20 h 45 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 20 h 45 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is an honest young man worth in a court where lies can win more than swords?
Quentin Durward arrives in France poor, proud and alone. The young Scottish nobleman seeks a living, but finds himself caught between King Louis XI and Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. In Walter Scott’s historical adventure, keeping your word means little unless you can judge whom to trust.
When Louis sends Quentin to escort Isabelle, Countess of Croye, and her aunt toward Liège, honour becomes a dangerous duty. Isabelle flees a forced marriage and wants to choose her own fate. Around them, royal schemes and violent rebels threaten a world where a knight’s promise still matters—but may not be enough.
What you’ll discover
- An outsider with honour Follow a penniless young Scot whose good heart meets the hard demands of survival.
- A king behind disguises Meet Louis XI, who wears plain clothes and trusts schemes more than open battle.
- An heiress seeking choice Discover Isabelle’s struggle to escape a forced marriage and claim her own future.
- A road full of danger Travel toward Liège with two fugitive noblewomen, a secretive guide and uncertain shelter ahead.
- Two worlds in conflict Watch the code of chivalry clash with power built on lies, bribes and patience.
Who will love it
Readers who love swordplay, disguises and chases across castles, and who enjoy a scheming king, a loyal young hero and a hunted heiress. Anyone curious about how medieval France worked behind the banners will find plenty here.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two rival princes are tearing France apart
- Quentin meets a king without knowing it
- The castle is a fortress built on fear
- A hanging, a rescue and a new uniform
- An angry envoy brings war to the court
- Louis sends the Scot out as bait
- Treachery on the road leads to Liège
- Louis walks into his enemy's house
- Old chivalry meets the new politics
- How Scott tells the tale
Who’s who
- Quentin DurwardA penniless young Scottish gentleman, bold and honest, who joins the king's Scottish Guard and wants honor, adventure and the heart of a Countess.
- King Louis XIThe shrewd, superstitious king of France, who wins his battles with lies, bribes and patience and trusts no one.
- Charles the BoldThe proud, hot-tempered Duke of Burgundy, who wants to rule as a king and cannot hide his anger.
- Isabelle of CroyeA rich young Burgundian countess who flees a forced marriage and puts her trust in a Scottish archer.
- Lady HamelineIsabelle's vain, romantic aunt, who longs for admiration and a husband and is easily led by flatterers.
- Ludovic Lesly, Le BalafreQuentin's scarred uncle, a gruff, boastful archer of the Scottish Guard who loves wine and fighting and means well.
- Hayraddin MaugrabinA Bohemian guide with his own debts and secrets, who serves whoever pays and claims a strange gratitude to Quentin.
- William de la MarckThe Wild Boar of Ardennes, a noble turned bandit chief who seeks land and power through rebellion and a rich bride.
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Quentin Durward
by Walter Scott · 1823
A young Scot cuts down a hanged man and is soon guarding two fugitive countesses for the crafty King Louis.
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In short
A young man swims a ford in France, gets scolded by two strangers, and eats his best meal since leaving Glen Houlakin. One of those strangers is the most dangerous man in the kingdom, and the young man does not know it.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Two rival princes are tearing France apart
The story opens with the two men who decide its hero's fate. The year is about 1468. Great nobles act like kings in their own provinces, and hired soldiers rob villages.
Louis XI sits on the throne. He is calm, patient and cruel, and he lies as easily as he breathes. He likes to say that a king who cannot hide his thoughts cannot rule. He raises low-born men, spies on his neighbors and buys the favorites of his enemies. His rival is Charles, Duke of Burgundy, rich, proud and hot-tempered. Charles charges at trouble with his eyes shut.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1823
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Scott, Walter. Quentin Durward. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/quentin-durward.
Scott, W. (2026). Quentin Durward. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/quentin-durward (Original work published 1823)
Scott, Walter. Quentin Durward. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/quentin-durward.
@book{scott2026quentin,
author = {Scott, Walter},
title = {Quentin Durward},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/quentin-durward},
note = {First published 1823}
}
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What is Quentin Durward about?
It follows a young Scottish archer in 1468 who escorts two fugitive Burgundian countesses through France and Flanders. He is caught between Louis XI of France and Charles of Burgundy, and between loyalty and love.
Is Quentin Durward a true story?
No, Quentin and the Countesses of Croye are invented. Louis XI, Charles the Bold, Cardinal Balue, Philip de Comines and William de la Marck were real people, though Scott changes dates and events to suit his plot.
Who is Maitre Pierre in Quentin Durward?
He is the shabby, sharp-eyed merchant whom Quentin meets at the ford and shares a breakfast with. Readers soon see that his manner of command hints at a much higher rank than his clothes suggest.
The author
Walter Scott
1771–1832 · Scottish novelist and poet
Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish novelist, poet and playwright. He was born in Edinburgh and lived in Scotland, including at Abbotsford near Melrose, where he died. He wrote Marmion (1808), The Lady of the Lake (1810), Waverley (1814), Rob Roy (1817) and Ivanhoe (1819).
More by Walter Scott
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