The Betrothed

Tales of the Crusaders #1

by Walter Scott, J. B. Ellis (Editor), J.H. Alexander (Editor)

Set at the time of the Third Crusade (1189 - 92), The Betrothed is the first of Scott’s Tales of the Crusaders. The betrothed is Eveline, daughter of a Norman noble, who is a victim of the Crusade in that her intended husband is required by the Church to fulfil his vow to join the war and departs for three years. The full horror of an arranged marriage, and of being a possible prize as men seek to gain possession of her is vividly realised―the heroine is never free; her fate is always determined by the agency of men. And being set on the Marches of Wales, it is not just men but differing cultures that strive for mastery over her.The Betrothed is a problem as Scott was writing he himself was arranging the marriage of his elder son. It is a problem novel too in that it was deeply disliked by Scott’s printer and publisher who forced significant changes. What Scott was required to do to meet their objections has been confronted for the first time in this, the first critical edition of the novel.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Literature, Scotland, Novels, Adventure

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1825

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, widely recognized as the founder and master of the historical novel. His most celebrated works, including Waverley, Rob Roy, and Ivanhoe, helped shape not only the genre of historical fiction but also modern perceptions of Scottish culture and identity.

Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Scott was the son of a solicitor and a mother with a strong interest in literature and history. At the age of two, he contracted polio, which left him with a permanent limp. He spent much of his childhood in the Scottish Borders, where he developed a deep fascination with the region's folklore, ballads, and history. He studied at Edinburgh High School and later at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying as a lawyer in 1792. Though he worked in law for some time, his literary ambitions soon took precedence.

Scott began his literary career with translations and collections of traditional ballads, notably in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He gained early fame with narrative poems such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and The Lady of the Lake. As the popularity of poetic storytelling declined, especially with the rise of Lord Byron, Scott turned to prose. His first novel, Waverley, published anonymously in 1814, was set during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and is considered the first true historical novel. The success of Waverley led to a long series of novels, known collectively as the Waverley Novels, which blended historical events with compelling fictional narratives.

Over the following years, Scott produced a remarkable number of novels, including Old Mortality, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor, each contributing to the romantic image of Scotland that became popular throughout Europe. With Ivanhoe, published in 1819, he turned his attention to medieval England, broadening his appeal and confirming his status as a major literary figure. His works were not only popular in his own time but also laid the groundwork for historical fiction as a respected literary form.

Scott married Charlotte Genevieve Charpentier in 1797, and they had five children. In 1820, he was granted a baronetcy and became Sir Walter Scott. He built a grand home, Abbotsford House, near Melrose, which reflected his passion for history and the Scottish past. However, in 1825, financial disaster struck when his publishers went bankrupt. Rather than declare bankruptcy himself, Scott chose to work tirelessly to pay off the debts through his writing. He continued to produce novels and non-fiction works at a staggering pace despite declining health.

Walter Scott died in 1832, leaving behind a literary legacy that influenced generations of writers and readers. His works remain widely read and studied, and he is credited with helping to revive interest in Scottish history and culture. Abbotsford House, now a museum, stands as a monument to his life and achievements.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story that centers around chivalry and arranged marriage. Set during the third crusade 1189-1192 on the England Welsh borders a young Norman lady Eveline is saved by the elderly Baron Constable De Lacy. Her father is killed and their castle besieged until Constable arrives and massacres the Welsh.

After lifting the siege Eveline is escorted by Constable to her aunt's nunnery at Gloucester. On her way she stays a night at the house of a Saxon kinswoman, the Lady of Baldringham. She is made to spend a night in the haunted Red Finger chamber. The ghost of her ancestor's wife, Vanda, appears and predicts:

Widowed wife, and married maid,
Betrothed, betrayer, and betrayed.

These words haunt her, but she still feels obligated to accept his proposal due to a vow she made. He has to fulfill a vow to fight three years in the Crusades before they can marry. During that time is young heir Damian is her guardian. There is also intrigue with the bad sheep of the family trying to take over the Barons lands and fortune.

The faithful Flemish weaver and soldier Wilkin Flammock tries to help with his daughter Rose and does but through adversity. Eveline is torn between her vow and obvious love for Damian as is he but they do not act on it.

Overall a great adventure yarn with a cameo byHenry II and his two sons Richard and John. There squabbling made me chuckle. A bit far fetched that the bard waited all that time before taking vengeance or does he?

[Lucy]

I must be going soft, I really enjoyed this farrago of medieval nonsense, despite the bad character given to my countrymen. (The Welsh.) Mind you, Scott didn't have much to say for the Saxons, either, and there were some bad apples among the Normans too. I even enjoyed his long descriptive passages, and his usual gallery of eccentrics is well up to standard.

[Antonia Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scott can be utterly enjoyable to read, once you give yourself a couple of pages to get the feel for the language -which can contain intricately crafted sentences of nearly a page in length, and for which you need, unusually for the modern era, a singular concentration. The plotting is exciting, if a little slow for the modern reader,and there are set scenes, with rich and detailed descriptions that create vivid pictures in your mind. You have to forgive the conventions of the era, I accept that, however it is hard to forgive or to understand the often two dimensional characters, who it is hard to feel sympathy for. On balance, a good old fashioned read, with masterful language and description, and simple adventure where the good guys usually prevail.

[Mariangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of the Crusader novels, though it takes places entirely in Wales.
A tale of battles, castle siege, treason and calumny, but everything ends well in the end. Very enjoyable.
Now on to the Talisman.

[Monty Milne · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of Scott’s biographers called this “the dreariest and stupidest book produced by a writer of genius.” I wouldn’t quite go that far, but it’s certainly not one of Sir Walter’s best. There is a castle siege which is a bit reminiscent of Ivanhoe, but not as good. Indeed, everything in it is a bit like other Scott novels, except not quite as good. About the only thing that caught my interest was the unusually negative treatment of St Thomas a Beckett (I was intrigued by this as I’ve always thought him a bit slippery too). But really, only my fervent love of all things Scott-ish enabled me to get to the end (something Scott himself apparently found hard to do when he was writing it). This was my second reading, and there won’t be a third.

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly engaging historical novel, an excellent medieval story set in the time of the Crusades that has all the expected elements but what makes it stand out is the point of view. Of course, the exploits of the warriors play a dominant role, but the leading role is played by a woman, one of those who stayed behind when the men went on the crusades and had to be patient, putting their lives on hold until the happy event of their return. The author puts us in the world of these women, full of sensitivity and tenderness, with many limitations and few joys, with friendships and intense religious feelings offering consolation. Our heroine, however, is also at the centre of the violent world of men, worrying about her own people, watching from a safe distance all the confrontations and in the end, she becomes the object of the ambitions of cruel people and gets into trouble. Fortunately, however, she lives in a time when there were still knights ready to defend a damsel in distress.

All this is described by the author, in his own special way, with a wonderful narrative that combines drama with humour and with a Shakespearean mood, creating an excellent novel, exciting and interesting from beginning to end, which stands even next to Ivanhoe, in my humble opinion.

Ένα ιδιαίτερα συναρπαστικό ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα, μία εξαιρετική μεσαιωνική ιστορία που διαδραματίζεται στον καιρό των σταυροφοριών και έχει όλα τα αναμενόμενα στοιχεία αλλά αυτό που την κάνει να ξεχωρίζει είναι η οπτική γωνία. Φυσικά κυρίαρχο ρόλο παίζουν τα κατορθώματα των πολεμιστών αλλά τον πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο τον έχει έχει μία γυναίκα, μία από αυτές που έμενε πίσω όταν οι άνδρες πήγαιναν στις σταυροφορίες και έπρεπε να κάνουν υπομονή, βάζοντας τις ζωές τους σε αναμονή μέχρι το ευτυχές γεγονός της επιστροφής. Ο συγγραφέας μας βάζει στον κόσμο αυτών των γυναικών, τον γεμάτο ευαισθησία και τρυφερότητα, με τους πολλούς περιορισμούς και τις λίγες χαρές, με τις φιλίες και το έντονο Θρησκευτικό συναίσθημα να προσφέρουν παρηγοριά. Η ηρωίδα μας, όμως, βρίσκεται και στο επίκεντρο του βίαιου κόσμου των ανδρών, αγωνιώντας για τους δικούς της ανθρώπους, παρακολουθώντας από ασφαλή απόσταση όλες τις αντιπαραθέσεις και στο τέλος γίνεται το αντικείμενο των φιλοδοξιών σκληρών ανθρώπων και να μπλέξει σε μπελάδες. Ευτυχώς όμως ζει στην εποχή που υπήρχαν ακόμα ιππότες έτοιμοι να υπερασπιστούν μία δεσποσύνη σε κίνδυνο.

Όλα αυτά μας τα περιγράφει ο συγγραφέας, με τον δικό του ξεχωριστό τρόπο, με μία υπέροχη αφήγηση που συνδυάζει την δραματικότητα με το χιούμορ και με σαιξπηρική διάθεση, δημιουργώντας ένα εξαιρετικό μυθιστόρημα, συναρπαστικό και ενδιαφέρον από την αρχή ως το τέλος, που στέκεται επάξια ακόμα και δίπλα στον Ιβανόη, κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη.

[Steve R]

Good, shorter than average, Waverley novel. Tells the tale of Eveline, the betrothed ofSir Hugh Lacy, who went off from Wales to fight in the Crusades and left her under the guardianship of his nephew Damian. A nasty brother, Ranald, tries to usurp the lands from Hugh whi;e he's away, is opposed by Damian, who secretly loves Eveline, and when Hugh returns and vanquishes Ranald, he gallantly gives over his betrothal so that Eveline and Damian can be married. Lovely story.

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Für dieses Buch habe ich fast einen Monat gebraucht. Aber ich bin froh, das Original gelesen zu haben trotz aller Widrigkeiten. Mein Lateinkenntnisse reichten bei weitem nicht aus.
Am Ende fand ich das happy-end to much. Etwas weniger hätte genügt.

Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass Jane Austen den Autor und dieses Buch wegen der romantischen Ader von Waverley und seine Vorliebe für gute Bücher mochte.

[Boris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find Scott's steady prose and predictable plot development a great stress relievers.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite of Scott's novels but still a well researched story set in England during the time of King Henry II and Archbishop Baldwin.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time, the author sets the novel in the period several generations after the Battle of Hastings, during the reign of Henry II. The author explores what life was like in the Welsh Marches, when Norman castles in the borderlands were vulnerable to attack by the unconquered Welsh, or Britons. Add in the conquered Saxons and some immigrant Flemish, and you have a seething cauldron of ethnic and religious animosity. The main driver of the plot is the friction between these different groups, which leads to aggression, revenge, and lust for personal gain. An interesting twist in the plotline is how two of the most noble characters try to make noble choices, but keep getting deeper and deeper into trouble. This is another great book that would make for a great mini-series. My only criticism is that, unlike earlier books that featured monarchs, the reader doesn’t get to know Henry II in any depth. Richard and John make brief appearances that sketch out some of the family fault lines. In sum, an insightful look at life in the borderlands, a panoply of interesting secondary characters, and a plotline with a couple of twists and turns that make for a very enjoyable read.

[Curt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely fits in with Scott's historical novel approach but a contemporary critic should find material on a feminist study:
1. Chapter 16 page 133 (Edinburgh edition): De Lacy himself, as he learned more intimately to know the merit of the prize which he was desirous of possessing..
2. Chapter 2 (vol. 2) page 151: He was assured of the early possession of a beautiful and amiable wife...
Eveline may not have objected to any of this but toss the idea of possession of a wife to someone working on a more contemporary female slant and see what response elicits.
Eveline managed affairs quite well while her betrothed was away so anyone gathering material for Scctt's heroines should have fun with this.
The novel itself was a bit heavy reading at times, but passages like this perked my interest.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not as good as Scott's great novels, but it was a reasonable read. At a couple of points I had to re-read portions to get a clear sense of the narrative. I read it over a couple of months whilst reading other works, and this disrupted the flow of the narrative. Still, it was worth persevering with it.

[Even · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Betrothed has been described as one of "the dreariest and stupidest book ever produced by a writer of genius", but I don't see why. Set in the Welsh marches during the time of the Crusdades it is an entertaining little tale. It takes Scott a while to really introduce the main characters, and once he has you get the idea that you pretty much know where the story is going, but can enjoy the ride anyway. He then throws a loop at the end. I would have probably enjoyed the book more if it had ended the way it seemed to be headed, as it would have meant Scott was exploring a new narrative along with a new time period, but the ending was at once suprising and typical of Scott. Scott usually includes a few idiosyncratic characters into each story, seemingly to lighten the mood, and this one is unusually full of them, All in all not dreary at all

[Meglarsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still reading it but have learned so far:

1. Welch=Welsh
2. Chivalry was not part of the Welsh society.
3. During the crusades knights promised not to war in England because there would be fewer knights to defend since they were all gone to the holy land.
4. You could get a divorced in the 1100s.

[Lauren Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good.

[Yibbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. The whole story line was extremely predictable. It is slow moving, overly dramatic, and rather dark.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps a bit predictable, but so well written! It was great fun, and I really enjoyed it.

[Victoria Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again I loved this. Romance, beautiful young woman defending her castle against an assault. Set in the Welsh border country the story is highly entertaining.

[Kåre]

Jeg har kun læst uddrag. Det er gammelt og tungt. Men det er jo angiveligt den første selvbevidste historiske roman.
Måske kommer jeg tilbage til den engang.