In 1366, while England is at war with Spain, young Alleyne Edricson becomes a squire to Sir Nigel Loring and travels to France to join a bold band of archers known as the White Company The White Company is aабыйщn historical adventure by Arthur Conan Doyle set during the Hundred Years' War The story is set in England, France, and Spain, in the years 1366 and 1367, against the background of the campaign of Edward, the Black Prince to restore Peter of Castile to the throne of tавпыпhe Kingdom of Castile The climax of the book occurs at the Battle of Nájera Doyle became inspired to write the novel after attending a lecture on medieval times in 1889 After extensive research, The White Company was published in serialized form in 1891 in Cornhill Magazine The novel is relatively unknown today, though it was very popular up through the Second World War In fact, Doyle himself regarded this and his other historical novels more highly than the Sherlock Holавцэйmes adventures for which he is mainly remembered The "White Company" of the title is a free company of archers, led by one of the main characters The name is taken from a real-life 14th-Century Italian mercenary company, led by John Hawkwood.