Saxon Street

Saxon Street is named after the Anglo-Saxons of Europe. During the time frame of Ivanhoe, Normans and Saxons were at odds because of the Norman Conquest of 1066 led by William 1.

We see this dislike especially in the Saxon noble, Cedric of Rotherwood. He is always cursing the Normans and acting as though he is better than them.

But we can also see that the new generation, which includes Wilfred of Ivanhoe, Lady Rowena, and Sir Athelstane, does not hold such a large grudge against the Normans as a whole, but individually is another subject.

Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight, follows King Richard 1 to fight in the Crusades. This alliance to a Norman king is what lead to Ivanhoe being disowned by his father. While this an example of a Norman the younger Saxon generation accepted; many of the Normans in the novel are disliked for their personalities and actions including Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert, Maurice de Bracy, Front de Beouf, and Prince John.

Saxon Street is adjacent to Norman Street; this creates a connection between the two streets that helps to show that these are opposing forces.

Saxon Street is parallel to Rotherwood Street and Rowena Street. We can speculate that this is because Rowena is a Saxon princess and because Rotherwood was an estate owned by a Saxon nobleman.

Return to Streets of Ivanhoe.