"Waverley" is Walter Scott’s historical novel, published anonymously in 1814. Since Scott did not publicly admit authorship of this—or of the subsequent novels he wrote—until 1827, later books indicated that they were written by “the author of ‘Waverley.’” This included “Ivanhoe,” “Rob Roy,” “Quentin Durward,” and many others. For nearly a century, the novels of the “Waverley author” were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe.
The novel is set in Scotland in 1745–1746. The young English gentleman Edward Waverley is enlisted in a Scottish regiment shortly before the Jacobite uprising of 1745. He goes on leave to visit a family friend, Baron Bradwardine, and is shocked to discover that Bradwardine and his followers are supporters of Charles Edward Stuart—the Jacobite prince in exile. Waverley is forced to choose between his loyalty to the Crown and his admiration for the Jacobites’ romantic cause. Through his gentlemanly qualities, he finds friends on both sides of this dangerous situation—and this will serve him well when the Jacobites finally suffer defeat.