Publisher's Synopsis
Well-known Victorian children's author Howard Pyle published his novel Men of Iron in 1891. Set in the beginning of the fifteenth century, during the stormy transitions of power between the English Kings Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry's son Henry V, this historical fiction follows the coming of age adventures of a noble-born young man. As the protagonist finds his proper place as a knight of the realm, he struggles to learn the truth about his exiled father and to avenge the honor of his family in order to reclaim his name and position. In 1954, the novel was adapted into the movie The Black Shield of Falworth, which took many liberties with the original plot in order to heighten the dramatic tension.The novel's protagonist is Myles Falworth, scion of the fictional Falworth family. When Henry of Lancaster returned from exile to usurp the throne held by King Richard II, England's nobles were divided on whom to support: Richard was the rightful king, but tended to take away lands and property to support his wars, while Henry was an invader. The Falworth family backed Richard and paid the price for picking the wrong side when Henry prevailed and began his reign as Henry IV.Myles Falworth doesn't remember much of his family. As a young boy, he was sent to live anonymously on a farm in Crisbey-Dale with his guardian Diccon Bowman, and he has been living as a peasant ever since. Although he knows his family name and knows that his parents are still alive, he is not entirely clear about what exactly happened to make it necessary for his family to protect him in this way. When Myles turns sixteen years old, Diccon Bowman arranges to have him sent to Devlen Castle in Derbyshire, the home of Earl of Mackworth. Although Mackworth was a close friend of Myles's father, when the boy arrives at the castle, the Earl almost completely ignores him.Instead, Myles is taken under the wing of Sir James Lee, a knight who fought alongside Diccon Bowman. Sir Lee trains the boy first as a squire, and then, eventually, as a knight in his own right. Pyle fills this part of the novel with copious details of daily life during this period of history, explaining the rigors of Myles's work taking care of horses and weapons. Myles begins his period at Devlen as a cocky and stubborn troublemaker, but grows to control his temper and use his wits to read the situation before reacting. He also befriends Francis Gascoyne, with whom he spends happy hours in a secret hideout they call their Eyry at the top of the Castle's "Brutus Tower."Growing close to Sir Lee, Myles asks why Mackworth refuses to openly acknowledge either him or his father. For the first time, he learns that it is politically dangerous to show any kind of warm feelings for the Falworth family - his father has been convicted of treason. Instead, Mackworth has been supporting Myles's progress behind the scenes, since he sees the young man as someone who could eventually take on the man responsible for the Falworth family's downfall: the manipulative Earl of Alban.Slowly, Myles learns the truth about what happened. His father was convicted of treason and then blinded and sent into exile by the Earl of Alban, who is King Henry's stalwart friend. Henry then placed an attainder on the family - a special punishment for "corruption of the blood" which meant the loss of property, titles, and the ability to pass them on to one's heirs.Myles grows increasingly into the kind of honorable knight that is the chivalrous ideal. He learns horseback riding and sword fighting techniques from Sir Lee and Mackworth. At the same time, Mackworth's brother, Lord George Beaumont, also takes an interest in Myles's future, teaching him courtly behavior such as proper table manners, how to woo a lady, and how to survive the dangers of formal social interactions whe............
