Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe is set during the period of European and English history usually known as the Medieval Period, or the Middle Ages. This was a time marked by strong religious (Christian) fervor in Europe, a fervor that was often combined with military ideals. Scott, like other authors, heavily romanticizes this historical period in his novel, placing special emphasis on the code of honor known as chivalry. Chivalry, associated especially with European knighthood, stressed bravery, truth, honor, and religious piety, and a good knight was expected to adhere to these values. Chivalry became a foundational ideology of the feudal system that defined the Medieval Period. In European feudalism, each nobleman divided his land into smaller portions known as fiefs and disbursed these allotments among several lesser nobles. These lesser nobles, in turn, became vassals of the nobleman who owned the fiefs, paying rents and pledging to fight for him in return for his protection. The lowest and most populous class was made up of serfs who were bound to the land and had to work for and pay rents to the nobles. There were also some enslaved people, usually prisoners taken captive in war. A small middle class known as franklins or freeholders owned small amounts of land independently.

The novel takes place during the Third Crusade. The Crusades were a series of wars organized by the Roman Pope and the Christian powers of Europe. The goal of these wars was to end Muslim rule in the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem and the surrounding territory. Numerous important kings, knights, noblemen, and clergy were involved in these wars. Some were motivated by true religious zeal, and indeed the stated goal of the Crusades was to claim the sites where Christ lived and died for the Christians; many others, however, were motivated by a desire to travel or to enrich themselves. Between 1096 and 1291, there were a total of eight major crusades. These wars ultimately did not succeed in installing stable Christian rule in the Holy Land, and by the end of the 13th century the region was comfortably in Muslim hands. The Crusades saw the ideal of knighthood spread throughout Europe, and becoming a knight was the dream of virtually every young Christian noble who was not entering the church. Knights were trained in combat and military tactics, though most of them did not know how to read or write. Public tournaments, held throughout Europe during the Medieval Period, provided knights with a good opportunity to show off their skills while entertaining the masses and nobility. There were also some special orders of knights that emerged during the Crusades. Perhaps the best known of these orders were the Knights Templar, who were charged with guarding the Holy Sepulcher. The religious vows of the Templars included a prohibition against marriage.

The Third Crusade (1189-1192) was one of the most famous of the Crusades. It was led by three western European monarchs (and is for this reason sometimes known as the “Kings’ Crusade”): King Richard I of England, Philip II of France, and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I. The goal of this Crusade, like other Crusades, was to capture Jerusalem, which had been taken by the Ayyubid Sultan Saladin in 1187. Though the effort succeeded in capturing several important cities in the region, including Acre and Jaffa, the Christians did not capture Jerusalem.

King Richard I of England, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade, belonged to the Plantagenet Dynasty, who ruled England from 1219 to 1399. The Plantagenets were Norman nobles whose roots were in France. The Normans first came to England in 1066, when William of Normandy invaded England and defeated the Saxon king Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Scott’s Ivanhoe is set a little over a hundred years after this momentous battle, when a small ruling class of French Normans controlled the conquered Saxons (the distinction between Normans and Saxons would not fade until the 14th century). Richard himself was known in England for his martial valor and piety, earning the epithet of “Lion Heart” (“Coeur de Leon” in French). Richard was much loved by his subjects, though most historians view him as an adventurer who largely neglected his administrative responsibilities. Following the Third Crusade, Richard was captured by one of his enemies and held in captivity until a ransom was paid for his release. During his long absence from England, Richard’s younger brother John ruled as regent, quickly gaining a reputation for despotism and cruelty, and many longed for Richard’s return. Many legends about the injustices of John emerged, including the legend of the popular hero Robin Hood, a bandit whose band of outlaws stole from the rich to give to the poor. It is during this turbulent period that the novel takes place.