This historical novel tells of a romantic young English captain in Scotland who strives for love, harmony and peace during the Jacobite rebellion in 1745. He becomes one of the leaders of the insurrection directed against the English. There is romance and adventure in this tale as our young hero is forced to test his loyalties to his country and the love of his life. Its unprecedented success prompted Scott to write more than two dozen novels in a similar vein–commonly designated the Waverley Novels–which describe the lives of ordinary individuals who become involved in great historical events and present in lavish detail the speech, manners, and customs of past ages. In Waverley, this past record focuses on the declining feudal culture of the Scottish Highlands prior to Scotland’s absorption into Great Britain.