Ivanhoe, written by Sir Walter Scott and published in 1819, is a historical romance set in twelfth-century England. The novel follows Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight disinherited by his father for his loyalty to the Norman King Richard the Lionheart. Returning from the Crusades, Ivanhoe seeks to reclaim his heritage and win his beloved Rowena. Amid Saxon-Norman tensions, the story features a dramatic tournament, daring rescues, the noble Jewish heroine Rebecca, and the schemes of the usurper Prince John. With Robin Hood among its colorful characters, Ivanhoe revived medieval chivalric romance and remains Scott's most celebrated work.
