Ivanhoe narrates the story of one of the remaining Anglo-Saxon noble families during an era where the English nobility was overwhelmingly
Norman.
The plot observes the story of the
Saxon protagonist, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who has fallen in his father's disfavour for his
allegiance to the Norman King Richard the Lionheart.
Richard the Lionheart
The plot is set in
1194, , follwing the defeat of the
Third Crusade, , where many of the Crusaders were still returning home in Europe.
King Richard, encaptured by Leopold of Austria during his journey back to England was believed to still be in captivity.
The location of the novel is centred upon southern Yorkshire and northern Nottinghamshire in England. Castles mentioned within the story include Ashby de la Zouch Castle (now a
ruin in the care of English Heritage), York (though the mention of Clifford's Tower, likewise an extant English Heritage property, is anachronistic, it not having been called
that until later after various rebuilds) and 'Coningsburgh', which is based upon Conisbrough Castle, in the ancient town of Conisbrough near Doncaster (the castle also being a
popular English Heritage site). Reference is made within the story to York Minster, where the climactic wedding takes place, and to the Bishop of Sheffield, although the Diocese
of Sheffield did not exist at either the time of the novel or the time Scott wrote the novel and was not founded until 1914. Such references suggest that Robin Hood lived or
travelled in the region.
Conisbrough is so dedicated to the story of Ivanhoe that many of its streets, schools, and public buildings are named after characters from the book.
Conisbrough Castle
Conisbrough Castle
Ivanhoe (1819) was the first of Sir Walter's Scott (born August 15, 1771, Edinburgh, Scotland—died September 21, 1832, Abbotsford, Roxburgh, Scotland) novels to
adopt a purely English subject and was also his initial attempt to combine history with romance, which subsequently influenced Victorian Medievalism.
Ivanhoe , unbeknownst to his father returns to England disguised as a religious pilgrim to assert his love of
Rowena and becomes involved in the
struggle between
Richard Coeur de Lion and his avaricious brother, Norman Prince
John.
Assuming a new disguise as the
Disinherited Knight, he battles in the great tournament at
Ashby-de-la-zouche.
With the help of a
mysterious Black Knight, he vanquishes his great foe, the
Templar Brian de Buois-Guilbert, and wins the
tournament.
He names
Rowena the
Queen of Love and Beauty and reveals his identity to the crowd.
Still, he is severely wounded and collapses on the field.
In the meantime, the wicked Prince John has heard a rumor that Richard is emancipated from his Austrian prison.
He and his advisors, Waldermar Fitzurse, Maurice de Bracy and Beginald Front-de-Boef, plot the undermining of Richard from returning to power in England.
In fact, John has a scheme to marry Rowena de Bracy:
unable to anticipate, de Bracy kidnaps Cedric's party on its way home from the tournament, imprisoning the Saxons Front-de-Boeuf's castle of Torquilstone.
De Bracy attempts to peruade Rowena to marry him, whilst de Bois-Guilbert attempts to seduce Rebecca, who has fallen in love with Ivanhoe.
Both men fail, and the castle is under attack by a force led by
The Black Knight who helps Ivanhoe at the tournament.
As the battle winds down Ulrica, a Saxon crone, lights the castle on fire and it burns to the ground, engulfing both Ulrica and Front-de-Boef.
1910's Black Knight at the Hermitage from Ivanhoe
Soon after this reconciliation, Ivanhoe receives word from Isaac beseeching him to fight on Rebecca's behalf. Ivanhoe, riding by day and night, arrives in time for the trial by
combat, but horse and man are exhausted, with little chance of victory. The two knights make one charge at each other with lances, Bois-Guilbert appearing to have the advantage.
However, Bois-Guilbert, a man trying to have it all without offering to marry Rebecca, dies in the saddle before the combat can continue, dead of natural causes.
Fearing further persecution, Rebecca and her father plan to leave England for Granada. Before leaving, Rebecca comes to bid Rowena a fond farewell on her wedding day.
Ivanhoe and Rowena marry and live a long and happy life together. Ivanhoe's military service ended with the death of King Richard.
the narrative is structured upon a network of
Conflicts:
Saxon as opposed to Norman,
Christians as opposed to Jew,
Men as opposed to women,
played out against Scott's unflinching
moral realism.
Ivanhoe, though of a more noble lineage than some of the other characters, represents a middling individual in the medieval class system who is not exceptionally outstanding in
his abilities, as is expected of other quasi-historical fictional characters, such as the Greek heroes. Critic György Lukács points to middling main characters like Ivanhoe in
Sir Walter Scott's other novels as one of the primary reasons Scott's historical novels depart from previous historical works, and better explore social and cultural history
Elizabeth Taylor in 1952 Ivanhoe
Sir Walter Scott painting by Angus Raeburn
References
1. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sir-Walter-Scott-1st-Baronet
2. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ivanhoe-novel-by-Scott
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