Connor Iggulden (; born ) is a British author who writes

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

, most notably the ''Emperor'' and ''Conqueror'' series. He also co-authored ''

The Dangerous Book for Boys ''The Dangerous Book for Boys'', by Conn Iggulden, Conn and Hal Iggulden is a guidebook published by HarperCollins, aimed at boys "from eight to eighty." It covers around eighty topics, including how to build a treehouse, grow a crystal, or t ...

'' with his brother Hal. In 2007, Iggulden became the first person to top the UK fiction and nonfiction lists at the same time.

Background

Born in 1971 to an English father (who was an RAF pilot during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

) and an Irish mother, Iggulden went to Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary in

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is a suburb in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London. Prior to 1965 it was in Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

, Middlesex, then attended St Martins School in Northwood, before moving on to Merchant Taylors' School. He then attended

St Dominic's Sixth Form College St Dominic's Sixth Form College is a selective Roman Catholic sixth form college on Harrow on the Hill, England founded in 1878, originally founded as a boarding school. The college was opened and initiated by Cardinal Hume. The college was awa ...

, before studying English at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, later going on to teach the subject for seven years, becoming head of the English department at

Haydon School Haydon School is a Mixed-sex education, mixed secondary school and sixth form in the Northwood Hills area of the London Borough of Hillingdon, Greater London, for students aged 11 to 18. On 1 April 2011, Haydon School became an Academy (English ...

, where one of his students was

Fearne Cotton Fearne Cotton (born 3 September 1981) is an English broadcaster and author. She began her career in the late 1990s as a children’s television presenter for GMTV, CITV and CBBC. She went on to present various television shows, including ''To ...

. Iggulden eventually left teaching to write his first novel, ''The Gates of Rome'', which was published in 2003. He is married to Ella, who is from the

Amalfi Coast The Amalfi Coast ( or ) is a stretch of coastline in southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. It is located south of the Sorrentine Peninsula and north of the Cilentan Coast. Attracting international tourists o ...

in southern Italy, and whose family are craft pasta and

ravioli Ravioli (; : ''raviolo'', ) are a type of stuffed pasta comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are commonly square, though ...

producers in the region. The couple have four children and live in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, England. In August 2014, Iggulden was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', opposing

Scottish independence Scottish independence (; ) is the idea of Scotland regaining its independence and once again becoming a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom. The term Scottish independence refers to the political movement that is campaignin ...

in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.

Career

Historical fiction

Iggulden's debut book was ''The Gates of Rome'' (2003), the first in a five-part series entitled ''Emperor''. The series is based around the life of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

, from childhood (''The Gates of Rome'') to his eventual betrayal and death (''The Gods of War''). The author has written a fifth book in the series, ''Emperor: The Blood of Gods'', which deals with the rise of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

and events after the end of ''The Gods of War''. This book was published on 26 September 2013. After completing the fourth book in the ''Emperor'' series, Iggulden began research for his next series of books, titled ''Conqueror'', based on the life of

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

warlords

Genghis Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongol tribes, he launched a series of military campaigns, conquerin ...

, Ogedai, and

Kublai Khan Kublai Khan (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the ...

. The first book, ''

Wolf of the Plains ''Wolf of the Plains'' (2007) is a historical novel from English author Conn Iggulden. It is the first book in the Conqueror series based on the Mongols of the Asian steppes. It is titled ''Genghis: Birth of an Empire'' in the United States. ...

'', was published on 2 January 2007. The second, ''

Lords of the Bow Lords may refer to: * The plural of Lord Places *Lords Creek, a stream in New Hanover County, North Carolina *Lord's, English Cricket Ground and home of Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club People *Traci Lords (born 19 ...

'', came out a year later. ''

Bones of the Hills ''Bones of the Hills'' (known as ''Genghis: Bones of the Hills'' in America) is the third book of the ''Conqueror'' series, based on the life of Mongol gurkhan Genghis by Conn Iggulden. It focuses mainly on the Mongol invasion of Islamic Ce ...

'', the third book in the series, was released on 1 September 2008. In September 2010, '' Empire of Silver'', which revolves around the life of Genghis Khan's son, Ogedai, was published. Iggulden released a four-book series, the ''Wars of the Roses'', starting with ''Stormbird'' in 2013, ''Margaret of Anjou'' (called ''Trinity'' in the UK) in 2014, ''Bloodline'' in 2015, and ''Ravenspur'' in 2016. In 2017, he published a historical fiction novel called ''Dunstan'', chronicling the life of the 10th-century monk and political adviser to the Saxon Kings of England, St. Dunstan. In 2018,

Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

released a historical novel called '' The Falcon of Sparta'', about the effort of Prince Cyrus to become king of Persia and the stranded 10,000 Greek mercenaries who walked out of Persia while pursued by the king's armies, following the

Battle of Cunaxa The Battle of Cunaxa was fought in the late summer of 401 BC between the Persian king Artaxerxes II and his brother Cyrus the Younger for control of the Achaemenid Empire, Achaemenid throne. The great battle of the revolt of Cyrus took place 70&nb ...

. In 2021, Iggulden released a two-part Athenian series, ''The Gates of Athens'' and ''Protector''. Set during the

Greco-Persian Wars The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Polis, Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world ...

, it features the

Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens (polis), Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Achaemenid Empire, Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaph ...

and the

Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae ( ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Empire, Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Polis, Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting over the course of three days, it wa ...

. In 2022, he published the first in a two-part series, ''The Golden Age'', titled ''Lion''. Set a generation after his Athenian series, it follows

Pericles Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...

' rise in Athens, the formation of the

Delian League The Delian League was a confederacy of Polis, Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, founded in 478 BC under the leadership (hegemony) of Classical Athens, Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Achaemenid Empire, Persian ...

, and the

Battle of the Eurymedon The Battle of the Eurymedon was a double battle, taking place both on water and land, between the Delian League of Athens and her Allies, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I. It took place in either 469 or 466 BCE, in the vicinity of the mouth ...

. His second and final book in the series, which came out in 2023, is titled ''Empire''.

Children's books

Iggulden has co-written a book with his brother Hal, ''

''. It covers around eighty topics, from building a

soapbox A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. The term originates from the days when speakers would elevate themselves by standing on a wooden crate originally used for shipment ...

racer and tying

knot A knot is an intentional complication in Rope, cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including List of hitch knots, hitches, List of bend knots, bends, List of loop knots, loop knots, ...

s, to learning about famous battles and how to make potassium aluminium sulphate crystals. It was released in the UK in June 2006, reprinted a month later, and was voted

British Book of the Year The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the Na ...

at the Galaxy British Book Awards. In September 2009, he published the children's book ''Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children'', through

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

. Iggulden has since written three separate stories to accompany it.

Other works

In March 2006, Iggulden released a novelette entitled ''Blackwater'', part of the ''Quick Reads'' initiative of

World Book Day World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright ...

2006. Being a thriller, ''Blackwater'' was a change in genre for the author, who had mainly written historical fiction up to that point. In 2012, Iggulden added a further Quick Reads book to the list, ''Quantum of Tweed – The Man with a Nissan Micra'' – a comedy about an unwitting hitman.

Fantasy novels

In 2017, Iggulden released the first book in the fantasy series ''Darien: Empire of Salt'', under the pen name C.F. Iggulden. The second book, ''Shiang'', was released in 2018 and was followed by ''The Sword Saint'', in 2019.

Emperor series film adaptation

In 2010, media coverage emerged of a proposed film, ''Emperor: Young Caesar'', about the early life of Julius Caesar, covering the years from 92 BC to 71 BC, and based on the first two novels of Iggulden's ''Emperor'' series, ''The Gates of Rome'' and ''The Death of Kings''. Exclusive Media Group hired

Burr Steers Burr Gore Steers (born October 8, 1965) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. His films include '' Igby Goes Down'' (2002) and '' 17 Again'' (2009). He is a nephew of writer Gore Vidal. Early life and education Steers was born in ...

to direct, after they had an adaptation penned by William Broyles and

Stephen Harrigan Stephen Harrigan (born 1948) is an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is best known as the author of the bestselling ''The Gates of the Alamo'', for other novels such as ''Remember Ben Clayton'' and ''A Friend of Mr. Lincoln,'' ...

Bibliography

''Emperor'' series

* ''The Gates of Rome'' (2003) * ''The Death of Kings'' (2004) * ''The Field of Swords'' (2005) * ''The Gods of War'' (2006) * ''The Blood of Gods'' (2013)

''Conqueror'' series

* ''

'' (2007, ) (titled ''Genghis: Birth of an Empire'' 2010, ) * ''

'' (2008, ) (titled ''Genghis: Lords of the Bow'' 2010, ) * ''

'' (2008, ) (titled ''Genghis: Bones of the Hills'' 2010, ) * '' Empire of Silver'' (2010, ) (titled ''Genghis: Empire of Silver'' 2010, ) * '' Conqueror'' (2011, )

''Wars of the Roses'' series

* ''Stormbird'' (2013) * ''Trinity'' (2014) (titled ''Margaret of Anjou'' in North America) * ''Bloodline'' (2015) * ''Ravenspur'' (2016)

''Athenian'' series

* ''The Gates of Athens'' (2019) * ''Protector'' (2021)

''The Golden Age'' series

* ''Lion'' (2022) * ''Empire'' (2023)

''Empire of Salt'' series

* ''Darien'' (2017) (''Empire of Salt'' book #1) s C.F. Iggulden* ''Shiang'' (2018) (''Empire of Salt'' book #2) s C.F. Iggulden* ''The Sword Saint'' (2019) (''Empire of Salt'' book #3) s C.F. Iggulden

''Dangerous books''

* ''

'' (2007) (with Hal Iggulden) * ''The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do'' (2007) (with Hal Iggulden) * ''The Dangerous Book for Boys Yearbook'' (2007) (with Hal Iggulden) * ''The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Know'' (2008) (with Hal Iggulden) * ''The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Wonders of the World'' (2008) (with Hal Iggulden) * ''The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Facts, Figures and Fun'' (2008) (with Hal Iggulden) * ''The Dangerous Book of Heroes'' (2009) (with David Iggulden)

''Nero'' series

* ''Nero'' (2024) * ''Tyrant'' (2025) * ''Inferno'' (2026)

Other

* ''Blackwater'' (2006) * '' Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children'' (2009) * ''How to Blow Up Tollins'' (with Lizzy Duncan) (2010) * ''Quantum of Tweed – The Man with the Nissan Micra'' (2012) * ''Dunstan'' (2017), a.k.a. ''The Abbot's Tale'' (USA, 2018) * '' The Falcon of Sparta'' (2018)

References

External links

Conn Iggulden
at

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

Conn Iggulden
at

Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iggulden, Conn 1971 births Alumni of the University of London Living people English historical novelists 21st-century English novelists People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages English male novelists British psychological fiction writers 21st-century English male writers