Manfred is the grandson of the usurping prince who poisoned Alfonso, the rightful ruler, but Manfred's son Conrad is eventually crushed to death by a gigantic helmet in the courtyard.
A letter to William Cole details how the author came up with much of the plot of this novel, and it purports to be translated by a certain "William Marshal, Gent." from the original Italian of Onuphrio Muralto, Canon of the Church of St. Nicholas. Manfred is the grandson of the usurping prince who poisoned Alfonso, the rightful ruler, but Manfred's son Conrad is eventually crushed to death by a gigantic helmet in the courtyard. In the end, however, Theodore is declared the true hair to the throne, as the ghost of Alfonso tears down the titular structure. For ten points, name this 1764 tale by Horace Walpole, considered to be the first Gothic novel.
A letter to William Cole details how the author came up with much of the plot of this novel, and it purports to be translated by a certain "William Marshal, Gent." from the original Italian of Onuphrio Muralto, Canon of the Church of St. Nicholas.
The {Castle of Otranto}