Ivanhoe

 

by Pa Rock

Reader

I’ve just finished reading the classic tale of chivalry and romance in medieval England, “Ivanhoe,” by Sir Walter Scott.  The fictionalized story of life and excitement in the 12^th century was originally published in three volumes in 1819.   The version that I tackled was a 200^th anniversary edition of the original, and it weighed in at 457 pages of beautiful, and often challenging, writing, that did not lend itself to a quick read.  It also had some very good illustrations of life in that period.
 
The central character of the book is Wilfred, the Knight of Ivanhoe and the son of an important Saxon noble.   The knight (aka Wilfred, aka Ivanhoe) had just returned from fighting the Muslim infidels in the Holy Land along with England’s Norman king, Richard (Plantagenet) the Lionheart.   Ivanhoe was returning to a father who had disowned him, and Richard was coming home to a brother who had betrayed him.  Both came back to England in disguise, and both were intent on regaining the positions that they held in the social order before they left for the Crusades.
  
At the point where this story begins unfolding there were three dominant political forces in England: the Saxons, or the past rulers of the country who had been displaced by the French conquerors from the Normandy region of France in 1066, the Normans (as the descendants of William the Conqueror were called) who had become the dominant nobility of the country after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and the Catholic) clergy.  All three groups are ably represented in Sir Walter Scott’s tale of England as it was more than six centuries before he put quill to paper to craft his story of that age.
 
(All references to the “Church” in this tale are to the Catholic Church, basically the only Christian denomination of the time.)
 
Two other components of society were also present in the story of Ivanhoe:  the Jews, who were reviled by the church and others because the Christian stance against usury (money-lending for interest) left the practice the exclusive domain the Jews, allowing some to become very rich and influential as they loaned money to the nobles, and the poor as represented in the novel by the notorious outlaws such as those of Sherwood Forest – Robin Hood and his band of merry thieves, poachers, and highwaymen.
 
Sir Walter Scott laced his account of life in Middle Ages with tournaments including competitions like jousting and archery, castles with moats and dungeons, knights laden with armor and riding astride horses bred for battle, beautiful damsels in distress, a jester, and even a swineherd.   His plot wends its way wistfully through romantic settings and situations, and always strives to comport with the rules of chivalry.
 
While Ivanhoe (Wilfred) the title character is fictitious, some of the action in the book is tied to actual historical individuals such King Richard the Lionheart, the evil Prince John, and Robin Hood.  The action also alludes to and explains some of the history of that era:  the assassination of Thomas Becket (the “meddlesome” priest) at the order or suggestion of Henry II (the father of Richard and John), the centuries-long conflict between the Saxons and Normans, the impact of the Catholic clergy on the different strata of society, and a basic understanding of how the Knights Templar operated.
 
“Ivanhoe” offers an expansive view of history in the 12^th century as it was playing out through the social and economic structure of feudal system, rules of chivalry, the Church, and the rising independent spirit of the masses.  On the one hand it is an exciting tale of good versus evil painted on a medieval canvas, and on the other it is a very relatable way in understanding a unique period in European and world history.
 
Reading “Ivanhoe” took me to medieval England.  It wasn’t easy to get there, but the journey was worth the effort.     The book is a literary classic which I highly recommend.