The Truth of IvanhoeIs Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe a faithful representation of the Norman-Saxon feud? Yes, and through a comparison of statements and ideas from Ivanhoe, Arthur and the Anglo-Saxon Wars, The Anglo-Saxons, Scott and England in Literature: America Reads it will be demonstrated that the Norman-Saxon feud was accurately depicted by Scott in Ivanhoe.In Ivanhoe, Prince John attempts to conquer England while his brother, King Richard, is away fighting the Crusades. In the book there are basically two sides to this struggle for control of England, the Normans and the Saxons. Prince John and his followers make up the Normans, while the Saxons are led by the title character Wilfred of Ivanhoe. The Saxons try to stop Prince John from stealing the throne. The story takes place during the Third Crusade, but the feud between the Normans and Saxons in 1066 well before this period. In 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, the Normans, led by William I, defeated the Saxons and took control of England. Before that the Saxons had ruled England for 600 years. During the battle both sides fought hard. It was a bloody war and many people died. The Saxons had fought and won 21 wars to preserve their kingdom of England before their defeat at Hastings. The Normans came from hated France, so they didn't have much chance of being liked by the Saxons. The few chances the Normans had were destroyed by William. He established a new all-Norman ruling class. He also took lands belonging to 5,000-6,000 Saxon nobles and gave them to 180 Normans who supported him. “The laws enacted by William were oppressive and severe and the taxes were heavy.” For this reason the Saxons commonly referred to William as a tyrant. The Normans and Saxons were further separated by language. The Normans spoke French, the Saxons spoke English, and both groups commonly refused to speak the other's language. There was a case in Ivanhoe where two Normans were guests in a Saxon castle. The Saxons refused to speak French and the Normans refused to speak English. In the end, both groups spoke only their native language, although they were fluent in both French and English. Another example of Ivanhoe's Norman-Saxon feud is found in the opening pages. Two Saxon servants met two Normans in the woods, and the Normans asked for directions to the nearest castle.