Best 1906 Adventures (9)
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October 30, 2016
One in a series of 10 posts identifying Josh Glenn’s favorite 1906 adventure novels. Happy 110th anniversary!
Arthur Conan Doyle’s knightly adventure Sir Nigel.
This prequel to Conan Doyle’s The White Company (1891) is set during the early phase of the Hundred Years’ War — a series of 14th- and 15th-century conflicts between rival English and French dynasties. Impoverished but insanely chivalrous nobleman Nigel Loring is made squire to Sir John Chandos. He and his attendant, Samkin Aylward, head to France to seek their fortunes; Nigel promises his lady-love, Mary, that he will peform three deeds of honor before he returns. En route to Calais, Nigel intercepts a French spy — then, as a point of honor, intercedes with King Edward III to save the man’s life. After recovering from his wounds, Nigel is sent on an expedition to Brittany under the command of Sir Robert Knolles; during a battle with a Spanish fleet in the Straits of Dover, he assists the king’s son (Edward, the Black Prince). In France, Samkin is captured by a brutal robber baron, so Nigel and others must penetrate and capture the baron’s castle. All of which is merely prelude to a thinly veiled retelling of the Combat of the Thirty, one of the most famous passage of arms in the annals of chivalry. Will Nigel be knighted?
Fun fact: Nigel Loring is loosely based on the historical knight Neil Loring.
Let me know if I’ve missed any 1906 adventures that you particularly admire.