others, and a power of utilising their ability in his own service. On the Continent his sagacity appeared in his resolution to be content with the dominions which he had acquired without making further conquests. In England his main object was the same as that of his predecessors, to establish the king's authority over the great barons. What especially distinguished him was his clear perception of the truth that he could only succeed by securing, not merely the passive goodwill, but the active co-operation of those who, whether they were of Norman or of English descent, were inferior in wealth and position to the great barons. [Illustration: Effigies of Henry II. and Queen Eleanor at Fontevrault.]