The Return of the “Irony” Knight!

50+ Medieval Accuracies In Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe is a romance novel by Sir Walter Scott published in 1819.

My Introduction:

With valor, ethics, and prestige on the decline, and with antisemitism, hedonism, and immorality on the rise in the 21st century, there couldn’t be a better time than today for Ivanhoe to resurface in the minds of people in the West. What would have to be going through someone’s mind for them to think that it’s wrong for young men and women to study the emprise of their medieval predecessors, so that chivalry, honor, and virtue (not to mention culture) might make a daring comeback?

While I can feel the pull of a Western cultural revival (2nd Renaissance) so strongly, I’m not here to lecture you on the qualities of being virtuous and honorable. The novel Ivanhoe, so masterfully written, will subliminally do that for you. I’m only here to add notes to the glossary so to speak, to be your reading companion, and to help you understand why I believe Ivanhoe should make a comeback as the Irony Knight (hopefully with a new movie!). Ivanhoe is a novel (affiliate link) that, despite it’s criticisms for being a 19th-century romance, was way ahead of its time in terms of displaying accurate medieval detail, especially compared to the misconception-infested nonsense that gets passed as “medieval” today.

I call Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe the “the Irony Knight” because I believe it’s rather ironic that Ivanhoe gets overly critiqued for being historically-inaccurate when it’s actually full of incredible historical detail that are hard to find in today’s medieval entertainment. I believe as a writer of medieval fiction Sir Walter Scott was way ahead of his time. Of course, Ivanhoe IS a romantic depiction of 12th-century England and DOES inaccurately portray certain historical events pertaining to certain historical figures, such as King Richard’s return to England, but this was a playful liberty to begin with and in many other regards Ivanhoe is actually much more “realistic” than most novels with medieval settings written in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. And while I could also write a list of all the inaccuracies, misconceptions, and anachronisms in the story, I decided to praise the things Sir Walter Scott did get right instead, because I believe what he did get right is highly impressive, especially for a 19th-century writer. However, it would be fun to nitpick all the medieval misconceptions in the many Ivanhoe movies (affiliate link) one day, just for fun. Whoever makes the next Ivanhoe movie should read this blog post first!

When I speak of medieval accuracies in Ivanhoe, I won’t be talking about the many allusions and cultural references throughout the novel, many of which are indeed inaccurate because the story plays with elements of what we now call the “alternative history” genre, but rather I’ll be talking about all the awesome medieval details that I would love to see more of. Such medieval accuracies include proper use of medieval arms and armor, accurate representation of certain medieval customs (and costumes), and the brutal realities that men and women had to face in medieval times such as the harsh treatment of Jews in England.

Now before we go down the list of the many medieval accuracies I appreciate, I’ll quickly mention that Ivanhoe touches on many controversial topics that modern universities, seemingly out of cowardice and cultural decline, have seemed to lose touch with, which is another reason why Ivanhoe deserves to be praised and studied more closely. With that said, it’s not my intention to offend anyone with the truth and the content presented. Please feel free to correct me if you believe I’m wrong about anything in the comments below. Unlike modern universities, I will not ignore or censor the truth nor your honest input just because I might disagree with it or find it distasteful. Now let’s get started!

56 Medieval Accuracies I Appreciate in Ivanhoe:

Listed in Proper Order of Occurrence (Spoiler Alert!)

If you want to make your medieval fantasy or historical fiction more realistic, these are the sort of details that go a long way for readers educated in medieval studies.

#1 – Right away on the first page we see the realistic detail of smoke in the hall because “chimneys were constructed in a very clumsy manner” which for 12th-century England is partly true. Norman’s popularized the chimney in England, so we can expect Saxons to have smokier halls than Normans. In today’s medieval-esque entertainment, we rarely see smoke at all. Instead, we often see torches burning all over the place with not a tendril of smoke in sight.

#2 – Cedric the Saxon allowing visitors into his castle despite them being cultural enemies is a nice historical touch. In my post Heroic Loyalty vs. Chivalric Faith I touched briefly on chivalric courtesy among landed men and how medieval castles acted sort of like hotels for traveling nobility. It would be considered weak for Cedric to deny shelter to traveling nobility, even if he disagreed with their opinions.

#3 – At the beginning of Chapter 2, we see a Knight Templar changing out of his armor. I appreciate this medieval accuracy because knights, in reality, wouldn’t wear their armor as often as Hollywood would lead us to believe. They’d more often than not dress in lavish clothing, as managing a fief was more of a politician’s job than a soldier’s, so to speak. Don’t get me wrong though. They were soldiers! Knights would train in arms and armor and horsemanship almost every day as required, but they’d be relieved to doff their armor once their training was done for the day. This is something I touch further on in my post Why Fantasy Knights Are Unrealistic.

#4 – Later in Chapter 2 we see guests sitting in chairs positioned lower than the resident lord. Medieval banquet tables were arranged by order of class and it would seem unsightly for the lord of the manor to eat at the same table as the lowborn. However, the high table, closest to the dais, was often shared with noble guests, but in this case Cedric’s Saxon blood personally obliged him not to stand on the same level as a Norman.

#5 – The description of Isaac of York wearing a yellow cap to mark his Jewish status is a realistic medieval detail that would probably be considered too controversial in modern story-telling mediums. (P.S.: Jews were not required to wear yellow badges in Christendom until the 13th century).

#6 – In Chapter 3 we see Cedric and the Abbot discussing the superiority of the Norman language in discussing hunting and the mysteries of wood-craft. Being a haughty Saxon, however, it’s a nice touch to see Cedric spitefully prefer his Saxon tongue, (P.S.: even if the divide between Saxons and Normans had dwindled for the most part by the late 12th century).

#7 – In Chapter 3 we see a revenant crusader treating a relic with reverence. Medieval writers like Chaucer warned his audience that most relics, which were most commonly the bones of martyred saints, were probably fake, sold by charlatans for a profit, but it’s a nice touch to see real faith in a medieval character because this is how many medieval Christians would’ve behaved if they truly believed they possessed a piece of Christ’s crucifix.

#8 – Near the end of Chapter 3 we see a nice use of the “grace-cup“ (affiliate link), a little-known medieval item I had to research further, (P.S.: probably because the first mention of it actually dates to the 16th century, not the 12th). More than just a medieval goblet, a grace-cup was typically a silver bowl with 2 handles passed between banqueters to give thanks to God after a meal.

#9 – At the end of Chapter 3 there is mention of the Norman crusader having “Moslem slaves”. While it was uncommon for crusaders to bring slaves back home from the Holy Land as most prisoners of war were sold in Outremer before crusaders returned home, and although the word “Moslem” should have been “Saracen” to be more accurate, Normans were actually the most active Europeans in the medieval slave-trade and it wasn’t entirely uncommon for some of them to retain an entourage of loyal Muslim followers, which appears to be the case here.

#10 – In Chapter 4, the description of Rowena’s apartment is very nice, paying close attention to fabric, dyes, and decorations, with accurate use of attendants and medieval feminine grace. Even if there is the slight inaccuracy of an attendant using a torch indoors, I forgive it because it’s great symbolism for the Saxons’ inferiority in technology compared to the Normans’ (P.S.: even if most Saxon-derived estates had already adopted Norman technology by the late 12th century), and we do see proper use of medieval indoor lighting later on.

#11 – “Alms” – perhaps a word you might never hear in your life unless you were a medievalist or a Christian, is a refreshing thing to see mentioned in a fiction novel. Before modern welfare institutions were invented, it was considered the Church’s and the nobility’s duty to give alms or handouts to the poor and needy, and it was a very common occurrence.

#12 – “Postern gate” is another interesting term, which only those with knowledge of medieval castle architecture might use in their writing. A postern gate, while the term may be used incorrectly later during the siege of Torquilstone, is a smaller, secondary, highly defensible gate in a castle, typically reserved for sallying forth or escaping during a siege. In our case here, characters who request egression through the postern gate to avoid detection are at first denied by an attendant, speaking volumes about Sir Walter Scott’s understanding of medieval politics within a castle.

#13 – The opening description of the tiltyard brings me immense joy with its colorful pavilions and great use of heraldry.

#14 – The description of Isaac’s daughter, the lovely Jewess, Rebecca, while brilliant in displaying the luster that women with means would dress to in medieval times, inspired me to do more research into what Jewish maidens would wear in 12th-century England and while she’s already described as wearing “Eastern” style my only gripe is that maybe she should’ve been veiled if Sir Walter Scott wanted to stay consistent with his Eastern theme.

#15 – When the Disinherited Knight challenges Bois-Guilbert to mortal combat in the tournament, Bois-Guilbert says something that is often missing in other medieval-esque fiction, and that is worry for the soul. Medieval Christians upon facing death would be highly concerned about receiving their last rites or extreme unction, and would seek to make their last confession in order to be admitted into Heaven. Interestingly, men who fought in the Crusades didn’t need this because they were already given absolution for fighting in a holy cause, but in other wars chaplains would follow armies to provide this service. In our case here, it can be considered a highly realistic detail for these men to discuss mass and confession before potential death.

#16 – While describing the dwelling of Isaac and his daughter, it’s a thoughtful historical touch for Sir Walter Scott to mention “decorations of an Oriental taste” because, while this may have been mentioned to emphasize Isaac’s foreign nature, medievalists today use the term prestige culture to refer to medieval Europeans’ adoration for foreign and exotic baubles. To prove you were worldly in medieval times you’d boast of your education of all things exotic and you’d display your worldly articles throughout your home. For example, people still refer to pottery as “China” today for a very good reason, as Chinese pottery was highly prized in medieval Europe.

#17 – Unfortunately, the conversation between Rebecca and Isaac in Chapter 9 about the persecution of Jews and the theft of their wealth in England has much historical truth to it.

#18 – Yes! Thank you, Sir Walter Scott for this beauty. Notice how the servant in Chapter 9 is using oil lamps (affiliate link), NOT TORCHES!

#19 – The horsemanship of the Disinherited Knight being described as the main factor in his ability to keep in the fight when outnumbered is a detail commonly overlooked in other novels. Similar to Mexican rodeo culture with “cutting” and other maneuvers, medieval knights also trained their horses vigorously, as the concept of “dressage” dates all the way back to ancient Athens.

#20 – Sometimes a medieval accuracy is not the mentioning of something but rather the forgoing of a common misconception. Sir Walter Scott went so far as to describe every motion in an archer knocking and drawing their bow, but notice how there’s no creaking sound. The fact that bows and arrows very rarely make creaking sounds, even though movies love to add them, is something I touch further on in my post Top 10 Medieval Misconceptions.

#21 – In Chapter 12, the Anchorite complaining about being behind in his mass is a great historical detail. Hermitage was far more popular in medieval times than most fiction might unintentionally lead us to believe, as many knights even retired into a life of pious recluse. Monks, priests, and holy men of various castes were obliged to observe mass at specific hours of the day.

#22 – At one point the author intrudes to say “as there were no forks in those days”, which caused me to do some digging, or forking if you will. I already knew forks for carving meat did exist in medieval times, but it turns out Sir Walter Scott was right as forks for personal eating weren’t popularized in England until the 17th century, when noble ladies ate suckets with them, although evidence shows Italians used personal forks in the 11th century, and Byzantines in the 6th century. In northern Europe throughout the medieval period most people ate with daggers and spoons.

#23 – When De Bracy broaches the selfish nature behind why he supports King John, I couldn’t help but ponder on a deep aspect of chivalry that developed in the 11th century, a sort of creed among cavaliers that, unlike the diehard loyalty of vassals in older days, it was better for the honor of a knight to serve the weak and needy even if it meant betraying their loyalties. In any case, it’s refreshing to see betrayal and scheming politics among knights, especially in a novel that gets overly critiqued for being too romantic.

#24 – Yet more evidence that Ivanhoe gets erroneously critiqued for being overly romantic gets presented in Chapter 17 when we see knights openly discussing how they’re going to rob and kidnap people. Studying the emprise of medieval men can make us mentally stronger, but not all medieval men were worth studying, something the records won’t deny, and Sir Walter Scott obviously knew history and had something important to say through his story.

#25 – Ah, the common trope of the underground torture dungeon… Of course, these did exist, especially during periods of witch hysteria and the Protestant revolution, but they were not as common as we may think thanks to Hollywood, as the word dungeon is actually derived from “donjon” which is a tower where prisoners were held. The dungeon that Isaac gets thrown into could potentially be compared to an oubliette. To avoid the misconception of dungeons in my writing, my prisoners get thrown in the kennels with the dogs. I only bring this up because it’s actually refreshing to see that most of the prisoners in this scene are held in chambers above ground, not dungeons! Thanks, Walter.

#26 – When Front-de-Bœuf tells Isaac that he gave Rebecca away as a handmaiden “after the fashion of patriarchs and heroes of the days of old” Sir Walter Scott is again, perhaps accidently, touching on a deep shift in cavalier culture that separated heroic loyalty from chivalric faith in the High Middle Ages.

#27 – When Rowena says to De Bracy that a man of “chain and spur” shouldn’t harm a lady, we get some of that romanticism that Ivanhoe gets criticized for, however this is actually an accuracy as knights still had a reputation the way a Canadian soldier might, to do the right thing, although “belt and spur” would’ve been more historically-accurate in my opinion.

#28 – When Rowena calls De Bracy’s speech the language of the troubadours because it’s so bombastic, I had to giggle. I can’t help but feel like Sir Walter Scott was making fun of himself, because, let’s admit it, this novel is rather bombastic. And then a theme struck me, reminding me of real medieval tales like Percival – the theme of chivalry replacing heroism in cavalier culture – when Rowena says “more it were for your honour to have retained the dress and language of an outlaw, than to veil the deeds of one under an affectation of gentle language and demeanour.”

#29 – Again, in Chapter 20, we see historical accuracy in how prisoners were held in medieval castles, when Sir Walter Scott describes the apartment Rebecca was confined in as having an “isolated bartisan”, meaning it was indeed a donjon.

#30 – When Bois-Guilbert describes the sacrifices he made to join the Templars, there is much historical truth to this. Bound by a vow of poverty, early Templars in the 12th century owned few possessions as the land they accumulated was owned by the Order itself, not by any specific knight, although this rule changed over time. They also vowed to celibacy, but with Bois-Guilbert having already admitted to breaking vows, and by his actions as a kidnapper, the reader cannot expect him to follow these rules faithfully, hence his beseeching to convert Rebecca and marry her.

#31 – When the author skims over a “squire who was in attendance” I really appreciated this detail because, in reality, if knights were the interlocutors in the scene which is the case here, the reader should expect squires and pages to be on hand at all hours.

#32 – While reading Chapter 23 the word “biggin” entered my vocabulary for the first time. It’s a close-fitting cap for the head, by the way. Thank you, Sir Walter Scott! Now this is one of the many articles of medieval clothing that I have yet to add to my list. (I should really update that list soon, as I now have dozens of new terms I’ve learned since writing it.) Elsewhere in the same scene, Wamba’s silver collar is spotted to betray his real identity. This is another great medieval accuracy, as medieval servants often wore “livery collars” to mark their status.

#33 – During the siege of Torquilstone, the author describes the besiegers as “bring[ing] forward mantelets and pavisses”. This was a very refreshing medieval detail to see, as mantelets and pavisses were commonly used in medieval siege warfare to supply cover for archers and crossbowmen on the field.

#34 – Also during the siege of Torquilstone, I appreciated the author’s use of “hacqueton” and “corslet” which were historical pieces of medieval armor.

#35 – When Rebecca makes use of “vulnerary remedies” this is a very refreshing historical detail. Medieval people often get a bad rap for being vulgar in regards to medicine, for good reasons admittedly, but the truth is that medieval people overall actually had a much better understanding of natural herbs and the healing properties of plants than modern people.

#36 – When Rebecca and Ivanhoe wish to get a view of the siege from their apartment, Sir Walter Scott did a great job in describing the dangers involved in doing so. Ivanhoe warns Rebecca that “each lattice, each aperture, will be soon a mark for the archers; some random shaft”.

#37 – Sir Walter Scott takes so much time to describe the defense-works and battlements of the castle that publishers of the copy I read actually added an awesome illustration to assist the reader in imagining it. I really appreciate the accurate description of castles in fiction, because one does not just simply enter a castle. A castle is a complex structure and there are many guarded portals one must pass through before finding themselves in some apartment in the keep.

#38 – When Ivanhoe asks Rebecca what banners and devices she sees among the besiegers, I couldn’t help but grin at the brilliance of this detail. Heraldry is a super underrepresented aspect of medieval European culture. Coats of arms were emblazoned on the field in almost every battle and siege throughout the High and Late Middle Ages, as it was the best way to identify friend and foe, and brought honor and fame to your name and house.

#39 – Yes! Thank you! I literally cheered in my seat upon reading how, despite the assault of arrows from the besiegers, Front-de-Bœuf and his followers stood more boldly because they wore armor. Proper medieval armor was very effective at stopping and deflecting arrows, yet in movies and much 21st-century historical fiction and fantasy the armor might as well be made of cheese! To read more about what I think about fantasy armor, check out my post Why Fantasy Armor is Unrealistic.

#40 – When the besiegers manage to make headway in breaking into the castle, Sir Walter Scott did an impressive job in describing the steps needed in order to realistically take a portion of the castle as well as the struggle endured by the defenders in preventing it. From the defenders throwing down the enemy ladders and dropping “stones and beams” from the battlements, to the besiegers fortifying themselves on the outer walls once they’re taken, it’s all pure brilliance!

#41 – A realistic detail that might be hard for modern minds to understand is Ivanhoe’s explanation to Rebecca: “The love of battle is the food upon which we live.” Many knights throughout the Middle Ages would agree with Ivanhoe. As young teens, men destined to become knights or princes were encouraged to wage mock battles and sieges with their neighbors for sport. In the heyday of chivalry, castles would be taken for fun and then handed back to the defenders in full honors of war. The love for the art of war among knights can be seen in the very beauty of it – the colors, the horns, the grace, and the care they put into their arms and armor! A good knight would always seek an excuse to break a lance on the field. Alas, these chances came far less often then Hollywood would lead us to believe, as a good knight also brought peace to his subjects through strength in diplomacy.

#42 – In the opening scene of Chapter 27, we again see realistic description of medieval siege tactics, such as preventing the defenders from sallying forth and the construction of implements for crossing the moat once the drawbridge is destroyed.

#43 – One thing we barely do in warfare today but what almost always happened in medieval warfare was capturing important enemies for ransom. In our case, however, Sir Walter Scott takes an artistic approach compared to how ransoms were typically conducted. Men with means, such as knights, would make their arms and armor as glamorous as they could afford to in order to increase their chances of being taken as a prisoner for ransom if the battle was lost, because that was better than dying. If the dragon banner was raised, however, this meant guerre mortelle, and no quarter would be given to the losers.

#44 – Although it’s somewhat hypocritical for the Grand Master to judge an infidel for using sigils and periapts to heal, because medieval Christians were extremely superstitious and often used these things themselves, it is historically accurate for his followers to fear the threat of a Jewish sorceress. Jews were often erroneously blamed for many phenomena that medieval Christians couldn’t explain, such as bovine diseases and the Great Pestilence.

#45 – When the Grand Master says each judge has power in their own jurisdiction, he’s so right. From lords and their manors to knights and their fiefs, unless the crime was an extreme case of treason or heresy, which would usually be transferred to the royal or ecclesiastical courts, it could legally be managed in one’s own manorial court without intervention from higher authorities.

#46 – The injustice that only the reader knows upon hearing the untruthful allegations against Rebecca touch on a grand theme of this so-called “cursed race”. Without looking closely, one might call Ivanhoe an antisemitic book, but by showing the reality of how Jews were unfairly treated in 12th-century England it actually sheds a darker light on Rebecca’s antagonists, drawing us to feel sympathy for her, and shows a more accurate depiction of reality that we modern consumers can learn from in order not to repeat history.

#47 – In Chapter 33, Sir Walter Scott makes a great use of the word “mangonel”. I often cringe when writers simply use the term “catapult” because this could mean any torsion-powered siege engine such as a ballista, trebuchet, or springald. By using the word “mangonel”, we know exactly what type of catapult is being referenced.

#48 – Even if Bois-Guilbert is a scumbag, it’s refreshing to see a knight in a fiction novel speak of how horrible it would be to lose honor, fame, greatness, and ambition. Giving up all this is truly a magnificent sacrifice, even if modern men throw it all away so easily.

#49 – When Bois-Guilbert says “England – Europe is not the world”, beseeching Rebecca to away with him to Palestine, I admire this detail because, personally, when I think of the word “medieval” I don’t just think of Europe; I think of the entire Middle Ages. I think of medieval Cathay, medieval Islam, and even medieval America. One should encompass the world when speaking of “the medieval”, because long-distance travel between 500 AD and 1500 AD was more prevalent than those who judge medieval studies for being too Eurocentric probably think.

#50 – By having Bois-Guilbert say “I will exchange my long desired baton for a scepter!” shows that Sir Walter Scott had a great understanding of the symbols of medieval offices.

#51 – When Rebecca tells Bois-Guilbert that it was “the persecution of such as thee” that made Jews misers and usurers, there is insightful historical truth to this. In modern Western society, it isn’t deemed wrong to ask for interest on debts (usury) because we understand that moneylenders are taking a risk. In medieval Christendom, however, since the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, usury for Christians became outlawed. Islam also outlawed usury or riba, but the Jews never did. Therefore it soon meant that Jews were the only people in medieval Christendom who could ask for interest on loans without fear of committing sin, and therefore they were more willing to become professional moneylenders, (P.S.: although the invention of new banking systems in Italy eventually found a way around this). Saying all of this is a way to explain how Christians put themselves in their own pickle so to speak, as they were eager to accept loans from Jews but when it came to paying back their debts with interest they scoffed, blaming Jews for being greedy rather than owning up to the root cause of the issue which they themselves created, because things would’ve been a lot different for Jews if usury was never outlawed for Christians.

#52 – In Chapter 36, characters discuss the dangers of being on the forest road. During this conversation, someone says “[but] you have neither bears nor wolves…” Since they’re in 12th-century England, this is factually correct. Historians believe large predatory animals, including the lynx and wolverine, vanished or dwindled dramatically from England due to hunting and deforestation as early as ca. 1000 AD. But don’t underestimate the badger! He’s still doing well.

#53 – When the Black Knight closes his helmet’s visor just in time, an arrow was “turned aside” by it. This was another realistic detail that made me cheer in my seat, because Sir Walter Scott stays consistent with the effectiveness of medieval armor, unlike Hollywood!

#54 – The religious ceremony held over the thought-to-be-dead Athelstane is described in beautiful, historical detail.

#55 – When Athelstane explains how his life was spared, he mentions that a sword struck him “flatlings”, which is a literary adverb to mean he was struck with the flat of the sword rather than the edge. I appreciate this explanation immensely because anyone who’s actually trained with a sword will vouch how difficult it is to maintain proper edge alignment, and in an accurate depiction of medieval combat we would see swords being struck “flatlings” quite often. This is the whole reason why the handles of swords were oval shaped rather than circular, to assist the wielder in gauging their edge alignment.

#56 – Last but not least, the trial by combat being announced in French by a herald is a wonderful historical accuracy, because Normans introduced trial by combat to England and most of the Norman aristocracy in 12th-century England still spoke French, or, to be more precise, they spoke Anglo-Norman which is a variation of medieval French.

Citation: Walter, Sir Scott. Ivanhoe. Toronto, Macmillan Company of Canada Ltd., 1937

P.S.: Thank you to u/TheMadTargaryen on Reddit for their insightful critique of this article. All notes with “P.S.” are thanks to them.

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