The picture takes place in England, where the knight Ivanhoe himself is from. These were times of constant wars with the feudal lords.

England was conquered by the Normans and King Richard disappeared because... was captured, but at the time of the story he returned.

William King of the Normans conquered everything and captured people.

Two slaves stood in the clearing with the king, and soon 2 men appeared. They asked the way to Cedric's palace, but they were told the wrong way. So that travelers can see Rowena, Sax’s pupil. Since Sax even kicked out his son because he looked at Rowena.

They reached Roderwood's castle. Cedric was told that Zhvorsky and Plber had come and wanted refuge. Cedric was unhappy, but called them to dinner.

Boisguilbert really liked Rowena. Seeing this, she covered herself with a veil. Everyone was invited to the tournament. There was a knock on the door. On the threshold stood the Jew Isaac with Yorkie. Everyone present did not like that he was invited, and his place only one lost.

Conversations about fights continued. One of those present said that only Ivanhoe was able to throw him off his horse.

Rowena's maid told the pilgrim that the lady wanted to talk to him. It turns out that Rowena loved Ivanhoe very much, but he had to hide, she had not seen him for a long time, and wanted to find out news about him.

By morning, the pilgrim was surprised that Isaac had not yet left and helped him leave the building and led him through the forest. Gurdo helped them and silently handed over the donkey. The Jew decided to thank the pilgrim and sent him to Kirjaf to give him weapons and a horse.

The king was captured and no one knew where he was. The brother of this king himself wanted to sit on the throne and even helped his enemies in capturing Richard. All the nobles barricaded themselves in their castles, because because of the war there was an epidemic. But still, despite this, all the main people of society were at the tournament.

Isaac and his daughter Rebecca also came to see him. They were seen by Prince George, who really liked the Jewish daughter. George wanted to seat them in good places, but Cedric threatened with his sword.

The tournament was started with five men participating, but the rest could take part the next day. The winner should be awarded a laurel wreath by the queen. After the tournament there will be archers, bullfights and other entertainment.

The previous winners have left. The fights have begun. Everyone was afraid of the winners and did not come out to fight, but soon the sound of a trumpet was heard, which meant that a new challenger had appeared. The newcomer hit Brian on the shield, now the fight should become deadly.

The knights came together and fought gloriously, and after that the marshals separated them. The templar said that he wanted to meet with him again someday, and his opponent reciprocated. Brian defeated everyone else. John didn't like it. No one knew the newcomer, because he hid his face, some even considered him a king.

Rowena was recognized as a beauty queen. Rowena and the winner did not go to George's feast. Soon the hiding knight distributed everything he had won and asked to take part of the money to Isaac for his kindness, and the daughter gave part of it to the swineherd Gurd.

Gurd went, but on the way he was attacked by robbers, he gave them his money, and asked his owner to leave the money. The robbers learned that his master was the new winner and did not take his money. A fight broke out and Gurd won, taking his money, the others let him go.

The next day there was a duel again. It consisted of two teams, the first was led by Disinherited, the second by Briand.

Adelstan came to Brian's side. The battle was to be fought with swords and pikes.

The fight was serious, when the Disinherited was almost pierced through the chest, the Black Knight approached. With him there was a much greater chance of success, and it took place. George saved Brian from shame by stopping the fight by throwing his baton.

The prince named the Black Knight the winner, but he disappeared. Then the glory passed to the Disinherited. He was wounded, so they undressed him anyway, and Rowena, who was to present the award, froze in surprise, but did not show that she was excited. A minute later the knight lost consciousness.

Everyone recognized Ivanhoe - the son expelled by his father. George decided that if Ivanhoe died, Rowena would be married to Nordman.

After the fight, there were indeed also riflemen, one of whom got into service, but refused.

Prince George organized a feast at the end of the tournaments. The feast took place at Ashby Castle, which once belonged to Quincy. Cedric arrived without Rowena, but with Adelstan. The feast was glorious. They drank to Ivanhoe's health, but the father refused to drink to the prodigal son. Cedric said that they quarreled because Ivanhoe agreed to take the land as a gift from his brother. George and everyone else started laughing at Cedric's stupid insult. Cedric took revenge on him by offering to drink to Richard. The guests began to leave.

When it got dark, Fitsuzr and Brasi met, they were in an agreement to kidnap the beautiful Rowena. They decided that first Fizurz would be a robber, and then he would change clothes and rescue the girl from captivity.

Meanwhile, the Black Knight was already in the Yorkshire district. He reached a hut located in the forest. A hermit monk sat in it. The owner showed the weapon and the Black Knight realized that he was not who he pretended to be. They drank alcohol and sang songs, but suddenly someone came into the house...

Ivanhoe disappeared after the tournament, Oswald decided to find him. Cedric again went to a feast, where he saw the swineherd's dog and shot a dart at it. The swineherd Gourdo refused to work for Cedric. Gourdo told Cedric all his thoughts about him and even the jester could not calm him down.

Soon the travelers found themselves in the forest, there was someone calling for help, it turned out to be a Jewish woman with her father, who was very nervous.

Isaac said that Cedric gave six servants and donkeys to transport his son, but they were attacked and all the servants left, taking the cattle with them. The travelers turned out to be Adelstan, Rowena and Rebecca and Gurd. When they went, they were captured.

They tried to save Cedric, but he was well hidden. Soon Brasi decided to change clothes and save Rowena, but he liked Rebecca more. They arrived somewhere and Rowena was taken away, followed by Rebecca. York was thrown into prison. Three hours later they came to him and demanded money for his release.

Isaac was ready to give the money, but he was interested in his daughter. Fron said she was made a maid. The sound of a horn was heard and the captor left.

In the afternoon, Brasi came to Rowena to invite her to marry him. She rejected him and then he resorted to blackmail, saying that Rebekah and Isaac were taking Ivanhoe and if she did not agree, he would kill him. The girl began to cry.

Rebecca was imprisoned in a tower with a nanny named Urfrida. The old woman said that once her father lived here, he was attacked and killed, and she was locked here. Brian came to them and swore his love to her. The girl was not timid and replied that she would tell everyone that he had been intimate with a European girl, and then threatened suicide. Brian, frightened, left.

Brisi met with the templar in the castle hall.

They discussed meetings with their prisoners and a letter was brought to them. It was written that they must release the prisoners, and if they did not do this, they would become traitors and be called to battle. In response, they wrote that they could receive a priest.

Those who wrote the letter gathered at the castle. Wamba the jester was chosen as a false priest.

He was brought to Cedric and Adelstan, one of them could come out in a cassock. Cedric changed his clothes and went out, soon he met Rebecca, who was going to Ivanhoe, but he did not go with her. The old woman recognized Sax, then Cedric learned that she was the daughter of a noble man.

When Cedric came out, he told the truth. But the invaders still refused to give up some of the captives.

The invaders saw knights led by the Black Knight under the castle.

Rebekah was an excellent healer and, despite the fact that she knew that Ivanhoe loved Rowena, she tried to cure him.

There was a fight against the wall, arrows were everywhere. The castle was defeated and the gates were thrown open.

Boilbert and Brasi decided to discuss strategy.

Ulrika decided to take revenge on everyone and set the castle on fire. The invaders noticed the fire. Military operations continued. Norman gives up. The fire almost reached Ivanhoe's room. The Templar took Rebecca from Ivanhoe. The Black Knight found Ivanhoe.

Cedric was looking for Rowena. Adelstan noticed a girl on a horse and considered her Rowena, a battle began, but was defeated.

The castle burned down. Cedric released Gourdo and gave up part of his land. Lady Rowena rode up on her own horse, which she rode perfectly, she was tired, but the hope for the best did not fade away in her. She said that Ivanhoe was free and safe, but Adelstan was dead.

Cedric thanked the Black Knight and invited him to Roderwood. The Black Knight refused, but promised that as soon as he dealt with matters, he would come. Black released Brasi.

What surprised the Black Knight was that everything obtained was divided equally, and part of the money was given to charity. The hermit decided to join them, and it was he who rescued Isaac from captivity and captured Zhorvosky.

Isaac gave money for his salvation, but he still thought about the loss of his daughter. He was told that Brian had her. The black knight left, he was glad to meet the acquaintance and order of the forest inhabitants.

John once again held a feast in his castle. There were many guests there. George ordered Brasi to be watched because he did not trust him.

Isaac followed Rebecca to Templestone Preceptory. But soon he became very weak and stayed with a friend. He told Isaac that Luke was the chairman of the templars at Templestone. Luka arrived, but no one expected him; he was very decisive in his actions. He was famous for being a strict but fair monk and did not like Jews.

Isaac gave Luke a letter containing a description of the kidnapping. The master was outraged by the desire to free the Jewish woman. Luke put the Jew outside the gate. Isaac was completely depressed; he didn’t know who else he could get help from.

Albert, Phillip's brother, communicated with Briand, but the minister liked him and this could help Rebecca. But the minister decided to kill her as an edification to everyone.

Rebecca appeared in court. She was accused of clouding the knight's mind. They gave her a piece of paper, and after that they either accused her or tried to save her. She read the paper, it said that she should ask for a duel. She took advantage of this. She was given three days to find someone who would fight for her. Snell, Gig's son, volunteered, but the girl wanted Ivanhoe. Boisguillebert also wanted to intervene, but demanded that she marry him. Ivanhoe was in the monastery, he was guarded by Wamba and Gurd. The Black Knight, who left the monastery, was attacked by robbers, they were killed, and the knight showed his face, it was he who was King Richard. Losli showed up too. He was Robin Hood.

Ivanhoe followed them and saw what was left of the battle. They celebrated a little. And Richard, and Ivanhoe, and Gourdo and Wamba went to Koningburg Castle. They were greeted. Rowena saw them. The king asked for peace between father and son. Adelstan, whom everyone thought was dead, arrived.

Ivanhoe disappeared, he went to prepare for battle and went out to him, despite his wounds. Ivanhoe was weak, but still managed to hit Boisguillebert and he fell. The Black Knight entered. Rebekah was far away, and they were able to escape with Isaac, at that moment everyone was happy about the return of the king.

Someone condemned King Richard for leaving his throne and going in search of adventure. John gathered an army, but when those gathered learned about the return of the king, they fled. John came to Richard with repentance, and he, not paying attention to anything, pretended that everything was in order. For this reason, probably, all subsequent riots occurred in England. Maurice de Bracy went far across the seas to Philip of France to serve him. Albert was executed and Waldemar de Fitzurz was exiled. John escaped with fear.

After staying a little in York, Richard summoned Sax to him, he explained to him that all possibilities of at least some restoration of his beloved dynasty had been destroyed. Cedric accepted defeat when the possibility of Rowena and Adelstan's marriage became impossible due to her marriage to Ivanhoe.

The king himself made sure that the wedding took place. In the morning, Rebecca came to Rowena and said that she was leaving England forever and they would never see each other again and gave gifts to Rowena.

The king loved Ivanhoe very much, and he would have received more titles if the king had not died.

A short retelling of "Ivanhoe" in abbreviation was prepared by Oleg Nikov for the reader's diary.

« Ivanhoe" - one of the first historical novels. Published in 1820 as the work of the author of "Waverley" (as it later turned out, Walter Scott). In the 19th century it was recognized as a classic of adventure literature.

It cannot fully reveal the spirit of events, but will cover events only superficially, without delving into the details of images and actions.

Summary of “Ivanhoe” by chapter

Summary of “Ivanhoe” Chapter 1

The picturesque surroundings of old England, where the River Den flows, and in ancient times there was a large forest that covered most of the mountains and valleys between Sheffield and the town of Doncaster, is the setting for the tale of the knight of Ivanhoe.

The situation in the country was difficult. Conquered by the Normans, the Anglo-Saxons suffered from the oppression of foreign feudal lords and the troops subordinate to them. After the victory at Hastings, power passed to the Norman nobility, the Anglo-Saxons lost their privileges and even their language. The famous king Richard the Lionheart, having gone to fight the Saracens in the Holy Land, was captured, from where he returned only for the time when the events described in this story took place.

King William the Conqueror, an ardent hunter, exterminated entire villages to spread forests, and introduced new Tirana "forest laws". All these circumstances repeatedly reopened the wounds that the conquest of the country led to, and supported the fire of enmity and hatred between the Normans - the victors and the defeated Saxons.

One day, in a forest clearing, the figures of two poorly dressed people with strange rings around their necks appeared, the inscriptions on which said that these people were the slaves of Cedric Roderwood Gourde, the swineherd, and Wamba, the beloved jester. They herded pigs, talking among themselves in Anglo-Saxon and complaining that there were no more knights left who could defend poor Saxon, except their master Sir Cedric, who alone goes against the foreign invaders.

Summary of “Ivanhoe” Chapter 2

Suddenly men appeared in the clearing, one of them was in a monastic robe, and it was easy to recognize him as the abbot of Zhorvos Abbey, Prior Aimery, who loved feasts and other sweets of life. His dark-skinned companion had a strange, semi-monastic, drunken military appearance, a deep scar on his forehead, which also damaged his eye, lending more severity and recklessness to his face. The decoration and weapons of his eastern companions were also unusual.

The prior asked the way to the castle of Cedric - Sax - Roderwood and Wamba deliberately showed him the wrong way, because he did not want his master, Cedric, to quarrel with the uninvited guests, and they, in turn, saw Sax's pupil - the beautiful lady Rowena.

Leaving along the indicated path, the travelers once discussed the temper of the rich Sax Cedric and the beauty of Lady Rowena, and even argued: the prior was supposed to give his companion Briand where Boisguilbert, a knight of the Templars who had recently returned from Palestine, a golden chain if he recognized the beauty of the Saxon woman .

“Win it fairly,” said the prior, “and then be in good health.” Kalsut, Cedric - Sax kicked his only son out of the house because he dared to look with loving eyes at this beauty.

The prior and the knight almost got lost, but an oncoming traveler, introducing himself as a pilgrim from the Holy Land, led them to Roderwood, Cedric's home.

Roderwood Castle was a fortress, as required by those troubled times when the house could be robbed and burned every day. The castle was surrounded by a deep moat filled with water.

Before entering, the knight blew his horn loudly.

Summary of “Ivanhoe” Chapter 3

When the owner of the estate, Cedric-Sax, was informed that the Prior of Zhvorsky and the knight of the Order of the Templars, Bois-Plber, were asking for shelter in the midst of bad weather, he was not happy about this visit. Khramovikov became famous as a brave knight of his order, but at the same time his pride, vanity and cruelty were known. Few of those who were fortunate enough to return from Palestine said that he was a man with a merciless heart.

However, Cedric, although not satisfied with the visit of the uninvited guests, invited them to dinner. In the room, military and hunting weapons were hung on the walls; the entire interior should bear the imprint of that rough simplicity of the Saxon era, which Cedric loved and was so proud of. It was clear from the face of the owner of the castle that he was sincere, but incendiary and quick luck. He was a man of average height, broad-shouldered, with long arms and strong, like a man accustomed to the difficulties of a hunting life or to war.

Summary of “Ivanhoe” Chapter 4

The owner warned the later visitors that he should speak Saxon with them, because he considered it his duty to communicate in the language of his ancestors. The appearance of Lady Rowena in the hall made a great impression on the knight Boisguillebert. Despite the warning of his guardian, Briand, where Boisguillebert, did not take his eyes off the magical Saxon.

Rowena was tall and very slender, had clear blue eyes under thick dark eyebrows and luxurious chestnut-brown hair, which was intricately curled into numerous bouccles. As soon as Rowena noticed how hotly the knight was looking at her, she immediately covered her face with a veil.

The prior invited the beautiful girl and her guardian to a tournament that was to take place soon.

“It hasn’t been decided yet,” Cedric answered, “whether we’ll go there at all.” I don't like these vain holidays, which were unknown to my ancestors in those days when England was free.

“At least let me hope,” said the prior, “that together with us it will be easier for you to decide to go there, and when the roads are now so dangerous, you should not refuse the company of Sir Brian where Boisguillebert is.”

“Priore,” answered Sax, “while still traveling through our country, I did not resort to outside help, relying only on my good sword of faithful servants.”

The conversation was interrupted by the goalkeeper, who appeared to say that some stranger at the gate was asking to be let in and accepted.

Summary of “Ivanhoe” Chapter 5

This stranger was a Jew named Isaac from York, and although the abbot and the king-templar were outraged that they could find themselves in the same company with an infidel Jew, Cedric ordered the traveler to be admitted, as the custom of hospitality dictates.

Isaac turned out to be a tall, thin old man with regular facial features; an aquiline nose, sharp black eyes, a tall, wrinkled forehead, long gray hair and beard made a good impression. However, none of the guests wanted to give up their seat for a long time, until one pilgrim offered to sit next to him.

The conversation gradually turned to questions of the military prowess of the Saxons, which they had discovered in the Holy Land, and the pilgrim noted that the English knights were inferior to none of those who fought for the Holy Land. He saw how King Richard himself and his five knights at the tournament after the conquest of Saint-Jean-d'Acre challenged their opponents to battle, and how on that day each of those knights came out to duel three times and threw down three opponents.

Augustus Briand where Boisguillebert objected that only one knight threw him down from his horse, and this allegedly happened due to a simple accident and the carelessness of his horse: it was the knight Ivanhoe. Of all the six knights, he, according to his age, received the greatest glory in the tournament.

Defending the honor of Ivanhoe, the pilgrim offered a piece of the holy cross from the monastery of Mount Carmel as a pledge that when the knight Ivanhoe returned from across the four seas to Britain, he was obliged to accept the challenge of Briand where Boisguillebert. Everyone took off their hats in front of the relic. But the templar did not pay any attention to her. He took the gold chain from his neck and, throwing it on the table, said:

“Let Prior Aymer keep my pledge along with that of this unknown passerby...

Summary of “Ivanhoe” Chapter 6

When dinner was over, the pilgrim was stopped in the hallway by Lady Rowena's maid, who said in an authoritative tone that her lady wanted to speak to him. The pilgrim agreed silently, without objection, and soon he was telling the noble maiden everything he knew about the fate of her beloved knight Ivanhoe, who supposedly escaped the persecution of his enemies in Palestine and was returning to England. “God grant,” said Lady Rowena, “that he reaches us alive and well and can take up arms in the upcoming tournament, where all the knights of the country must show their strength and military dexterity. If Adelstana Koningzburzki receives the award, then Ivanhoe, returning to England, will hear unpleasant news.” Lady Rowena spoke of the man to whom she was betrothed by the will of her guardian and whom she loved because her heart belonged to Ivanhoe.

The happily saved Jew Isaac wanted to thank the mysterious pilgrim. He guessed that this was why a horse and weapons were needed, because under the appearance of the poor traveler there was hidden a knight's chain and golden spurs that flashed when he bent over the bed in the morning. Isaac told the pilgrim to turn to the rich Jew Kirjaf Jairem from Lombardy, who lived in the city of Leicester, and received weapons and a horse from him.

The position of the English people at the time of which this story is told was difficult. King Richard was held captive by the unfaithful and cruel Duke of Austria. Even the place of Richard's imprisonment was not known; most of his subjects knew nothing about their king.

King Richard's brother Prince John, in alliance with Philip of France, Richard's mortal enemy, used all his influence with the Duke of Austria to continue this captivity, because he hoped to win the royal crown himself and become the rightful heir. Frivolous, depraved and treacherous, John managed to win over not only those who feared Richard's wrath for the atrocities committed during his absence, but also numerous adventurers who, having returned from the Crusades to their homeland, hoped to enrich themselves due to the disorder in state.

In addition, many robbers from the poorest sections of the population united in huge detachments and reigned in forests and wastelands, punishing their exploiters with weapons for the grievances they caused. The barons themselves, having made each of their castles something like a fortress, became the heads of detachments that were no less lawless and just as dangerous as packs of zealous robbers. And besides, a dangerous epidemic had spread throughout the country, which was gaining momentum due to the terrible living conditions of the poor.

Despite all this, almost the entire population took part in the tournament, which took place at Ashby, in the county of Leicester. Glorious knights must come there; they thought that Prince John himself would be there. Huge crowds of people of various ranks hurried to the place of knightly competitions on the appointed morning. Here the name of the most preferred woman, the queen of love and beauty, can be determined. But no one could yet guess the name of the one who was destined to be the queen.

Old Isaac and his daughter Rebecca appeared at the tournament, and again no one wanted to give them their place. The dispute was noticed by Prince John, who, in a luxurious red robe embroidered with gold, with a falcon on his hand, led his merry company, driving around the arena on a gray fast one. He immediately recognized the Jew, and Rebecchina’s beauty aroused even greater interest in him.

-Who's sitting up there? - The prince said, looking at the gallery. — Saxon men? Down with them! Let them make room and give room to the Jew and his good daughter!

Those sitting in the gallery and to whom this insulting, rude speech was addressed were the family of Cedric-Sax and his friend and relative Adelstan Koningzburzki, who was of noble birth, but had an indecisive and sluggish character, and therefore did not immediately draw his weapon when de Bracy pointed at him a spear. But Mr. Cedric, as decisive as his comrade was sluggish, pulled out a short sword with lightning speed and with one blow cut off the tip from the shaft. Prince John's face filled with anger, but he was forced to retreat. He leaned down from his horse, tore the bag from Isaac’s belt, threw Wamba a few ducats and rode further around the arena to thunderous applause from the audience, who greeted him as he had done an honest, noble act.

The tournament has begun. According to the rules, the five challenging knights were obliged to fight all opponents. Each knight who wanted to fight was given the right to choose his opponent from those summoned by touching his shield. In addition, when the knights present had fulfilled their duties, that is, each of them had broken five spears, then the prince had the right to proclaim the winner of the first day of the tournament. Finally, it was announced that a general tournament would take place the next day and all knights present could take part in it. Then the knight, whom the prince will declare the winner of this next day, will be crowned by the queen of beauty and love with a wreath of gold plates like a laurel crown. The next day, the knightly competition will end, followed by a performance of archers, a bullfight and other folk entertainment.

The challenging knights left their tents, mounted their horses and, led by Briand, where Boisguillebert and Malvoisin Front de Boeuf, rode towards them. They remained victorious in numerous fights. Cedric-Sax was especially outraged by this: in every victory of the Norman knights, he saw an enemy triumph over the glory of England. Cedric wanted Adelstan to defend Saxon honor, but he was too sluggish in character and so unambitious, he did not dare to make the attempt that Cedric expected of him.

No one broke pauses during the tournament; Only occasionally were the exclamations of the heralds heard:

- Love to women! Death to the spades! Come out, brave knights! The eyes of beauties look at your exploits.

For quite a long time no one dared to continue the fight, and the people had already begun to complain about the spoiled holiday, suddenly from the north side the sound of a lonely trumpet was heard, calling for a fight. The new fighter, as could be judged by his fully armored figure, was slightly above average height and not very strong in build. He had steel armor, richly cut with gold, and for the motto on his shield was a young oak tree, uprooted, with the inscription: “Disinherited.”

The knight hit Brian's shield with the tip of his spear, where Boisguillebert was. The blow rang loudly. Everyone was surprised by this self-confidence, and most of all by the formidable knight himself, who was thus challenged to a mortal duel.

-Have you atoned for your sins, my brother? - Asked the templar, - and listened to mass this morning before so desperately risking your life?

“I am better prepared for death than you,” answered the knight.

As soon as the trumpets gave the signal, the knights met each other, their spears were split to the very handles, and the templars' saddle girth burst, and he flew off his horse to the ground. The enraged Boisguillebert drew his sword and rushed at the winner, but the tournament marshals separated the opponents.

“I hope,” said the templar, looking fiercely at his opponent, that we will meet again where no one can stop us.

“If we don’t meet,” answered the Disinherited, “it won’t be my fault.” On foot or on horseback, with spears, axes or swords, I am always ready to fight with you.

Without getting off his horse, the winner asked for a glass of wine and, throwing away his visor, announced that he was drinking “to the health of all true Englishmen, to the death of foreign tyrants.”

In the following fights, the Disinherited defeated the giant Front de Boeuf, Sir Philippe Malvoisin, where Grand was a mechile and Ralph de Vipont.

William de Uyville and Stephen Matival, marshals of the tournament, first called upon the winner, asking him to remove his helmet or at least raise his visor before approaching Prince John, who was to crown him with the award for his victory. The Disinherited refused their request, saying that he could not show his face for the reason which he had told the herald before he entered the arena. The answer completely satisfied the marshals, because among the fanciful vows of knighthood there was a promise to remain unknown for a time or until a certain feat was accomplished.

John was quite interested in the mystery of the stranger; in addition, he was dissatisfied with the consequences of the tournament, where his beloved knights suffered defeats one after another from the same opponent.

“Our will,” answered John, “is that the Disinherited One should wait until someone guesses his name and rank, even if he has to sit until night, and then after such labor he will not catch a cold.”

Many of those present whispered the opinion that perhaps this was the king, Richard the Lionheart himself.

“Oh my God,” said the prince and turned pale as death. He was very excited and frightened, but the Disinherited Knight did not utter a word in response to the prince’s greeting and limited himself to only a respectful bow.

Finally, slowly and deftly tilting the tip of the spear, he lowered the crown to the feet of the beautiful Rowena. Immediately the trumpets sounded, the heralds proclaimed Lady Rowena the queen of beauty and love. However, both the winner of the tournament and the beauty queen he chose refused to attend Prince John’s feast, which also angered him quite a lot.

After the end of the tournament, the Disinherited Knight took only half of the sum of money assigned to him for the weapons and horses of the vanquished, giving away the rest. Juru Brianna where Boisguillebert he asked to tell his master that their fight was not over yet and would not end until they fought to the death.

Next, he ordered Gourd, who played the role of his squire, to take a bag of gold and take it to Ashby in order to pay the Jew Isaac of York for the horse and weapons borrowed. So, it became clear that the mysterious knight, deprived of his inheritance, and the pilgrim who asked for refuge in the house of Cedric-Sax were one person.

Isaac and his daughter and servants lived with a rich friend in a house outside the city, near the village of Ashby. The old Jew took eighty zechin for the horse and weapons, and his daughter Rebecca, secretly calling Gourdo to her chambers, gave him another hundred zechin. However, the swineherd’s joy over such unexpected luck was short-lived...

As soon as Gurd went out of the city, suddenly four people, two from each end of the road, pounced on him and grabbed him tightly.

- Come on, what are you talking about! - One of them exclaimed. - We are philanthropists, we relieve everyone of weight.

The swineherd invited them to take his personal thirty sequins, leaving his master's money. When the robbers learned that he served the Knight Disinherited, who covered himself with glory at the tournament in Ashby, they decided not to take his money. Taking advantage of the fact that the attackers were counting money, Gurd snatched a stick from one of them, knocked down the leader, who did not suspect his intention, and almost snatched the bag and his treasures. But the robbers, it turned out, were too clever - they again grabbed the bag and Gourdo. The leader ordered Gurd to fight one of the robbers to prove his dexterity.

Both fighters, equally armed with sticks, walked out into the middle of the clearing. For several minutes they showed equal strength, courage and agility, until Gurd struck his opponent on the head with all his might, so that he stretched out to his full height on the grass...

“Now go, boy, where you want,” said the leader, turning to Gurdo with the consent of everyone. “I will give you two comrades, they will lead you to your tent and protect you from night wanderers, but do not try to find out who we are, otherwise you will not escape trouble.”

The next day the next fights were to take place. According to the charter, the Disinherited Knight was to become the head of one party, and Briand, where Boisguillebert, recognized the day before by the second warrior after the winner, was to be the head of another.

Prince John arrived with his retinue, and at the same time Cedric-Sax and Lady Rowena arrived, but without Adelstan, who decided to participate in the competition and, to Cedric’s surprise, joined the party of the Templars.

Adelstana hid the main reason that forced him to accept Briand and Boisguillebert into the party. He was too weak of character to woo Lady Rowena himself, and yet he felt the charms of beauty on himself and considered the marriage a settled matter, since Cedric and his friends would be glad if it happened. Therefore, he was hostile to the winner that the day before he honored Lady Rowena by choosing her as queen.

According to the tournament rules of this day, the battle must take place with sharp swords and sharp lances. Taking this into account, the knights were forbidden to stab with swords; they only had the right to strike. It was allowed to use maces or an ax at will, but the dagger was prohibited. The opponents fought fiercely, and happiness passed first to one, then to the other. The leaders fought surprisingly fearlessly. Neither Brian where Boisguillebert, nor the knight Disinherited could find among their opponents a warrior equal in strength to each of them. Inflamed by mutual enmity, they constantly tried to collide with each other, well aware that when one of them was overcome, it would mean victory.

Finally, the detachment of the Knight of the Deprived of Inheritance began to lose the case. Front de Beuf's huge hand on one side and Adelstan's heavy blows on the second destroyed and swept away all the obstacles that appeared in front of them. Instantly turning their horses, they rushed towards the Knight of the Disinherited - Norman on one side, the Saxon on the other. The Knight of the Disinherited was saved by the unanimous warning cry of the spectators:

- Beware, beware, Disinherited Knight! - It was heard from everywhere.

But at this time an unexpected event occurred - a knight in a black shell, on a huge black horse, strong and powerful in appearance, had almost not participated in the battle until now, for which he received the nickname “Black Lazy” from the audience, suddenly intervened in the battle.

Having buried his spurs in his still very fresh horse, he rushed to the aid of the leader, crying out in a thunderous voice: “Deprived of Inheritance, I am coming to the rescue!” ". He made it just in time - another minute, and it would have been too late, because then, as the knight Disinherited was fighting with the templars, Front de Boeuf was rushing at him with a raised sword. But Black Lazy Guy got ahead of him, hitting his opponent on the head, and Front de Boeuf fell down. Then the Black Knight turned his horse towards Adelstan Koningzburzki, and since his sword had been cut in the fight with Front de Boeuf, he tore the ax from his velvet hand. He, as a man well acquainted with this weapon, hit Adelstan so hard on the helmet that he fell unconscious into the arena.

Briand where Boisguillebert, having fallen into the arena, became entangled in a stirrup, from which he could not free him with his foot. His opponent jumped from his horse to the ground, raised his formidable sword above his head and ordered him to show himself - but at that moment Prince John threw the staff and thus stopped the battle in order to save Brian where Boisguillebert from the shame of admitting himself defeated.

Prince John now had to name the knight who had distinguished himself the most, and he decided that the glory of this day belonged to the Black Lazy. But, to the surprise of everyone present, this knight could not be found anywhere, as he fell through the ground. Prince John, having no reason to refuse the Disinherited Knight, declared him the hero of the day.

However, even during the award ceremony, the knight did not want to show his face. However, in a heavy battle he was wounded, and therefore could not resist when the marshals, despite his words, removed the helmet, cutting the straps and unfastening the armored collar. As soon as the helmet was removed, everyone saw the good, although sun-tanned, features of a twenty-five-year-old youth with thick brown curls. His face was as pale as death, and here and there it was stained with blood.

As soon as she looked at him, Lady Rowena cried out quietly, but immediately regained control of herself and with difficulty fulfilled her duty, although she was trembling all over, she suddenly became very agitated. She placed a brilliant crown on the winner’s bowed head and said loudly and clearly:

“I crown you, knight, with this crown for courage, I give you this award awarded to the winner today.”

- Never has a knight's crown been crowned more worthy!

The knight bowed his head and kissed the hand of the beautiful queen, who rewarded his courage, and then, bending forward, fell unconscious at her feet.

Everyone was confused by what had happened, Cedric, amazed at how his exiled son suddenly appeared before him, rushed to him, wanted to stand between him and Lady Rowena. But the tournament marshals have already done this. Having guessed why Ivanhoe fell unconscious, they hastened to remove his armor and saw that the tip of the spear, having pierced the breastplate, wounded him to the side.

No sooner had Ivanhoe's name been heard than it quickly spread from mouth to mouth. Soon it came to the prince too, and his face darkened when he heard.

“Yes,” replied Waldemar Fitzurz, “it seems that this brave knight is ready to claim back the castle and estates that Richard gave him, and through the generosity of your Highness they came to Front de Befovi.”

“Front de Boeuf is a man,” said the prince, “who would rather seize three castles like Ivanhoe than agree to return even one of them.”

Those close to the prince started talking about Lady Rowena's sadness, which she tried to hide when she saw Avengo's motionless body at her feet.

“We will try to console her sadness,” said Prince John, “and provide her with the nobility of her family by marrying Norman.” She seems to be underage, and therefore her marriage depends on our royal will. What do you say, de Bracy? Is it not to your taste to receive estates with all the income by marrying a Saxon, following the example of the Conqueror's comrades?

“If I like estates with income, my lord,” replied de Bracy, “then, perhaps, why would I not like a bride?”

The day ended with a shooting competition, which was won by a peasant named Loxley. He did not accept Prince John's offer to go into his service, because he swore never to enter the service of anyone other than King Richard.

To mark the end of the tournament, Prince John ordered a sumptuous feast to be prepared at Ashby Castle. The castle and town of Ashby then belonged to Roger de Quincey, Earl of Winchester, who was in Palestine at that time. Prince John seized his castle and, without hesitation, ruled his possessions. The prince's servants, who acted on such occasions in the royal name, completely tore the whole country around and took away everything that, in their opinion, was worthy of their master's table.

Cedric and Adelstana came to visit the prince, and he received them very politely, not seeming at all annoyed when Cedric said that Rowena was not feeling well and therefore was not able to take advantage of the prince's kind invitation.

There was lively conversation going on around the table filled with food. The guests talked about the details of the past tournament, about the unknown winner in crossbow shooting, about the Black Knight, who so selflessly avoided a well-deserved reward, and about the brave Ivanhoe, who bought himself victory at such a high price. Prince John looked gloomy - he seemed to be very worried about something. Suddenly he said:

- We drink this glass to the health of Wilfried Ivanhoe, the winner of today's competition. We regret that his injury prevented him from being at our table. Drink, guests, especially you, Cedric Roderwood, respected father of this outstanding knight.

“No, my lord,” Cedric answered, standing up and putting his undrinkable glass on the table. “I cannot call a disobedient young man a son; he went against my will and forgot the customs of his ancestors. He left my house against my will and my order - our ancestors called this disobedience, and they punished such actions as a grave crime.

“It seems,” the prince said after a pause, “the brother was supposed to transfer a rich estate to his favorite.”

“He gave this estate to Ivanhoe,” replied Cedric, “this is precisely the main reason for my quarrel with my son.” He agreed to accept, as a feudal vassal, the very land that once belonged to his ancestors, as free and independent rulers.

“So, you, dear Cedric, would perhaps willingly agree that this estate should go to a person whose dignity will not suffer harm because she accepts the fiat of the British crown?” Reginald Front de Boeuf,” added the prince, addressing this baron. “I hope you will so protect the beautiful barony of Ivangove that Sir Wilfrid will NOT become more rotten than his father, having received this fief second.”

After these disdainful words from the prince, each courtier, in turn following his example, with a sly smile, tried to throw some kind of joke at Cedric’s address.

However, the proud Saxon took revenge on his offenders by making a toast to the health of King Richard the Lionheart. After that, he left the hall with Adelstana. The other guests began to leave, leaving Prince John irritated and frightened.

Waldemar Fitsurz tried to bring Prince John's conspirators back together, arguing that if Richard returned, he would be alone, without companions, without friends. The bones of his brave army whiten in the sands of Palestine. Few of his supporters who returned home, like Wilfrid Ivanhoe, wander the world as tattered beggars. Fitzurz argued that a king like Prince John would be more profitable for the nobility. This evidence did its job. Most of the nobility agreed to appear at the muster in York, where arrangements were to be made for the crown to be placed in the hands of John.

Late at night, Fitzurz returned to Ashby Castle - and met here with de Bracy, who initiated him into his plans to attack the Saxons and kidnap the beautiful Rowena from them.

“Okay, if you really want to know,” said de Bracy, “where did Boisguillebert conceive the plan of the theft from the Templars of Briand?” He will help me attack, and he, along with his companions, will play the role of a robber, and then I, in disguise, will free the beauty from the imaginary thieves.

The knight who decided the fate of the tournament, Black Lazy, left the arena immediately after the victory was finally determined. When he was called to present the award, he was nowhere to be found. Bypassing wide roads, he made his way through forest paths and soon reached the western Yorkshire district.

Soon he entered a small clearing. Under the rock, clinging to it, stood a simple hut, built right here in the forest. The cracks were plugged with moss and clay in order to somehow protect the house from the weather.

There the knight met a hermit who was called a kopman - a Herst cleric. The monk offered him a modest dinner, and then a barrel of wine. When the “holy” father showed the guest a weapon hidden in the closet, he became convinced that its owner was not exactly who he said he was.

So the Black Lazy Man and the hermit treated themselves, played the harp and sang not entirely pious songs, becoming more and more cheerful and unsatisfied, when suddenly someone interrupted their feast by firmly slamming the door of the house...

Only Cedric - Sax saw that his son fell unconscious in the arena in Ashby, his first desire was to order his servants to help Ivanhoe and keep an eye on him - but the word did not come out of his mouth: he disowned his disobedient son and disinherited him, Cedric did not dare to publicly fulfill his first impulses. He only ordered Oswald to look after his son, and then, accompanied by two servants, to take Ivanhoe, when the crowd had dispersed, to Ashby. However, Oswald was ahead of them: the crowd, however, dispersed, and the knight disappeared with it.

While searching for Ivanhoe, Oswald only learned from those he met that the knight was picked up by well-dressed servants, placed on a stretcher by one of the ladies present, and immediately carried out of the cramped space.

- Let him go wherever he likes! - Cedric said. “Let those who caused him to be wounded treat his wounds!”

Later, after an indecent reception at Prince John's, the Saxon gentlemen went to dinner with Abbot Wilthoff, who, himself from an old Saxon family, received the guests very kindly, and they sat at the table until late, or rather, towards the morning hour - and the following morning We left the house of our hospitable host only after a good breakfast.

As the horsemen rode out of the monastery courtyard, a minor incident occurred, and it rather disconcerted the Saxons, who were very superstitious and superstitious: a thin black dog, sitting on its hind legs, howled pitifully as the front horsemen rode out of the fence, and then, barking and jumping wildly around, ran to the travelers.

Cedric recognized Gourdo's dog, Fangs, and threw a dart at him. This outraged the swineherd, who was already in disgrace with his master for fleeing from the castle to help Knight Ivanhoe in the tournament. Gurd even told Wamba that he refused to serve Cedric from now on.

“Let him throw it at me,” Gurd said indignantly, “I don’t care!” Yesterday he left Wilfried, my young master, lying in blood, and today he wanted to kill before my eyes the only living creature that had never caressed me. I swear I will never forgive him for this.

The offended swineherd fell gloomily silent again, and no matter how hard the jester tried to speak to him, all his attempts were in vain.

Having reached the forest, the travelers entered its thicket, which was very dangerous in those days, through numerous detachments of freemen, consisting of people of the lower class. While leaving through the forest, the travelers suddenly heard cries for help. Having arrived at the place from which they could be heard, they were surprised to see a horse-drawn litter thrown to the ground; A young girl, richly dressed in Jewish style, was sitting next to them, and some old Jew was running back and forth, begging for help.

Having recovered from the horror, Isaac and York (it was he) told Adelstan and Cedric that he had hired six men at Ashby for guards and donkeys to transport his sick friend. The guides agreed to escort him to Doncaster. They reached this place safe and sound, but frightened by the freemen, the guides not only fled, but also took the donkeys, leaving the Jew with the daughter of fate, under the threat of being robbed and killed by a band of bandits. Adelstana wanted to refuse help to those they met, but Rebecca convinced Lady Rowena to help not so much themselves, but therefore the wounded man whom they were taking with them, without, however, indicating who was wounded.

When they all moved on together and found themselves in the gorge, they were unexpectedly attacked and captured. Only Gurd, who had previously fled into the thicket of the forest, and Wamba, who snatched the sword from the hands of one of the attackers, managed to avoid this. Having met in the forest, the two of them decided to go together to save Cedric and the others, when suddenly a third person ordered them to stop. Wamba recognized the stranger as Locksley, a peasant who, under unfavorable conditions, received the award for the winner in crossbow shooting. Locksley promised to assemble a detachment to visit Mr. Cedric and the rest of the prisoners.

Arriving at the forest brethren, Loxley ordered to begin surveillance of the attackers who were leading prisoners to Torquilston, the castle of Front de Beuf, and he himself, together with Gurd and Wamba, went further to the Coppengherst chapel. Cheerful songs could be heard from the hermit's cell. Locksley and the servants of Thane Cedric told the cleric and the knight about the unfortunate incident, and they assured that they would help save the prisoners

“It is unlikely that you will find anyone,” said the knight, “to whom England and the life of every Englishman would be as dear as to me.”

While measures were being taken to save Cedric and his companions, the armed men who had captured them were hastening to take the prisoners to a safe place to keep them prisoners. Khramovikov agreed with de Bracy that he should play the role of Lady Rowena’s liberator, and admitted that he liked the beautiful Jewish woman Rebecca much more.

During this conversation, Cedric made attempts to find out from his guards who took them captive and for what purpose, but these attempts were in vain. They drove hastily on until, at the end of an alley of tall trees, Torquilston appeared before them, the ancient castle of Reginald Front de Boeuf, covered with gray moss. It was a small fortress, consisting of a huge high tower surrounded by buildings below it, with a circular courtyard inside.

Lady Rowena was separated from her retinue and escorted politely, without asking, she agreed, to a distant part of the castle. They did the same with Rebecca, despite all the pleas of her father, who even offered money just to leave them together.

The butler didn't say a word, he just nodded his head.

“Tell Sir Reginald Front de Befovy,” added Adelstana, “that I challenge him to a mortal combat and invite him to fight me.”

“I will convey your challenge to the knight,” answered the butler. Everyone's attention was attracted by the sound of a horn, which was heard at the castle gates.

In addition to the Saxon gentlemen, Isaac from York was also in the castle. The poor man was immediately thrown into one of the underground prisons. He sat like that for a good 3:00 when he heard someone walking down the stairs to the dungeon. The bolts rattled, the hinges creaked, and Reginald Front de Boeuf entered the prison, accompanied by two Saracens, captured Templars. The baron began to threaten the Jew with death if he did not pay him a thousand pounds in silver.

Isaac had almost agreed to this when Front de Boeuf, with a feigned expression of surprise, said that he had given his daughter Rebecca for a maid to Sir Brianna where Boisguillebert.

- Robber, murderer! - Isaac exclaimed, returning the images to his oppressor with a rage that he could no longer calm. “I won’t pay you anything, I won’t pay you even a single silver penny, until you give me your daughter whole and untouched!”

Isaac was saved from immediate torture only by the sound of a horn that came from the courtyard, which forced his tormentor to leave the dungeon.

Around noon, de Bracy came to Lady Rowena's room to fulfill his intention - to ask for her hand, and at the same time to receive the estates of Mr. Cedric. However, the proud girl reacted disdainfully to the advances, reproaching him for behavior unworthy of a knight. Out of frustration, de Bracy had to resort to blackmail: having told Lady Rowena that the unknown wounded man whom Isaac and Rebecca were carrying with them was Ivanhoe, he invited her to agree to his proposal, saving the life of her beloved.

In response to this, Rowena burst into tears so hard that she even touched de Bracy’s cruel heart. Excited by these thoughts, he could only ask poor Rowena to calm down and assured that she had no reason to kill herself like that, but his words were interrupted by the sharp sound of a horn, which also disturbed the other inhabitants of the castle.

While the described scenes were taking place in other parts of the castle, Isaac's daughter Rebecca waited in a distant lonely tower to see how her fate would be decided. There I saw some old woman muttering a Saxon song to herself.

The old woman, who called herself Urfrida, told the girl her sad story. She was young and beautiful when Front de Boeuf, Reginald's father, besieged this castle, which belonged to her father. A father and seven sons defended their legacy floor by floor, room by room. There was not a single place on the floor, not a single step on the stairs, that they did not sprinkle with their blood. Every last one of them died, and the girl became the prey of the winner. Urfrida predicted the same fate for Rebecca.

How Rebecca prepared herself to calmly face danger, however, she trembled all over when the knight of the Templars of Briand and Boisguillebert entered the room. Swearing by the cross, he began to confess his love to the girl, saying that he had been betrayed by a woman before, and had given his life to serving in the order. However, Rebecca's beauty and character struck him so much that he saw in her a kindred spirit for his ambitious plans. The knight’s words greatly outraged Rebecca: although she was of a different religion, she considered such an attitude towards the shrine and sacred vows disgusting.

“I will publicize your crime, the Templars, throughout Europe,” said the proud girl. “I will take advantage of your brothers’ superstition if they refuse me their condolences.” All the people of your order will know that you have sinned with a Jewish woman.

Saying this, she opened the lattice window wide, overlooking the watchtower, and in an instant stood on the very edge of the rampart: nothing separated her from the terrible abyss. She was determined to fulfill her intention to commit suicide, but not to succumb to Boisguilbert's persuasion.

“I’ll believe you, but only so much,” Rebecca said and walked off the edge of the rampart and pressed herself against one of the loopholes. - Here I will stay, you stay in your place...

Fearing that the girl would commit suicide, Briand left the room where Boisguillebert, and Rebecca began to pray for her salvation and the name of the wounded Christian sounded in her prayer.

When the templars entered the castle hall, de Bracy was already there.

“You, probably, just like me, received a refusal from a Jewish woman,” said de Bracy, “all this through the noise of these calls.”

Soon Front de Boeuf appeared to them and forced him to stop torturing Isaac. On the way, he hesitated a little because he had to give orders.

“Let’s see what the cause of this damned noise is,” he said, “here is a letter and, if I’m not mistaken, written in Saxon.”

The letter, signed by Wamba, Gurd, Locksley and the Black Knight, demanded the immediate release of Mr. Cedric, Adelstan, Lady Rowena and other Saxons captured with them: “If you do not fulfill these demands of ours, we will declare you robbers and traitors and summon you to fight in an open field, in a siege or in some other way, and we will make every effort to ruin and destroy you."

To this, the noble gentlemen replied that they had decided to execute the prisoners, and therefore the only way their friends could serve them was to send a priest to the castle for a final confession.

A huge crowd of people gathered near the castle, consisting of forest freemen, Saxon residents of the neighboring district and Cedric’s vassals and slaves, who agreed to free the master, only some of them had real weapons - the majority were armed with rural weapons, only for lack of a better one used in war.

“I would like,” said the Black Knight, “for one of us to sneak up to the castle and find out how the besieged are doing there.” And when they demand a confessor, then, in my opinion, our holy hermit could at the same time fulfill his pious duty and get us all the necessary information.

However, the hermit refused to take on this role, and therefore Wamba had to dress up as a priest, although he knew almost nothing in either Latin or Norman.

When the jester in the Hermit's hood and robe, belted with knotted ropes, approached the gates of the Front de Boeuf castle, the sentry asked who he was and what he needed.

- Peace to you! - Answered the jester. “I am a poor brother of the Order of St. Francis and I came here to give guidance to the heartfelt prisoners now imprisoned in the castle.

Once among the prisoners, he invited Cedric to change into his clothes and leave the castle. Cedric and Adelstana argue for a long time about who he should give his clothes to in order to escape from prison, but the more decisive Cedric finally accepted the jester's offer. After changing clothes, he met Rebecca in the corridor, who tried to persuade him to visit the sick Ivanhoe. However, Cedric, forced to swim by the priest, quickly left the girl when unexpectedly old Urfrida called him to her room.

Urfrida immediately recognized that the imaginary priest was a Saxon. She began to tell him her story, and Cedric was surprised to learn that this old ugly woman was Ulrika, the daughter of the noble Sax, friend and comrade of Torquil's father Wolfganger. Forced to live among the enemies and murderers of her family, she hated them with a furious hatred and tried to harm them all her life. She managed to make enemies of old Front de Boeuf and his son, Reginald, and incite this enmity until the tyrant died at the hands of his own son.

Cedric, disguised as a priest, managed to leave the castle unrecognized, although he spoke with Front de Boeuf himself, who ordered him to hold off the advance of the “Saxon pigs” who were besieging the castle.

Only after Cedric had happily escaped was the deception exposed. Front de Boeuf demanded a ransom from the Saxons, and Adelstana promised to pay a ransom of a thousand marks for himself and his comrades. However, the barons and templars wanted to leave Isaac and his daughter, the jester and Lady Rowena in the castle.

“Lady Rowena,” Adelstana answered firmly, “the bride is engaged, and wild horses would sooner tear me to pieces than I would agree to leave her.” The same can be said about slave Wamba.

The Saxons were taking the prisoners out when they brought in the monk Ambrose, who reported that the Zhorvosky prior had been taken prisoner. Looking at the besiegers who had gathered under the walls of the castle, de Bracy noted that at the head of the crowd was the one they called the Black Knight.

When Ivanhoe fell and everyone seemed to have abandoned him, Rebecca, persistently pleading with her father, was able to persuade him to move the brave young man from the arena to a house in the suburb of Ashby, where Jews temporarily settled.

Beautiful Rebecca knew how to heal well. She received her medical knowledge from an old Jewish woman, the daughter of a famous doctor, and fell in love with Rebecca as her own child. The teacher herself was burned alive, but his secret knowledge remained to live in the mind of her skillful student. She nursed the wounded Ivanhoe, although she realized that he loved Rowena. The beautiful Jewess was captivated by the courage of the young knight and his desire to champion the cause of King Richard and the ancestral rights of the Saxons.

It was Ivanhoe who was on a stretcher when Cedric and his servants met Isaac and his daughter, abandoned by the guides. Together with the Saxon masters and his saviors, Ivanhoe was captured at the castle of Front de Beuf. His name became known to de Bracy, and his knightly honor did not allow him to reveal the presence of Ivanhoe Front de Befovy - he would, of course, without any hesitation kill the wounded man, tempted by the opportunity to get rid of the one whose feud he had encroached on. In case they were asked, de Bracy ordered that they answer that they had used Lady Rowena's empty litter to transport one of their comrades, who had been wounded in the battle. The warriors hurried to the battlefield and thus Urfrida began to court Ivanhoe. But Urfrida, overwhelmed by memories of old grievances and dreaming of revenge, willingly transferred her duty to look after the sick man to Rebecca.

As soon as Rebecca saw Ivanhoe again, she was surprised to feel how ardently her heart rejoiced - while everything around them threatened them with danger, even death. Since the battle had already unfolded under the walls of the castle, the girl, worried that the knight would not be harmed, stood at the window herself to translate everything that was happening outside.

The arrows rained down like heavy hail, but each of them was precisely intended for somewhere and did not miss. The Black Knight fought as the power of up to twenty people passed into his hand. He defeated the giant Front de Boeuf, and Ivanhoe exclaimed, meaning King Richard:

“And I thought that only one hand of England was capable of such feats!”

Finally, the besiegers smashed the castle gates, although they were unable to take the bridge leading to the castle.

While, after the first success of the besiegers, one side was preparing to take advantage of its favorable position, and the other to strengthen its defenses, Boisguillebert and de Bracy met for a short meeting in the castle hall.

They realized that Front de Boeuf was dying, and they were left without his support and superhuman strength, and therefore they assumed that de Bracy would take over the defense of the gate, and about twenty people from the templars would remain in reserve, ready to strike where the greatest danger threatened.

Meanwhile, the owner of the besieged castle lay dying on his bed. Through his agony, he heard a mysterious voice, and the figure of the one who spoke with Front de Boeuf appeared at his bedside. It was Ulrika, who sought revenge for her murdered father and brothers and for her mutilated life. She set fire to the castle, leaving the terrible knight abandoned by everyone to die a terrible death.

Cedric did not really hope for Ulrichina’s promise to help the besiegers, and yet he reported her to the Black Knight and Locksley. They were glad that they had found a friend; a good hour could make it easier for them to get into the castle.

The Black Knight needed rest - he managed to use it to build a kind of floating bridge or a long raft, with the help of which he hoped to get across

ditch, despite enemy resistance. This took some time, and the leaders did NOT lament, because it gave Ulrici the opportunity to fulfill her promise of help, whatever it was.
The besiegers opened the gates, and Cedric and the Black Knight, under a cloud of stones and arrows, tried to lower the raft. At that moment, the besiegers noticed on the corner of the tower the red flag that Ulrika had told Cedric about. Brave Loxley was the first to see him.
The enemies also noticed that the castle was on fire. The battle continued, and the besiegers managed to advance further and further, despite the stones that flew from the walls. A bloody duel broke out between de Bracy and the Black Knight, and Norman surrendered to the mercy of the winner. He warned that Wilfried Ivanhoe was wounded and would die in the burning castle if he was not rescued immediately.

The fire continued to spread, and soon signs of fire appeared in the room where Ivanhoe lay under the close care of the Rebecchi. Everything was darkened by thick, suffocating smoke. The door of the room swung open, and a templar appeared in a shiny shell covered in blood. He grabbed Rebecca and carried her out of the room - Ivanhoe could not stop him. Hearing the loud screams of Ivanhoe, the Black Knight found his room, who saved the young captive.
Most of the pledges resisted with all their might, only a few asked for mercy - and no one received it. Screams and the ringing of weapons were heard in the air, the floor was red with the blood of the dead and dying.
In the midst of all this horror, Cedric searched for Rowena, and the faithful Gurd followed him, making every effort to repel the blows aimed at his master. Sachs was lucky to get to his pupil’s room at the very moment when she, despairing of her salvation, sat in horror awaiting imminent death. He instructed Gurd to lead her, safe and sound, to the front tower.
The proud Templars fought bravely, not taking their eyes off Rebecca, who was mounted on the horse of one of the Saracen slaves. Adelstana, who, noticing a female figure and thinking that it was Rowena and that the knight was carrying her by force, entered into battle with Bois de Guilbert, but the Templars turned out to be stronger and, having overcome his rival, accompanied by his people, left the battlefield. Those who remained, even after the Templars disappeared, continued to fight desperately, not because they hoped for salvation, but because they had no hope of the mercy of the victors.
Overcome with the joy of revenge, Ulrika found herself on the mountain of the tower, where she stood, waving her arms in frantic delight. Finally the tower collapsed with a terrible roar, and Ulrika died in the flames, which also devoured her enemy and executioner.

The forest freemen gathered at their tree in the Gertgil forest. Here they stayed overnight, strengthening their forces after a difficult siege; some drank wine, some slept, others talked about the events they had experienced and counted the spoils. No one saw the Coppengherst cleric.
Cedric yearned for the noble Adelstan Koningzburzki. He also released his faithful servant Gurdo, giving him a plot of land in his Valbergem possessions.
Here a horse's tramp was heard, and soon Lady Rowena appeared on horseback, tired and pale, but on her face there was, however, noticeable hope for a better future; she knew that Ivanhoe was in a safe place, and also that Adelstana was dead.
Before setting out, Cedric expressed his special gratitude to the Black Knight and earnestly asked him to go with him to Roderwood.
“Cedric has already enriched me,” answered the knight, “he taught me to value Saxon virtue.” I will be in Roderwoodi, brave Saxon, and I will be quickly, but now immediate matters do not give me the opportunity to go to you.
The knight also released the captive de Bracy, and Locksley assured him that if he did not need help, he could get it from the forest brethren.
The Black Knight was quite surprised to note the discipline and fairness in the division of the spoils, as well as the fact that the part intended for charitable causes remained untouched.
Subsequently, a hermit joined the group, who freed the Jew Isaac from the burning castle, and even later they brought the captive prior Aimery Zhorvosky.

The community began to demand money from Isaac and the prior for their release, and the Jew was forced to promise to pay a ransom for both of them. The old man was indifferent to everything, because he thought that he had lost his beloved daughter Rebecca forever. But one of the freemen reported that the beautiful Jewish woman was in the hands of Sir Briand where Boisguillebert was, so the father must hurry to negotiate with the temple members, who loves the shine of the chervonets no less than the fire of his black eyes. The prior promised to write a letter to the knight - the templars with a request to give the girl for a ransom, which old Isaac is ready to pay.
The Black Knight, watching all these scenes with great interest, also said goodbye to the leader. He involuntarily expressed his surprise to him that he had found such good order among the free forest people.
“Here’s my hand to you as a sign that I respect you,” he said to Loksleevi.

There was a great feast at York Castle. Prince John invited those barons, prelates and leaders, with the help of whom he hoped to realize his ambitious plans for the brother of the throne. The day after Torquilston was conquered, the news was heard in York that de Bracy and Boisguillebert, together with their accomplice Front de Boeuf, had been captured or killed. Prince John was threatening to take revenge on the Saxons when de Bracy appeared in the hall, stained with the blood of a horse beaten by spurs, and inflamed by fast riding. He reported that the Templars had escaped, and Front de Boeuf was on fire, and the worst thing was that Richard in England and de Bracy saw with his own eyes. He was referring to the Black Knight who revealed his true name to him.
Prince John realized that the only way to save himself was to waylay his brother. Fitzurz took up this matter. In turn, Prince John ordered de Bracy, whom he did not trust completely, to be closely monitored.

Isaac and York moved to Temple Preceptory to free his daughter. But four miles to Templestowe he became completely exhausted and stopped with his friend, a Jewish rabbi, a very famous doctor, Nathan Ben Israel. He informed Isaac that Luca de Beaumanoir himself, the chairman of the order of the Templars, who is called the Grand Master, was in Templestowe.
He came to England unexpectedly for the crusaders and appeared among them, ready to correct and punish them with his strong, decisive hand, he is full of indignation against all who violated the vows of the order. Luca de Beaumanoir was known as a strict and fair monk and at the same time a ruthless destroyer of the Saracens and a cruel tyrant of the Jews.
“Go,” said Nathan Ben Israel, “and let everything you want in your heart come true.” But avoid meeting the Grand Master as much as you can. If you are lucky enough to see Boisguillebert alone, you will rather quickly see him.
Isaac gave Luke where Beaumanoir a letter from the Zhorvosky prior, in which he told the story of Brian where Boisguillebert's abduction of the daughter of an old Jew and asked him to help free the girl for a ransom. The Grand Master was outraged that one of the best knights of his order had become a victim of the temptation of love for an unfaithful Jewish woman, and his anger fell on the head of the girl, who was known as a doctor who received her knowledge from the sorceress Mariam, who was burned at the stake.
The chairman of the Order of the Temple ordered the old Jew to be pushed out of the gate, threatening him that he would deal with the girl according to Christian laws, which prescribe the punishment of sorceresses. Old Isaac, not remembering from grief, went to his friend Ben Israel, having no idea from whom to seek help.

Albert Malvoisin, president or preceptor of Templeston, was the brother of Philip Malvoisin; like this baron, he was sincerely friends with Briand and Boisguillebert. Meanwhile, he knew how to please the Grand Master and hoped that he would be able to save Rebecca’s life. At first the preceptor was on the girl’s side, because there were several Jewish doctors in the city, whom no one called wizards, although they amazingly treated people.
However, the Grand Master undertook to destroy the Jewess so that her death would become a cleansing sacrifice, sufficient to redeem all the love affairs of the knights of the order, and neither the Preceptor nor Boisguillebert managed to convince him.
Finally, Malvoisin decided that it would be better if this pitiful girl died than for the brotherhood of Briand where Boisguillebert to die.
Before the trial began, a piece of paper was thrust into Rebecca's hand as she entered the courtroom. She took it almost unconsciously and held it in her hands without reading what was in it. But the confidence that she was second in this terrible place gave her courage in a difficult situation.

The court convened to condemn Rebecca was located on the porch at the end of the hall, just opposite the entrance. The meeting had a very solemn and intimidating appearance.
The Grand Master accused Rebecca of clouding the mind of the best knight of the Templar Order. Turning to those present with the question of what they could say about the life and actions of the accused, he called the peasant whom the girl was treating. However, his testimony was of no help.
“So, Gige, Snell son,” said the Grand Master, “I tell you, it is better to remain a paralytic than to use medicine from the hands of infidels and through them to get out of bed and walk.”
Other witnesses claimed that Rebecca, while in the castle with Bois-Gulbert, turned into a milk-white swan and in this form flew around Torquilston Castle three times, and then sat down on the tower again, turning to look at the woman.
Although the appearance of the girl and her gentle behavior pleasantly struck everyone present and aroused their sympathy, there was nothing to object to these remarks.
Even Boisguillebert could not say anything, he only said, looking at Rebecca:
- Bundle... Bundle...
Rebecca, lowering her eyes to the strip of parchment remaining in her hand, read what was written on it in Arabic letters: “Demand a duel.” According to ancient laws, one of the knights could stand up for the girl’s honor by accepting a challenge to a duel, and thus save her life.
“It cannot be,” said Rebecca, “that in merry England—the living room, noble, free, where so many people are ready to risk their lives in the name of honor—there would not be anyone who would come out to fight for justice.” But not only do I demand a trial - a duel: here is my bail.
And the girl, taking off the embroidered glove from her hand, threw it at the master’s feet with such an arrogant expression on her face that aroused everyone’s sympathy and surprise.

Even Luca Beaumanoir was touched by the sight of Rebecca.
He instructed Boisguilbert to courageously go out into battle, and gave Rebecca three days to find the fighter. The girl must find a messenger who would inform her father about the plight. Snell's son Gig, who was being treated by a Jewish woman, volunteered to carry out her instructions. He gave Isaac a letter from his daughter, in which she asked that the knight Ivanhoe defend her life in a duel, and the old Jew, without hesitation, went in search of Cedric’s son.

On the evening of the day when the trial ended, someone knocked lightly on the door of the room where Rebecca was imprisoned.
It was Briand where Boisguillebert was, who did not lose hope of once having an explanation with the girl. He convinced her that he would not have been able to find the knight for old Isaac, he would still be defeated by him, Boisguillebert, and then Rebecca would die a slow and cruel death in agony. If he himself refuses to fight with the defender of the Jewish woman, he will be declared dishonored and disgraced by a knight convicted of witchcraft and conspiracy with infidels. However, he is ready to lose his big name if Rebecca agrees to be with him. Then they could flee to Palestine and there realize the ambitious plans of the Templars. However, the girl rejected all of Boisguillebert’s proposals, forcing him to leave, full of money and at the same time determined to appear for the duel.

The Black Knight, having parted with the noble Locksley, moved by the simple route to the priory of St. Botolph, a neighboring monastery of insignificant territory and income. After the castle was taken, Ivanhoe was moved there, guarded by Gurdo and Wamba. The meeting between Ivanhoe and his savior was very touching. But the Black Knight, apparently, could not hesitate.
Suddenly three arrows flew out of the forest thicket, and a battle broke out, in which Locksley and his yeomen took part. They quickly put an end to the robbers. All of them died on the spot, killed or mortally wounded. The Black Knight thanked his saviors with such greatness, which had never before been noticeable in his behavior: then he behaved like an ordinary brave man, and not like a person of high rank.
Having removed the helmet from one of the attackers, he was surprised to recognize Waldemar Fitsurz, who was carrying out the shameful assignment of Prince John. However, the Black Knight gave Fitzurzov his life, ordering him to leave England within three days and never remember that the king’s brother ordered him to be captured by treacherous means. Here the knight revealed his real name to all the brethren, admitting that he was King Richard of England.
In response, Loxley also revealed that he was the king of the forest freemen - Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest.
The appearance of new riders attracted the attention of everyone present.

It was Wilfrid Ivanhoe who arrived on the horse of the Botolff prior and Gourde, who was accompanied by him on the knight's own war horse. Ivanhoe was infinitely surprised to see on the small lawn where the battle had previously taken place, his owner, stained with blood, and around him six or seven corpses.
A feast was held in the clearing, which was stopped only when Robin Hood ordered the horn to be blown, which Richard mistook for Malvoisin. He did this to put an end to the drinking bout that was robbing the king of the hours he needed for serious matters.
And although at first Richard was angry, then he recognized the rights of the king of the forest freemen and set off. The king, accompanied by Ivanhoe, Gourdo and Wamba, reached Koningsburz Castle without any obstacles before the sun disappeared below the horizon. The funeral dinner for the deceased Sir Adelstan was held at the castle.
Cedric, seeing Richard (whom he knew only as the brave Black Knight), rose, maintaining his dignity, and, according to custom, greeted him with the words: “How are you?” ", Raising his glass at the same time. The king was familiar with the customs of his English subjects; in response to the greeting, he said: “I drink to your health” and drank from the glass handed to him by the butler.
Ivanhoe was also greeted politely and silently responded to his father’s greeting with a bow, replacing the usual words for this occasion so that he would not be recognized by his voice.
In another room they saw about twenty Saxon girls, led by Ners, who were embroidering and weaving wreaths.
Rowena greeted her savior with dignity and affection. The expression on her face was serious, but not sad, and someone wondered if she missed Ivanhoe more, not knowing anything about his fate, than for Adelstan, whom everyone considered dead.
King Richard turned to Cedric, asking him to make peace with his son Ivanhoe and return his parental love to him. As soon as the words of the probachanya were uttered, the door opened wide, and Adelstana, dressed in a shroud, appeared before them, pale, with a confused look, like a dead man emerging from the grave.
When those present recovered from his appearance, Adelstana told his amazing story: in a fierce fight, Boisguillebert's blade struck him flat and was repelled by the shaft of a good stick. When Adelstana woke up, he saw himself in a coffin - fortunately, open - in front of the altar of the Saintedmund church. The scoundrel monks put him in the prison of this damned monastery, but the knight managed to escape and get to his own funeral in Cedric’s castle.
“And my pupil Rowena,” asked Cedric, “I hope you do not intend to leave her?”
“Father to Cedric,” answered Adelstana, “be reasonable.” I don't care about Lady Roveni... Wilfrida's little finger is more valuable to her than my whole personality. Here, brother Wilfrid Ivanhoe, I refuse and renounce you... Saint Denstane! But brother Wilfried has disappeared!
Everyone looked around and asked about Ivanhoe, but no one saw him. Finally they learned that a Jew had come to him and after a short conversation with him, he found Gourdo, his weapons and armor and left the castle.

The hour that was to decide Rebecchin's fate was approaching. The condemned woman was pale, and even the most ardent hearts sank with sympathy for her. Malvoisin, as a witness to the fighter, came forward and laid the glove, which was the guarantee of the duel, at the feet of Grand Master Rebecchin.
He said that the good knight Briand was Boisguillebert, who had pledged to fight today to prove that this Jewess named Rebecca had merit - she was sentenced to death for witchcraft. Even at this moment, Boisguillebert did not lose hope of finding Rebecca’s love and invited her to jump on his horse and run further. But at the same moment, a knight appeared on the plain bordering the arena. He urged his horse forward with all his might. Hundreds of voices shouted: “Defender!” Defender!
This knight, who did not stay firmly in the saddle due to his recent serious wound, was Wilfrid Ivanhoe. He stated his name and purpose of appearance:
“I am an honest and noble knight, I came here so that, having brought justice and legality to the case of this girl, Rebecca, daughter of Isaac from York, with a spear and sword, to free her from the sentence proclaimed over her, as false and unreasonable, and to go out to duel with sir Brianom where Boisguillebert, as with a traitor, murderer and liar.
The astonished Boisguillebert wanted to abandon the duel, given the wound of the young knight, but he reminded him of how he forced the golden chain against the sacred relic, fought with Wilfrid Ivanhoe for lost honor, and finally, the Templars began to fight.
The trumpets sounded, and the knights rushed with all their might. What everyone expected happened: Ivanhoe’s exhausted horse and equally exhausted rider could not resist the well-aimed spear and strong horse of the Templars. Everyone assumed in advance how the fight would end, but even though Ivanhoe’s spear barely touched Bois’s shield, the Templars, to the surprise of everyone present, swayed in the saddle, his legs slipped out of the stirrups, and he fell to the ground.
Ivanhoe, having freed himself from under his horse, immediately jumped up, hastening to correct his failure with his sword. But his enemy was rising. When Boisguillebert's helmet was removed, it became obvious that he was suffering from a broken heart.
“Really this is God’s judgment,” said the Grand Master. - Thy will be done!
At that moment, the Black Knight appeared in the arena, accompanied by a large detachment of warriors and several fully armed knights. He regretted that Boisguillebert, whom he had appointed for himself, had already fallen on the battlefield, and accused Albert Malvoisin of treason.
“The brothers of our order,” said the Grand Master, standing at the head of the detachment, “do not fight because of such fuss, and it is not with you, Richard of England, that the knight of the order will cross his spear in my presence.” The Pope and the kings of Europe will decide our dispute, judge, or it is appropriate to do as you did today.
With these words, the master, without waiting for an answer, gave the signal to get underway.

Confused about what happened when the hike began, Rebecca saw or heard nothing. He and his father secretly left the fatal place, while everyone's attention was focused on King Richard - the crowd greeted him with loud cheers.
In a conversation, the Earl of Essex told Ivanhoe that the reckless king abandoned all his affairs, like a real adventurer, in order to personally resolve the dispute between the Templars and the Jewess with his own hand, while not far from York, Prince John was gathering his supporters. However, when the rebels fled, Prince John himself came to inform King Richard about this, and he did not order him to be thrown into prison, but received him as he met him after the hunt! It was precisely this, according to many contemporaries, that the magnanimous king prompted many of his close associates to treason.
According to the evidence of the trials of that time, it turns out that Maurice de Bracy went overseas and entered the service of Philip of France; Philippe de Malvoisin and his brother, Albert, Preceptor of Temples, were executed, although the punishment of the rebel Waldemar where Fitsurza was limited to exile. And Prince John, through whom this whole plot was conceived, did not even receive a reprimand from his good-natured brother. No one felt sorry for Malvoisin: treacherous, cruel oppressors, they fully deserved death.
After some time, Cedric the Saxon was summoned to the court of Richard, who had lingered in York, reconciling the adjacent counties, where it was restless due to the previous intrigues of his brother. This was very unpleasant for Cedric, since Richard, by returning, thereby destroyed Cedric’s last hope for the possibility of restoring the Saxon dynasty in England.
In addition, Cedric had to see, albeit against his will, that his plan for the final unification of all the Saxons through the marriage of Rowena with Adelstan had failed completely. Soon Cedric agreed to the marriage of his pupil and Ivanhoe. Richard was personally present at the wedding, and the way he treated the Saxons, still humiliated and oppressed, aroused their hopes of regaining their lost rights in a safer way than the vague path of discord.
The day after this happy wedding, Elgita, Rovenina's maid, informed her in the morning that some girl wanted to see her and asked permission to talk to her face to face.
It was Rebecca who told Rowney that she was leaving England for good. The Jewish woman left her lucky rival a box set in silver with a very expensive diamond necklace and matching earrings.
Rebecca said that she wanted to devote her whole life to human causes, healing the sick, feeding the hungry and comforting the unfortunate. When Rowena told her husband about the visit and conversation with Rebecca, Ivanhoe became thoughtful. Apparently, this made a great impression on him.
He lived happily ever after with Rowena, but he often remembered Rebecchina’s beauty and her majestic soul, perhaps more often than Rowena wanted.
Ivanhoe distinguished himself in Richard's service, and the king honored him with numerous manifestations of his favour. He would have been exalted much more if the heroic Richard the Lionheart had not died prematurely in France, in front of the Chaluze castle, Limoges circle. Along with the death of the noble, but hot-tempered and too romantic king, all ambitious and noble plans died.

Walter Scott

"Ivanhoe"

Almost one hundred and thirty years have passed since the Norman Duke William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo-Saxon troops and took possession of England at the Battle of Hastings (1066). The English people are going through difficult times. King Richard the Lionheart did not return from the last crusade, captured by the treacherous Duke of Austria. The place of his imprisonment is unknown. Meanwhile, the king's brother, Prince John, is recruiting supporters, intending to remove the rightful heir from power and seize the throne in the event of Richard's death. A cunning intriguer, Prince John is wreaking havoc throughout the country, fueling the long-standing enmity between the Saxons and Normans.

The proud Thane Cedric of Rotherwood does not give up hope of throwing off the Norman yoke and reviving the former power of the Saxons, placing at the head of the liberation movement a descendant of the royal family, Athelstan of Coningsburgh. However, the dull and unenterprising Sir Athelstan causes distrust among many. To give more weight to his figure, Cedric dreams of marrying Athelstan to his pupil, Lady Rowena, the last representative of the family of King Alfred. When Lady Rowena’s affection for Cedric’s son, Wilfred Ivanhoe, stood in the way of these plans, the unyielding thane, not without reason nicknamed Sax for his devotion to the cause, expelled his son from his parental home and deprived him of his inheritance.

And now Ivanhoe, dressed as a pilgrim, secretly returns home from the crusade. Not far from his father's estate, he is caught up by a detachment of the commander of the Order of the Templars, Briand de Boisguilbert, who is heading to the knightly tournament in Ashby de la Zouche. Caught on the road by bad weather, he decides to ask Cedric for an overnight stay. The hospitable house of the noble thane is open to everyone, even to the Jew Isaac from York, who joins the guests during the meal. Boisguillebert, who also visited Palestine, boasts at the table about his exploits in the name of the Holy Sepulcher. The pilgrim defends the honor of Richard and his brave warriors and, on behalf of Ivanhoe, who has already once defeated the templar in a duel, accepts the challenge of the arrogant commander to battle. When the guests go to their rooms, the pilgrim advises Isaac to quietly leave Cedric's house - he heard Boisguillebert giving the order to the servants to seize the Jew as soon as he moved further away from the estate. The astute Isaac, who saw the spurs under the young man’s wanderer’s attire, in gratitude gives him a note to a relative-merchant, in which he asks to lend the pilgrim armor and a war horse.

The tournament at Ashby, which brought together the entire flower of English knighthood, and even in the presence of Prince John himself, attracted everyone's attention. The organizing knights, including the arrogant Briand de Boisguillebert, confidently win one victory after another. But when, it seemed, no one else would dare to speak out against the instigators and the outcome of the tournament was decided, a new fighter appears in the arena with the motto “Disinherited” on his shield, who fearlessly challenges the templar himself to a mortal battle. The opponents come together several times, and their spears are scattered in fragments up to the hilts. All the sympathy of the audience is on the side of the brave stranger - and luck accompanies him: Boisguillebert falls from his horse, and the fight is declared over. Then the Disinherited Knight fights in turn with all the instigators and decisively gains the upper hand over them. As the winner, he must choose the queen of love and beauty, and, gracefully bowing his spear, the stranger places the crown at the feet of the beautiful Rowena.

The next day, a general tournament is held: the party of the knight of the Disinherited fights against the party of Briand de Boisguillebert. The Templar is supported by almost all the instigators. They are pushing back the young stranger, and if not for the help of the mysterious Black Knight, he would hardly have been able to become the hero of the day for the second time. The Queen of Love and Beauty must place an honorary crown on the head of the winner. But when the marshals remove the stranger’s helmet, she sees in front of her Ivanhoe, pale as death, who falls at her feet, bleeding from his wounds.

Meanwhile, Prince John receives a note with a messenger: “Be careful - the devil is unleashed.” This means that his brother Richard received his freedom. The prince is in a panic, and so are his supporters. To secure their loyalty, John promises them rewards and honors. For example, he offers the Norman knight Maurice de Bracy as his wife Lady Rowena - the bride is rich, beautiful and noble. De Bracy is delighted and decides to attack Cedric’s squad on the way home from Ashby and kidnap the beautiful Rowena.

Proud of his son's victory, but still unwilling to forgive him, Cedric Saxe sets off on his return journey with a heavy heart. The news that the wounded Ivanhoe was carried away on a stretcher of some rich lady only fuels his sense of indignation. On the way, Isaac from York and his daughter Rebecca join the cavalcade of Cedric and Athelstan of Coningsburgh. They were also at the tournament and now they are asking to be taken under protection - not so much for their own sake, but for the sake of the sick friend they are accompanying. But as soon as the travelers go deeper into the forest, they are attacked by a large detachment of robbers and all of them are taken prisoner.

Cedric and his companions are taken to the fortified castle of Front de Boeuf. The leaders of the “robbers” turn out to be Boisguillebert and de Bracy, which Cedric guesses when he sees the battlements of the castle. “If Cedric Sax cannot save England, he is ready to die for it,” he challenges his captors.

De Bracy, meanwhile, appears to Lady Rowena and, having confessed everything to her, tries to win her favor. However, the proud beauty is adamant and, only having learned that Wilfred Ivanhoe is also in the castle (namely, he was in Isaac’s stretcher), begs the knight to save him from death.

But no matter how hard it is for Lady Rowena, Rebekah is in much greater danger. Captivated by the intelligence and beauty of Zion's daughter, Briand de Boisguilbert was inflamed with passion for her, and now he persuades the girl to run away with him. Rebekah is ready to choose death over shame, but her fearless rebuke, full of indignation, only gives rise to the confidence in the templar that he has met the woman of his destiny, his soul mate.

Meanwhile, detachments of free yeomen, brought by Cedric’s servants who escaped captivity, are gathering around the castle. The siege is led by Ivanhoe, who has already come to the aid of the Black Knight. Under the blows of his huge ax, the castle gates crack and fall apart, and stones and logs flying on his head from the walls annoy him no more than raindrops. Rebekah, who made her way into Ivanhoe’s room in the turmoil of the battle, tells the bedridden young man what is happening around. Reproaching herself for her tender feelings for an infidel, she is unable to leave him at such a dangerous moment. And the liberators conquer inch by inch from the besieged. The Black Knight mortally wounds Front de Boeuf and takes de Bracy prisoner. And what’s strange is that the proud Norman, after a few words spoken to him, unquestioningly resigns himself to his fate. Suddenly the castle is engulfed in flames. The Black Knight barely manages to drag Ivanhoe out into the open air. Boisguillebert grabs the desperately resisting Rebekah and, placing her on the horse of one of the slaves, tries to escape from the trap. However, Athelstan rushes in pursuit of him, deciding that the templar has kidnapped Lady Rowena. The templar's sharp sword falls with all its force on the head of the ill-fated Saxon, and he falls to the ground dead.

Having left the dilapidated castle and thanking the free riflemen for their help, Cedric, accompanied by a stretcher with the body of Athelstan of Coningsburgh, goes to his estate, where he will be given the last honors. The Black Knight also parted with his faithful assistants - his wanderings are not yet over. The leader of the riflemen Loxley gives him a hunting horn as a farewell gift and asks him to blow it in case of danger. Released, de Bracy gallops at full speed to Prince John to tell him the terrible news - Richard is in England. The cowardly and vile prince sends his main henchman Voldemar Fitz-Urs to capture, or better yet, kill Richard.

Boisguillebert takes refuge with Rebekah in the monastery of the Knights of Templestowe. Grandmaster Beaumanoir, who arrived at the monastery for an inspection, finds many shortcomings; first of all, he is outraged by the licentiousness of the templars. When he finds out that a captive Jewish woman is hiding within the walls of the preceptory, who, in all likelihood, is in a love affair with one of the brothers of the order, he decides to hold a trial over the girl and accuse her of witchcraft - for what, if not witchcraft, explains her power over the commander? The stern ascetic Beaumanoir believes that the execution of the Jewish woman will serve as a cleansing sacrifice for the love sins of the Knights of the Temple. In a brilliant speech, which won the sympathy of even her opponents, Rebekah rejects all of Beaumanoir’s accusations and demands a duel: let the one who volunteers to defend her prove her right with a sword.

Meanwhile, the Black Knight, making his way through the forests to his only known goal, comes across an ambush. Fitz-Urs carried out his vile plans, and the English king could have fallen from the treacherous hand if it had not been for the free archers, led by Loxley, who appeared at the sound of the horn. The knight finally reveals his incognito identity: he is Richard Plantagenet, the rightful king of England. Loxley also does not remain in debt: he is Robin Hood from Sherwood Forest. Here the company is caught up by Wilfred Ivanhoe, traveling from Saint-Botolph Abbey, where he was recovering from his wounds, to Coningsburgh Castle. Forced to wait until his supporters gather enough strength, Richard goes with him. At the castle, he persuades Cedric to forgive his rebellious son and give him Lady Rowena as his wife. The resurrected, or rather, never dying, but simply stunned, Sir Athelstan joins his request. The turbulent events of recent days have taken away his last ambitious dreams. However, in the midst of the conversation, Ivanhoe suddenly disappears - he was urgently called by some Jew, the servants report. At the Templestowe monastery everything is ready for the duel. There is only no knight willing to fight Boisguillebert for the honor of Rebekah. If the intercessor does not appear before sunset, Rebekah will be burned. And then a rider appears on the field, his horse almost falls from fatigue, and he himself can barely stay in the saddle. This is Wilfred Ivanhoe, and Rebekah is trembling with excitement for him. The opponents converge - and Wilfred falls, unable to withstand the well-aimed blow of the templar. However, from the fleeting touch of Ivanhoe’s spear, Boisguillebert also falls - and never gets up again. God's judgment has been completed! The Grandmaster declares Rebekah free and innocent.

Having taken his rightful place on the throne, Richard forgives his dissolute brother. Cedric finally agrees to Lady Rowena's wedding to her son, and Rebekah and her father leave England forever. “Ivanhoe lived happily ever after with Rowena. They loved each other even more because they experienced so many obstacles to their union. But it would be risky to inquire in too much detail whether the memory of Rebekah’s beauty and generosity came to his mind much more often, something that might have pleased Alfred’s beautiful heiress.”

King Richard the Lionheart did not return from his last campaign, and unrest reigned in England. He was taken prisoner, but the place of detention was unknown to anyone. The king's brother, Prince John, decided to take the throne if Richard returned soon. He deliberately incites internecine wars among the Saxons and Normans.

Cedric of Rotherwood wants to throw off the oppression of the Normans and revive Saxon power, installing Sir Athelstan as the head of the Saxon army. Cedric decides to marry his pupil, Rowena, the last representative of the family of King Alfred, to Athelstan. When he learned of the mutual sympathy between Rowena and his son Ivanhoe, Cedric expelled his son from his home.

Now, Ivanhoe is forced to return from the crusade in the garb of a pilgrim. In Ashby, a knightly tournament is held, in which Briand de Boisguilbert and his associates take part. He is challenged to battle by an unknown knight with an inscription on his shield stating that he is disinherited. The stranger defeats all the participants and chooses the lady of love and beauty. He throws a wreath at Rowena's feet.

The next day of the tournament, the Disinherited Knight is helped by an unknown Black Knight. The beauty queen, Rowena, must place a wreath on the winner's head. When the knight's helmet is removed, she recoils as if seeing a ghost. Ivanhoe stood in front of her. Meanwhile, Prince John receives news that Richard has been released. He promises his followers rich rewards. He offers Rowena to one of the knights, Maurice de Bracy. He decides to attack Cedric’s squad and kidnap Rowena.

Cedric and his fellow travelers, the Jew Isaac from York with his daughter Revveka and the wounded Ivanhoe, are taken to the castle of Front de Beuf. There they learn that the kidnappers are de Bracy and Boisguillebert. The latter offers Rebekah his heart, but she refuses. Boisguillebert falls in love with the girl even more.

Soon, detachments of free yeomen, who came to protect Cedric, begin to approach the castle. The warriors are led by the Black Knight. He deftly breaks the castle gates with his ax and kills Front de Beuf. De Bracy, having heard a few words from the Black Knight, resigns himself to the fate of the prisoner, and Boisguillebert takes Rebekah with him. Athelstan rushes after him, and is knocked off his horse by a blow of a sword. Ivanhoe manages to be carried out of the burning castle, barely alive.

Boisguillebert took refuge in the temple of the Order of Templestowe. Grandmaster Beaumanoir, who arrived there, finds Revveka and orders the execution of the girl in order to cleanse the monastery of Evil. Revveka does not agree with the accusations and invites Beaumanoir to schedule a duel. Whoever fights Boisguillebert must defend the girl’s rightness.

The Black Knight set off. On the way, he meets a detachment of Fitz-Urs, who must kill him. Free shooters come to the aid of the knight. After defeating Fitz-Urs's detachment, the knight admits that he is the king of England, Richard. The leader of the shooters, Loxley, also reveals his incognito and recognizes himself as Robin Hood. They are joined by Ivanhoe, who was heading to Coningsburgh Castle. Richard gathers enough forces and defeats his brother's supporters. In addition, he persuaded Cedric to forgive his son and marry Rowena to him.

Ivanhoe is Walter Scott's most famous novel. This is a historical work, which is based on numerous archival documents studied by the author while working on the book. Thanks to hard work, he became the founder of the historical novel genre. To remind yourself of the main events, plot and important details from Ivanhoe, take a short retelling from Literaguru as your assistant.

The events of the novel take place at the end of the 12th century, when the King of England, Richard the Lionheart, was in French captivity, the Normans ruled over the captured Saxons, but the Saxons were not going to put up with this.

In the forest, the manly servant Gurt is tending pigs, and the jester Wamba is running around him without stopping. Gurth calls the dog Fangs, and they go to the owner, the Saxon thane Cedric of Rotherwood, nicknamed Sax because he is proud of his ancient family.

Chapter II

The servants meet Eymer - the wealthy prior of the Abbey of Jorveau - and the knight of the Temple Briand de Boisguilbert with his retinue, a half-monk, half-knight, who returned from Palestine. They are going to a tournament in Ashby de la Zouche. Travelers ask how they can find Cedric Sax. Reacting to Gurth's rudeness and Wamba's jokes, Brian swings his sword at them, but Eimer calms him down. The jester shows them the wrong way, reasoning that such guests should not see the beautiful Rowena, Cedric’s adopted daughter, his distant relative. One day, when Sax's son Ivanhoe stared at her, his father kicked him out of the house.

Templar Briand is ready to bet with the prior that the beauty of the Saxon woman will not amaze him. Eymer asks his friend not to show his superiority in Sax’s house, otherwise this thane is already in a quarrel with his Norman neighbors: Reginald Front de Boeuf and Philippe Malvoisin. They reach a fork, from where the pilgrim (later it turns out that this is the knight Wilfred Ivanhoe) accompanies them to the castle.

Chapters III - IV

Cedric is annoyed by the lack of servants and Rowena's delay. Having learned that the arriving guests are Normans, he is angry, but wants to show his hospitality, especially since it begins to rain heavily.

Cedric Sax explains to the guests that he intends to speak only in the Saxon dialect. He swears at the late servants, but Wamba successfully makes an excuse, blaming the neighbor's watchman for cutting Fangsu's claws. Briand lost the argument: Rowena is truly extraordinarily beautiful.

Chapters V - VI

Because of a thunderstorm, the Jew Isaac from York has to be allowed into the house, despite the indignation of the guests. After arguing about the Saxons and Normans, the pilgrim reminds everyone of a series of duels in which only the Saxons won. One of them was Ivanhoe, who defeated Boisguillebert. The Templar challenges that knight in Palestine in front of everyone.

Rowena asks the pilgrim about Ivanhoe, which confirms her love. The pilgrim invites Isaac to escape: Brian ordered the Saracen servants to seize the Jew. He accompanies the frightened Jew to a safe place, using the help of Gurth, who learned the traveler’s secret. Isaac promises to reward the pilgrim with a horse and weapons.

Chapters VII - VIII

Instead of Richard, his brother, the arrogant Prince John, temporarily rules in England, and he is not at all opposed to winning the throne. At the tournament in Ashby, he gives way to the places of Cedric and Athelstan of Coningsburgh - a descendant of the king of the Saxons - to the Jewish rich man Isaac and his daughter, the beautiful Rebekah.

The murmur of those close to him forces him to abandon the idea of ​​appointing Rebekah as the queen of love and beauty of the tournament (due to the fact that Christians at that time hated the Jews, because, according to the Bible, they crucified Christ). The Disinherited Knight, hiding his name, is ready to fight against five noble knights (including Boisguillebert). He is going to fight to the death with the templar. The unknown knight defeats everyone, but the fight with Brian does not end in death, and the opponents intend to continue the fight at another time.

Chapters IX - X

John begins to suspect that the Disinherited is Richard. The winner chooses Rowena as queen of the tournament. The knight and the famous Saxon woman refuse to go to John's feast. Everyone is leaving until tomorrow's tournament, in which many people will participate at once.

The unknown knight is helped by the squire Gurt. The Disinherited One accepts part of the trophies from the defeated knights, but he refuses Brian's armor and horse, since the battle is not over yet. Gurth returns the armor and interest to the Jew Isaac, but Rebekah, having learned from whom the swineherd squire came, gives him a large sum of money.

Chapters XI -XII

On the way back, Gurth falls into the hands of robbers, but they let him go because they respect his master, who defeated so many Normans. Gurth defeats the Miller in a duel and receives even greater respect from the robbers.

The next day, Athelstan joins Brian's team, despite his laziness and Saxon origin: he was jealous of Rowena for the unknown knight. At the end of the mass duel, the Disinherited is forced to fight Front de Boeuf, Malvoisin and Boisguillebert alone. He is helped by a knight who previously stood on the sidelines without participating, for which he was nicknamed by the audience the Black Lazy Man.

The Disinherited fights with Brian, but John stops the tournament, recognizing first the Black Lazy Man as the winner, and then the Disinherited, since the first is out of sight. When the knight takes off his helmet in front of Rowena to receive his reward, everyone recognizes him as Ivanhoe. He faints from a severe wound.

Chapters XIII - XIV

Ivanhoe is Richard's favorite, so John begins to worry. The prince invites Rowena and Cedric to dinner, planning in the future to marry the Saxon and his close associate Maurice de Bracy. He receives a note from the French king that the Lionheart is free, so he decides to end the holiday today by scheduling a yeoman archery competition. Yeoman Locksley, not afraid to be rude to the prince, hits a small twig with an arrow and refuses the prize.

At the feast, Cedric Sax is irritated by ridicule of the Saxons. He does not recognize Ivanhoe as his son, since Wilfred betrayed him. Athelstan, carried away by the rich meal, does not participate in the tense conversation. The Norman whom Cedric hates least is Richard the Lionheart. After such a confession, he leaves the feast, causing more than half of John's retinue to disperse in awkwardness.

Chapters XV - XVI

The influential nobleman Waldemar Fitz-Urs meets de Bracy, disguised as a yeoman, with the goal of kidnapping Rowena, supposedly saving her from robbers led by Briand. Fitz-Urs is sure that Briand himself will not give Rowena to Maurice, but he does not back down.

Meanwhile, Black Lazy reaches the Yorkshire border at dusk. He notices the hermit's home, which he tries to get to for a long time, but he manages to enter only by using force. Black Lazy Guy asks to feed him. The hermit reluctantly takes out wine and a huge amount of food, arranging a real feast for the curious guest.

Chapters XVII - XVIII

The monk and the knight are singing drinking songs in the cell, but the fun is interrupted by a knock on the door.

Cedric was seriously afraid for the fate of his son, and his servant Oswald recognized Gurth. Ivanhoe's mysterious disappearance after being wounded adds fuel to the fire. Cedric rides with the chained Gurth from the feast, having shot the dog Fangs as punishment for the runaway servant. Cedric Rotherwood wants to marry Rowena and Athelstan, becoming close to the royal family of the Saxons, but the girl is against it: she loves Ivanhoe.

Chapters XIX - XX

The travelers meet Isaac and Rebekah. When they were carrying a wounded man on a stretcher, they were abandoned by the servants, who were afraid of the forest robbers. We have to help them, and during the turmoil, Gurth escapes from the owner. Robbers run out of the forest and grab Cedric and his companions. Wamba escapes from them and meets Gurth. Together they find Yeoman Locksley, who agrees to help them.

Loxley brings the jester and the swineherd to the yeoman robbers and intends to gather a gang. The prisoners are taken to the castle of Front de Beuf. Loxley knocks on the hermit's cell, from where drinking songs and then prayers are heard. A yeoman bursts into the monk's presence and challenges him to battle. The hermit Brother Tuk quickly sobers up and dresses up as a yeoman. The knight offers his help, wanting, like Loxley, to hide his name.

Chapters XXI - XXII

Boisguillebert hurries de Bracy to change his clothes. But de Bracy decides to see the “robbers” through to the end, as he suspects Briand of treason. The Templar is more interested in Rebekah, but Maurice refuses to believe it. At the castle, Rowena and Rebekah are placed in separate rooms. Cedric, listening to Athelstan's words about food, laments the fate of the Saxons. Athelstan conveys a challenge to Reginald through the butler. The sound of a horn is heard.

Front de Boeuf demands a large sum of money from Isaac, threatening torture. The Jew agrees, but upon learning that Rebekah has become Brian's captive, he refuses to yield. The sound of the horn distracts Reginald from starting the torture.

Chapters XXIII - XXIV

Rowena rejects Maurice de Bracy, after which he threatens the death of Ivanhoe, who is here at Torquilston Castle. Rowena cries, de Bracy leaves after hearing the sound of a horn.

Rebekah was placed in the room of the old woman Urfrida, who predicts the girl will lose her honor. The Jewish woman offers the templar money, but this does not save him. Rebekah threatens suicide by standing on the edge of the tower. Brian now respects her for being so brave. He leaves after hearing the sound of a horn.

Chapters XXV - XXVI

A letter arrives at the castle from the jester and the swineherd demanding the release of the prisoners. They are sent a response in which they are asked to send a monk for the final confession of the prisoners. Brother Tuk has already become a yeoman, so he has to send Wamba in disguise to reconnaissance.

The jester in a cassock saves himself with memorized Latin phrases, informs Reginald about 500 yeomen at the castle and gets to Cedric, who offers to save Athelstan in his place. The jester and the owner change places. Cedric leaves the castle, and the jester replaces him as a prisoner.

Chapters XXVII - XXVIII

Urfrida (a maid from the castle where the prisoners are sitting) takes the imaginary monk to her place and confesses to him, gradually recognizing him. Urfrida (her real name is Ulrika) is the kidnapped daughter of the thane, a friend of Cedric’s father, who became the concubine of Reginald’s father. Sax is horrified: he despises her. But it was she who persuaded Reginald to kill his father. The kidnapped woman became the mistress of her son and father, creating discord in the family. Now she is old, but still remembers her shame.

Ulrika offers to give a sign when it is safe to advance on the castle. The Normans expose the jester, but Cedric has already escaped. They are ready to let Athelstan go for a thousand gold pieces. Eimer sends a request for help to the castle: it has been captured by robbers and is demanding a ransom. But the attack on the castle is already beginning.

When Ivanhoe woke up with Rebekah, he thought that he had returned to Palestine: everything in her room was in oriental style. The beautiful daughter of Isaac can cure many diseases, so she decided to look after the knight. Only de Bracy knows that the wounded prisoner is Ivanhoe.

Chapters XXIX - XXX

Rebekah retells the progress of the battle to the wounded Ivanhoe, looking out from the tower. She sees the Black Knight fighting against incredible strength. The Yeomen rush forward. When the girl asks why people shed so much blood, Ivanhoe talks about fame, but it means nothing to her. The knight falls asleep, the Jewish woman feels that she will never be with a man of other faiths, and tries to overcome this love within herself.

Front de Boeuf is mortally wounded and Ulrika comes to him, whom he initially mistakes for an evil spirit. She reproaches him for cruelty and is going to set fire to Torquilston Castle.

Chapters XXXI - XXXII

Yeomen make a floating bridge across the ditch. Ulrika is visible from the castle tower with a red flag. The castle begins to burn. The Black Knight defeats de Bracy, who surrenders to him when he hears his name. Briand kidnaps Rebekah, Black Lazy Frees Ivanhoe, Cedric takes Rowena out, and Wamba helps Athelstan escape. But a descendant of King Alfred is killed by Briand while protecting Rebekah. Arsonist Ulrika sings like a fury on the falling burning tower. The besiegers win.

The robbers skillfully divide the spoils. Cedric, at the request of his savior Wamba, frees Gurth. The captive de Bracy asks Rowena for forgiveness. Cedric Sax invites the Black Lazy Man to Rotherwood, he promises to ask for a large reward and frees de Bracy. The Yeomen give the Knight a horn with which he can call for their help at any time. Brother Tuk brings a captive Jew, but the Knight opposes violence against the old man. The knight gives the hermit a retaliatory slap in the face, after which he flies head over heels to the ground. The robbers bring the captive Eimer.

Chapters XXXIII - XXXIV

The Jew and the prior set a ransom for each other, but Loxley forgives Isaac, since Rebekah once healed him of his illness. He agrees to release Eymer without jewelry if the prior writes a letter to Briand asking him to release Rebekah for a ransom. Yeoman advises the Jew not to spare money for the sake of his daughter’s life and honor. Isaac sets off on the road with a letter.

De Bracy tells John about the prisoners and that Richard has returned. He is forced to retreat because the king personally defeated him. After general confusion, Waldemar Fitz-Urs plans to arrest Richard. The prince sends a spy after Maurice because he stops trusting him.

Chapters XXXV - XXXVI

Rabbi Nathan Ben-Israel informs Isaac that Templestowe Preceptory is now ruled by the old grandmaster Luke Beaumanoir, who hates Jews. The Grandmaster reads Isaac's letter, in which Aimer, in addition to the story of captivity, too clearly warns Briand against Beaumanoir. Isaac is kicked out because Rebekah is Miriam’s pupil, whom everyone considered a witch. Rebekah will die.

Beaumanoir scolds Albert Malvoisin, Templestowe's preceptor, for disrupting order. Briand is against Rebekah's death, despite the fact that she has once again rejected him. She is brought to trial, and someone from the crowd gives her a piece of parchment.

Chapters XXXVII - XXXVIII

Beaumanoir is going to pardon Briand, justifying the Knight of the Temple by saying that he is bewitched. At the trial, false witnesses speak against Rebekah, talking about her witchcraft. The peasant Higg tries to justify her by describing how the Jewish woman cured him. Everyone is amazed by the beauty of the pagan and her eloquence. Briand tells her to look into the parchment, and after reading the clue, she asks for a protector.

At “God’s court” Brian will be fought by a man who wants to protect Rebekah. Higg takes Rebekah's letter to Isaac and Nathan with a request to find Ivanhoe, who can bring a defender.

Chapters XXXIX - XL

Briand says he wanted to be a defender himself. He is ready not to show up for the fight, but if he fights, he cannot lose. Rebekah rejects him again. Albert persuades Brian not to refuse the fight, because then he will be considered a traitor.

Ivanhoe feels the strength to leave the abbey to which the Black Knight brought him. The jester takes the horn from Richard by cunning. An attack begins on the rightful king, the jester blows the horn, after which a crowd of yeomen led by the hermit and Loxley beat the attackers. Among the traitors is Fitz-Urs, who was actually taking revenge on Richard for personal reasons. Lionheart expels Valdemar, who revealed his name. Loxley, having sworn allegiance to the king, admits that he is Robin Hood.

Chapters XLI - XLII

Ivanhoe and Gurth catch up with the king. Robin Hood arranges a feast, and he himself stops it to allow the Black Knight to set off. Richard and Ivanhoe come to Coningsburgh for Athelstan's funeral.

Richard reveals his name to Cedric and asks for Ivanhoe's forgiveness. But it’s still too early to think about the wedding; Rowena is in mourning. Athelstan bursts into the heroes and says that the fight with Brian ended in fainting. He was buried alive and kept in prison in an attempt to prove that he was in purgatory. Finally, Athelstan managed to escape. The descendant of King Alfred has tamed his vanity: he is hungry, does not want to fight with anyone, and refuses Rowena. Ivanhoe runs away after a Jew comes for him. Richard rushes after him, and Athelstan is left alone in bewilderment.

Chapters XLIII - XLIV

Rebekah, sitting by the fire prepared for her in the arena, asks for a postponement of the duel, hoping for a defender to appear. She refuses Briand's offer to escape. An exhausted Ivanhoe arrives at the arena. In the clash, both knights fall from their horses, but Briand does not get up, dying without a single scratch from a storm of passions. Beaumanoir recognizes Ivanhoe's victory.

Richard arrests Malvoisin, the grandmaster is outraged and leaves the tournament. Isaac takes Rebekah home. Richard forgives John and returns to the throne, Ivanhoe and Rowena marry. Rebekah comes to Rowena and conveys her gratitude to Wilfred. She gives the Saxon woman expensive jewelry and leaves England with her father. Ivanhoe sometimes thinks about her. With the death of Richard, all the aspirations of Cedric Sax's son died.

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The work "Ivanhoe", a brief summary of which can be described by the rivalry between the descendants of the Norman conquerors of England and the Saxons, is recognized as the pinnacle of Walter Scott's work.

Even a quick retelling of the plot testifies to the genuine valor of the heroes depicted in the novel. This is a masterpiece of classic literature that has thrilled readers around the world for many years.

Walter Scott "Ivanhoe" - history of creation

“Ivanhoe” is a work belonging to the genre of historical novel, written by the Scottish writer Walter Scott. The text of the novel was published in 1819.

Walter Scott (1771-1832)

This is the first historical novel in the writer's biography. He wanted the story to be set in South Yorkshire in the north of England during the reign of Richard l.

The main characters and their characteristics

List of main characters:

• Ivanhoe is a brave English hero who honors the code of the knight and fights for King Richard. Is the embodiment of knightly valor and honor;
• Rowena is Cedric's pupil, honest and faithful to her lover;
• Cedric is Ivanhoe's father, a noble but capricious and hot-tempered lord;
• Rebecca is the daughter of the Jew Isaac, in love with Ivanhoe, a strong-willed and brave girl;
• Richard the Lionheart is a brave and fair ruler, but prone to adventure.

Minor characters

The following heroes are also found:

• Isaac is a Jewish moneylender and loving father;
• Athelstan - a royal descendant from the Saxon dynasty;
• Reginald Front de Boeuf is a cruel lord who inherited the Ivanhoe estate; main negative character;
• Prince John is the vile, greedy and dishonest brother of King Richard.

The descriptions of the chapters are given in abbreviation. The main thoughts can be taken for a reader's diary.

Chapters 1 - 4

On his way home, King Richard I is captured. Prince John intends to take the throne. The swineherd Gurth and the jester Wamba, slaves of Lord Cedric Sax, meet a detachment of horsemen, including the Abbot Aymer and the knight Briand de Boisguillebert.

They ask how to get to Cedric's castle. Wamba shows the wrong road and the riders ride away.

Along the way, the riders meet a man named Palmer, who accompanies them to the estate. This is Wilfred Ivanhoe, disguised as a pilgrim.

Ivanhoe is Cedric's son, exiled by his father and disinherited because he was in love with Lady Rowena, Cedric's ward. He intended to give her in marriage to a wealthy royal descendant of Athelstan and with this help throw off Norman oppression.

Guests arrive at the castle. Everyone is having dinner when the servant announces that the wanderer is a Jew named Isaac and asks to be let in for the night.

Chapters 5 - 8

After everyone goes to bed, Palmer overhears de Boisguillebert talking; he intends to rob Isaac. Palmer helps Isaac escape a robbery; in exchange, Isaac helps Palmer obtain armor and a horse so he can compete in the great tournament at Ashby.

On the first day of the battle, Palmer, fighting under the coat of arms with the motto "desdecado", that is, disinherited, defeats all rivals, including de Boisguillebert. Palmer is allowed to choose the Queen of Love and Beauty.

Chapters 9 - 12

The knight chooses Rowena as his queen. The knights who oppose Palmer attack him together. With the help of an unknown Black Knight, he wins the tournament. When Rowena takes off his helmet, she recognizes Ivanhoe. He is badly wounded and loses consciousness, falling to the ground at Rowena's feet.

Chapters 13 - 17

In the turmoil, Prince John and his advisers hastily discuss the consequences of his appearance and their plan of action. A messenger brings John a warning, meaning Richard has been released.

Chapters 18 - 22

Cedric is worried about his son's injury. On his way from Ashby, he meets Isaac and Rebecca, who are accompanying a very sick man. Rebecca asks for protection, Cedric agrees. Suddenly de Bracy attacks and takes them prisoner. De Bracy's men take the prisoners to the castle. Isaac is thrown into prison and asked to pay a ransom. The sound of a bugle at the gate interrupts this scene.

Chapters 23 - 27

Maurice de Bracy demands marriage from Rowena, saying that if she does not agree, he will kill Cedric and Ivanhoe. The bugle foreshadows the appearance of a letter written by the Black Knight, announcing his intention to free the prisoners by siege.

Chapters 28 – 31

After being injured in the tournament, Ivanhoe was looked after by Isaac and Rebecca. When the Saxons met the Jews before their capture, Rebecca and Isaac said that there was a sick old man on the mat. It was Ivanhoe himself.

In battle, Front-de-Boeuf leads the castle's defenders against the Black Knight. He receives a mortal wound. The flames begin to spread throughout the castle.

The Black Knight managed to capture de Bracy; he rushes into the castle to save Ivanhoe. The remaining prisoners manage to escape on their own; however, Rebecca is captured by de Boisguilbert.

Chapters 32 – 36

The Black Knight frees de Bracy. Eimear writes a letter to de Boisguillebert, urging him to let Rebecca go. As Isaac travels to the Knights Templar stronghold, the others prepare to return the body of the slain Athelstan to his castle. Rebecca is declared a witch and faces execution.

Chapters 37 – 40

Rebecca's trial begins. She is considered guilty and de Boisguillebert encourages her to ask one of the knights to fight in battle for her. She does this, and the Templars send an envoy to Isaac. Ivanhoe goes to the castle. The Black Knight is attacked. Loxley's people help him. In battle it is discovered that the knight is the king himself.

Chapters 41 – 44

Richard is waiting for his allies to raise a formidable force. It turns out that Athelstan was only stunned by de Boisguillebert's blow. A large crowd gathered for the tournament for Rebecca's life. De Boisguillebert became the champion of the Templars against his will.

At the very last moment, Ivanhoe comes to Rebecca's defense. He attacks Boisguillebert, but he is so exhausted that he falls off his horse. But de Boisguilbert falls dead. Ivanhoe wins and Rebecca is saved.

Ivanhoe and Rowena got married. Rebecca and her father left England forever. For many years, Ivanhoe served King Richard.

Analysis of the work

"Ivanhoe" is an adventure novel. It has 466 pages of text, but in short, its main purpose is to tell a story of heroism. This describes the moment when King Richard returned to England after fighting in the Crusades and languishing in prison.

The main historical focus of the novel focuses on the tension between the Saxons and the Normans who inhabited England.

Conclusion

In his novel, the author painted images of brave people who were ready to stand up for the honor of their friends. Walter Scott's novel is a masterpiece of literary art for many centuries. The image of a brave, valiant knight created in the work remains the favorite type of hero in an adventure novel.