''Sharpe's Trafalgar'' is the fourth

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 2000. It is the first of the novels in the wars against Napoleon, putting the army ensign at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Plot summary

In 1805, Richard Sharpe is to sail to England from India aboard the

East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

''Calliope'' to join the 95th Rifles. He is swindled after purchasing supplies for the voyage. After finding out, he gets not only his money back, but also helps fellow victim Royal Navy Captain Joel Chase do the same, saving Chase from great financial embarrassment. Chase wants to show his gratitude, but is under orders to destroy a French 74 named the ''Revenant'' that is raiding the Indian Ocean. The ''Calliope''s passengers include the lovely, young Lady Grace Hale and her much older husband, Lord William Hale. Sharpe is also astonished to find aboard Anthony Pohlmann, a renegade and former Maratha warlord (defeated by Arthur Wellesley in ''

Sharpe's Triumph ''Sharpe's Triumph'' is the second historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1998. Sharpe is a sergeant in the army who attracts the attention of General Arthur Wellesley at Ahmednagar. Plot summar ...

''), traveling under a false identity – Baron von Dornberg – but sees no reason to denounce his former foe. Peculiar Cromwell, captain of the ''Calliope'', spots the jewels (looted from an Indian ruler) Sharpe has sewn into his clothing and insists that Sharpe leave them with him for safekeeping, to avoid tempting his crew. Sharpe becomes obsessed with Lady Grace, but his attempts to become better acquainted are unsuccessful, at first. However, she later questions him in private about "Dornberg"; while Cromwell and Dornberg denied knowing each other, she has observed them conversing frequently. Sharpe protects Dornberg as best he can. When Lady Grace gets up to leave, a sudden movement of the ship causes her to stumble, and Sharpe ends up with his arm around her waist. They eventually become secret lovers. Cromwell leaves the safety of a slow

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

with his fast ship. Lady Grace becomes worried that they are sailing near French-held

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

. She ends up spending the first of several nights with Sharpe. Malachi Braithwaite, Lord Hale's secretary, finds out and is angered, as he is attracted to Lady Grace too. Sharpe threatens to kill him if he tells anyone. The ''Revenant'' appears. Before the ''Calliope'' is captured, Sharpe hurries to retrieve his jewels from Cromwell's safe, but they are not there. Sharpe suspects both Cromwell and Pohlmann aided the French; both men board the ''Revenant''. A

prize crew A prize crew is the selected members of a ship chosen to take over the operations of a captured ship. Prize crews were required to take their prize to appropriate prize courts, which would determine whether the ship's officers and crew had suffici ...

starts sailing the ''Calliope'' to Mauritius. Later, the lieutenant in charge tries to rape Lady Grace; Sharpe goes to her rescue and kills the Frenchman in a swordfight. The French understand and do not punish Sharpe. One day, another ship is spotted. Sharpe manages to cut the tiller ropes controlling the rudder, slowing the ''Calliope''. This enables Captain Chase's ''Pucelle'' to capture the ''Calliope''. Chase invites Sharpe to transfer to his ship; Sharpe is reluctant to accept, until he discovers that Lord Hale has insisted on switching to the faster ''Pucelle'', along with his wife. Chase confides to Sharpe that a French agent, probably Dornberg's "servant", negotiated a secret treaty with the ablest of the Indian

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed a ...

leaders. If it is delivered to Paris, the French might send arms to the Marathas to start a new war against the British. Chase does everything in his power to overtake the ''Revenant''. Sharpe trains with the Marines for shipboard fighting and is introduced to a seven-barreled

Nock gun The Nock gun was a seven-barrelled flintlock smoothbore firearm used by the Royal Navy during the early stages of the Napoleonic Wars. It is a type of volley gun adapted for ship-to-ship fighting, but was limited in its use because of the powerful ...

(a weapon which future friend Patrick Harper will favour). A ship is spotted. The ''Pucelle'' gives chase, but loses it. Meanwhile, Lady Grace tells Sharpe that Braithwaite is trying to blackmail her. He ambushes the man. Braithwaite produces a pistol and tries to negotiate, claiming he left a letter describing Sharpe's affair, but Sharpe kills him. When the corpse is found, people assume Braithwaite had a fatal fall. The ''Revenant'' is spotted, and a long chase commences. One night, Lady Grace hesitantly informs Sharpe that she is pregnant with his child, unsure of his reaction. He is delighted. Just when it seems that the ''Revenant'' will get away, the combined French and Spanish fleets sortie, with Admiral Horatio Nelson's fleet in pursuit. The ''Revenant'' joins the enemy fleet, while the ''Pucelle'' comes under Nelson's command. When Nelson summons Chase to a meeting, Chase brings Sharpe along and introduces him to his friend the admiral. When the British attack the enemy fleet, commencing the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1 ...

, Chase points out the ''Revenant'' to Sharpe. Chase sends the Hales to safety, over Lord Hale's protest, while Sharpe joins the Marines. The ''Pucelle'' and the ''Revenant'' pound each other. The ''Revenant'' is captured. Pohlmann is killed by a cannonball. Sharpe finds the French agent and tosses him into the sea; the man cannot swim. Cromwell survives; Sharpe retrieves his jewels before reluctantly handing him over to Chase. When Sharpe goes to find Lady Grace, he discovers that she has killed her husband. While the battle was raging, Lord Hale had confronted his wife over Braithwaite's letter. He eventually told her that he would kill her and make it appear a suicide. He also promised to sabotage Sharpe's life secretly. Sharpe sees to it his body is taken up on deck so it will seem that he was killed in the fighting. Upset at first, Lady Grace realises she is now free to do as she pleases.

Characters in ''Sharpe's Trafalgar''

* Richard Sharpe * Lady Grace Hale, wife of Lord Hale * Lord William Hale, British diplomat *

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

, admiral of the British fleet * The "Baron von Dornberg", actually Anthony Pohlmann * Malachi Braithwaite, Lord Hale's secretary * Joel Chase, captain of the ''Pucelle'' * Peculiar Cromwell, captain of the ''Calliope'' * Louis Montmorin, captain of the ''Revenant'' * Clouter, gun captain of one of the' 32-pounder

carronades A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main funct ...

Real people who were at both battles

*In his historical note, Cornwell comments that, aside from Sharpe, a fictional character, he is aware of only one person who was present at both Trafalgar and Waterloo: Miguel de Álava, originally a marine in the Spanish Navy at the time when Spain was allied with France, later a general and close personal friend of

the Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

, and Spanish

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...

to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. *In his later nonfiction work, '' Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles'', Cornwell amends this statement by adding that at least one unit of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

Army of the North The Army of the North ( es, link=no, Ejército del Norte), contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was fre ...

that fought at Waterloo was formed from former French marines who had served at Trafalgar. *General

Antoine Drouot General Antoine Drouot, Comte Drouot (11 January 1774 – 24 March 1847) was a French officer who fought in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Drouot is one of a select group who were present at both the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) and t ...

is also supposed to have been at both battles.

Release details

*2000, UK, HarperCollins , published 3 April 2000, hardcover (first edition) *2000, UK, HarperCollins , published 6 November 2000, paperback *2000, UK, HarperCollins , published 3 April 2000, audio book (cassette) *2000, UK, Chivers Audio Books , published December 2000?, audio book (CD)

External links

Section from Bernard Cornwell's website on ''Sharpe's Trafalgar''
{{Bernard Cornwell 2000 British novels Trafalgar Fiction set in 1805 HarperCollins books Battle of Trafalgar