Quentin Durward, novel of adventure and romance by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1823. The novel was a popular success and solidified Scott’s reputation as a stirring writer. The novel is set in 15th-century France, where the title character saves the life of Louis XI, protects and falls in love with Countess Isabelle de Croye (a Burgundian heiress), helps defeat the king’s brutal enemy, and wins Isabelle’s hand in marriage....

Medieval England. King Richard the Lionheart was returning home from the Crusades when he was captured and imprisoned in Austria. His treacherous brother John has already seized the throne and refuses to pay a ransom for Richard. Meanwhile, the conflict between the Saxons and the Normans threatens to escalate into a civil war. Aivengo, the deprived son of Cedric, returns from the crusade to claim his inheritance and marry Rowena, a cousin and niece of Cedric, who seeks to marry the girl to the last offspring of the Saxon royal family....