''Sharpe'' is a series of

historical fiction 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 ...

stories by

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...

centred on the character of British soldier Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series featuring

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of '' Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ...

in the title role. Cornwell's series is composed of many novels and several short stories, and charts Sharpe's progress in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, though the novels were published in non-chronological order. He begins in '' Sharpe's Tiger'' as a private in the

33rd Regiment of Foot The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he ...

who is continually promoted, finally rising to lieutenant colonel in ''

Sharpe's Waterloo ''Sharpe's Waterloo'' is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. Originally published in 1990 under the title ''Waterloo'', it is the eleventh novel of the Sharpe series and the twentieth novel in chronological o ...

''. His military career ends with the final defeat of Napoleon, but he has more adventures as a civilian. Sharpe is born to a whore in the

rookeries A rookery is a colony of breeding animals, generally gregarious birds. Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-forming seabirds, marine mammals ( true seals and sea lions), and ...

of London. Orphaned at an early age, he grows up in poverty. He is eventually taken in by prostitute (and later bar owner) Maggie Joyce and becomes a thief. He has to flee the city after killing a man to protect Maggie. Enlisting in the army, he is promoted to sergeant as a reward for completing a highly dangerous spying mission in India. He is made an officer, an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diff ...

, when he saves the life of his commanding officer, Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington), during the

Battle of Assaye The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company. It occurred on 23 September 1803 near Assaye in western India. An outnumbered Indian and British fo ...

. It is a mixed blessing, as he constantly has to fight class prejudice in an army where an officer's rank is often purchased without regard to qualification. Cornwell sees to it that he is improbably present at many important battles of the British Empire at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, including the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh C ...

. Sharpe is described as "brilliant but wayward" in ''

Sharpe's Sword ''Sharpe's Sword'' is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. It is the fourth in the series, being first published in 1983, though the fourteenth chronologically. Set in the summer of 1812 including the Battle ...

'', and he is portrayed by the author as a "loose cannon". He becomes a highly skilled and experienced leader of light troops. In contrast to the honourable

Horatio Hornblower Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, the protagonist of a series of novels and stories by C. S. Forester. He later became the subject of films, radio and television programmes, a ...

, the inspiration for the series, Sharpe is a rogue, an unabashed thief and murderer who has no qualms about killing a bitter enemy when the opportunity arises. However, he is protective of women in general and has a number of lovers over the course of his life. He is six feet tall, with an angular, tanned face, long black hair, and blue eyes. He has a deep scar on his right cheek which pulls at his right eye, giving his face a mocking expression when relaxed; this disappears when he smiles, which is not too frequently. By the end of the series, he has had two wives and three children.

Inspiration

Cornwell had enjoyed

C. S. Forester Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (27 August 1899 – 2 April 1966), known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Royal ...

novels, which depict a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

officer's career from midshipman to Admiral of the Fleet and retirement. When he could not find a similar series for the

, he decided to write it himself. As a further inducement, he fell in love with an American woman who, for various reasons, could not leave the United States, so he relocated. He could not get a

green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

or work permit, so he wrote the first Sharpe novel to make a living. Struggling to come up with a name as distinctive as Horatio Hornblower, he used a placeholder based on the rugby union player Richard Sharp; eventually, he kept it, just adding an "e". The author had intended to write 11 novels, the same number as in the Hornblower series, ending with ''

'', but later changed his mind and continued writing.

Sean Bean

played Sharpe in the British television series '' Sharpe''. Cornwell was so impressed with Bean's portrayal that he expanded Sharpe's backstory to have him growing up in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

to account for Bean's accent. The author also avoided further mention of Sharpe's black hair (Bean's hair being blond).

Early years

Richard Sharpe is born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

circa 1777 (he believes that he may be 22 during the early months of 1799) to a prostitute residing in "Cat Lane" and possibly a French smuggler. When Sharpe is three, his mother is killed in the

Gordon Riots The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. They began with a large and orderly protest against the Papists Act 1778, which was intended to reduce official discrimination against Britis ...

. With no other known relatives to claim him, Sharpe is deposited in Jem Hocking's foundling home at Brewhouse Lane,

Wapping Wapping () is a district in East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wapping's position, on the north bank of the River Thames, has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and step ...

, where he spends his days picking his assigned quota of

oakum Oakum is a preparation of tarred fibre used to seal gaps. Its main traditional applications were in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships; in plumbing, for s ...

. He is malnourished and regularly beaten, resulting in his being undersized for his age. Because of this, he is eventually sold to a master

chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...

to train as an apprentice at the relatively late age of 12. Fearing the high mortality rate among apprentice sweeps (who are forced to climb inside chimneys and remove soot by hand), Sharpe flees to the

Rookery A rookery is a colony of breeding animals, generally gregarious birds. Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-forming seabirds, marine mammals ( true seals and sea lions), an ...

, a slum in

St Giles Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...

, and is taken in by prostitute (and later bar owner) Maggie Joyce. He stays under Maggie's protection for three years, learning various forms of thieving. Maggie is his first lover. After killing a gang leader during a fight over Maggie, he flees from

at the age of fifteen. He works in a tavern in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. Within six months, Sharpe kills a second man, the landlord of the tavern where he is working, in a fight over a local girl. To avoid arrest, Sharpe takes the "

King's shilling The King's shilling, sometimes called the Queen's shilling when the Sovereign is female, is a historical slang term referring to the earnest payment of one shilling given to recruits to the Armed forces of the United Kingdom in the 18th, 19th and ...

", joining the 33rd Foot, as a result of the blandishments of

recruiting sergeant A recruiting sergeant is a British or American soldier of the rank of sergeant who is tasked to enlist recruits. The term originated in the British army of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The playwright George Farquhar served as an in ...

Obadiah Hakeswill. The regiment is first sent to

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

in 1794, where Sharpe fights in his first battle, at

Boxtel Boxtel () is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. The name derives from Buchestelle and is presumably a combination of 'stelle' (Dutch for stable, safe place) and (deer) buck.2019. Etymologiebank.Nl. Accessed April 27 2019 This ...

. The next year, he and his regiment are posted to

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, under the command of the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

India

In 1799, Sergeant Hakeswill goads Sharpe into striking him. Sharpe is sentenced to 2,000 lashes (effectively a death sentence), but is released after only 200 by executive order ('' Sharpe's Tiger''). He is assigned to accompany Lieutenant

William Lawford Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...

on a secret mission to rescue Lawford's uncle, Colonel Hector McCandless, the head of

intelligence. They join Tipu Sultan’s army, posing as British deserters, but are later exposed and imprisoned. Lawford teaches Sharpe to read and write whilst they languish in Tipu’s dungeon. Sharpe escapes during the Siege of Seringapatam and prematurely detonates a mine meant to devastate the British army. The British enter the city through the breach Sharpe has provided. He then kills the fleeing Tipu unobserved during the fighting and loots a fortune in jewels from the corpse. He is promoted to sergeant for his efforts. Sharpe serves four uneventful years as a sergeant. In 1803, he is the sole survivor of a massacre of the garrison of a small fort carried out by a

turncoat A turncoat is a person who shifts allegiance from one loyalty or ideal to another, betraying or deserting an original cause by switching to the opposing side or party. In political and social history, this is distinct from being a traitor, as the ...

Company officer, William Dodd ('' Sharpe's Triumph''). Because he can identify Dodd, Sharpe is taken along by McCandless on a mission to capture and punish Dodd, to discourage others from deserting. Their search takes them first to battles at Ahmednuggur and then

Assaye Assaye is a small village in the Jalna district of the state of Maharashtra in western India. The village was the location of the Battle of Assaye in 1803, fought between the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company The East Ind ...

. At Assaye, the greatly outnumbered British force is commanded by Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington). When Wellesley's orderly is killed, by chance Sharpe is the only one available to take his place, and so is at hand when Wellesley is unhorsed alone and among the enemy. Sharpe single-handedly saves the general's life, killing about half a dozen enemy soldiers and holding the rest at bay until help arrives. Wellesley rewards him with a

battlefield commission A battlefield promotion (or field promotion) is an advancement in military rank that occurs while deployed in combat. A standard field promotion is advancement from current rank to the next higher rank; a "jump-step" promotion allows the recipient ...

as an

for his act of bravery, though Wellesley doubts it will turn out well. Sharpe joins the 74th Regiment. Sharpe receives a cold welcome from many of his fellow officers, who dislike him due to his low birth, as well as the common soldiers, and he has great difficulty adjusting to his new status and role. In the end, the commander of the 74th pressures him to transfer to the newly formed 95th Rifles Regiment. Before leaving India, he takes part in the assault on

Gawilghur Gawilghur (also, Gavalgadh, Gawilgarh or Gawilgad, Pronunciation: �aːʋilɡəɖ was a well-fortified mountain stronghold of the Maratha Empire north of the Deccan Plateau, in the vicinity of Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati District, Mahar ...

, leading troops in action for the first time. Sharpe finds a way into the nearly impregnable fortress, ignoring the orders of his cowardly commanding officer. Once inside, he confronts and kills Dodd, at the cost of a scar on his right cheek ('' Sharpe's Fortress'').

Campaigns in Europe

While sailing from India to England to take up his post in the 95th Rifles, in 1805, Sharpe is caught up in the

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

, his first direct encounter with

Napoleonic France The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

as an infantry officer. On the journey, he meets and falls in love with Lady Grace Hale, the wife of an ambitious and powerful politician, the much older Lord William Hale (''

Sharpe's Trafalgar ''Sharpe's Trafalgar'' is the fourth historical novel 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 1 ...

''). During the sea battle, Lord Hale confronts his wife, having discovered her infidelity. She is forced to kill him in self-defence. Sharpe has the body taken on deck so that it will appear as if Lord Hale died in the fighting. Grace sets up home with Sharpe at Shorncliffe, but dies giving birth to their child, who survives her by only a few hours. Sharpe's fortune is seized by the lawyers, who believe it to be part of Grace's estate. He falls into a deep depression, worsened by his bad relationship with his commanding officer, who relegates him to the role of

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

. He is left behind when the regiment is posted to the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

in 1807. Sharpe, unable to sell his commission (due to it not having been purchased), considers deserting. He returns to

and robs and kills Jem Hocking, the abusive master of the foundling home where Sharpe was raised. He fortuitously encounters General Baird, a former colleague from India. Baird recruits him to protect John Lavisser, a Foreign Office agent being sent to secretly negotiate with the Danish

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

to keep the Danish fleet out of French hands. Lavisser betrays Sharpe, who goes into hiding in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. He witnesses the British bombardment of the city and the capture of the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

fleet ('' Sharpe's Prey''). Sharpe considers settling down there, having fallen in love with Astrid, the daughter of Ole Skovgaard, the chief spy for the British in Denmark. However, Skovgaard turns against the British because of their attack, and Astrid obeys his order to break up with Sharpe. 2 95th riflemen in various fighting stances

2 95th riflemen in various fighting stances

By early 1809, Sharpe is in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

with the 95th Rifles, his men serving as the rearguard of the retreat to Corunna. When Captain Murray is mortally wounded, he leaves his heavy cavalry sword to Sharpe, giving him his signature weapon, used in all the subsequent books. Cut off from the main body of the army, he is forced to take command of a handful of surviving but mutinous riflemen (including future best friend Patrick Harper), while protecting a small party of English missionaries. He encounters Spanish Major Blas Vivar and his partisans and unwillingly helps them temporarily seize control of the city of

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

so that Vivar can raise a sacred

gonfalon The gonfalon, gonfanon, gonfalone (from the early Italian ''confalone'') is a type of heraldic flag or banner, often pointed, swallow-tailed, or with several streamers, and suspended from a crossbar in an identical manner to the ancient Roman v ...

to bolster the Spanish people's flagging morale (''

Sharpe's Rifles ''Sharpe's Rifles'' is chronologically the sixth, but the ninth published, historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1988. Lieutenant Richard Sharpe is caught up in the French invasion of Galicia, S ...

''). Sharpe's surviving riflemen who begin the retreat to Corunna are: * Rfn Daniel Hagman (''

'' - ''

'') * Rfn

Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influe ...

(''

Sharpe's Revenge ''Sharpe's Revenge'' is the nineteenth historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series written by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1989. The peace of 1814 formally ends the Peninsular War, but it does not end all hostilities among individu ...

'') * Rfn

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle o ...

('' Sharpe's Prey'' - ''

Sharpe's Christmas "Sharpe's Christmas" is a short story by historical fiction author Bernard Cornwell. It features Cornwell's fictional hero Richard Sharpe. It was originally written for the British newspaper ''The Daily Mail'', which serialised it during the ...

'') (alive) * Rfn

Ben Perkins Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson Benson may refer to: Animals *Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain Places Geography Canada *Rural Municipality of Benson No ...

(''

'' - ''

'') (alive) * Rfn Francis Cooper ('' Sharpe's Prey'' - ''

'') (alive) * Rfn Parry Jenkins (''

'' - ''

'') (alive) * Rfn

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

('' Sharpe's Battle'' - ''

Sharpe's Company Sharpe's Company is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1982. It was the third in the series to be published, but is thirteenth in chronological order. The story is set January to August 181 ...

'') (alive) * Rfn McDonald ('' Sharpe's Battle'' - ''

'') (alive) * Rfn

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people w ...

('' Sharpe's Battle'' - ''

'') (alive) * Rfn Christopher Cresacre ('' Sharpe's Havoc'' - ''

'') * Rfn Jebediah Horrell (''

Sharpe's Eagle ''Sharpe's Eagle'' is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1981. The story is set in July 1809, in the midst of the Talavera Campaign during the Peninsular War. It was the first Sharpe nov ...

'' - '' Sharpe's Battle'') (alive) * Rfn Nicholas Hine ('' Sharpe's Havoc'') - ('' Sharpe's Battle'') (alive) * Rfn Thompson ('' Sharpe's Battle'') * Rfn

Finn The word Finn (''pl.'' Finns) usually refers to a member of the majority Balto-Finnic ethnic group of Finland, or to a person from Finland. Finn may also refer to: Places * Finn Lake, Minnesota, United States * Finn Township, Logan County, Nor ...

('' Sharpe's Battle'') (alive) * Rfn Cameron (''

'' - '' Sharpe's Battle'') (alive) * Rfn

Sims Sims, sims or SIMS may refer to: Games * ''The Sims'', a life simulation video game series ** ''The Sims'' (video game), the first installment, released in 2000 ** ''The Sims 2'', the second installment, released in 2004 ** '' The Sims 3'', th ...

(''

'' - '' Sharpe's Battle'') (alive) * Rfn Tobias Moore ('' Sharpe's Honour'' - '' Sharpe's Battle'') (alive) * Rfn Bradshaw ('' Sharpe's Gold'' - '' Sharpe's Battle'') (alive) * Rfn Millerson ('' Sharpe's Battle'') (alive) * Rfn

Fergus Slattery John Fergus Slattery (born 12 February 1949 in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland) is a former rugby union player who represented Ireland. He played schools rugby for Blackrock College and then moved on to play senior rugby for UCD, before earning a call ...

('' Sharpe's Havoc'' - '' Sharpe's Fury'') * Rfn McNeill ('' Sharpe's Havoc'' - '' Sharpe's Escape'') (alive) * Rfn Carter ('' Sharpe's Havoc'') - ('' Sharpe's Escape'') (alive) * Rfn

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

(''

'' - '' Sharpe's Escape'') (alive) * Rfn Skillicorn ('' Sharpe's Gold'') * Rfn Isaiah Tongue (''

'' - '' Sharpe's Gold'') * Rfn Pendleton ('' Sharpe's Havoc'' - ''

'') * Rfn Gataker (''

'' - ''

'') * Rfn John Williamson (''

'' - '' Sharpe's Havoc'') (traitor) * Rfn Ned Tarrant (''

'' - '' Sharpe's Havoc'') (missing in action) * Rfn Sean Donnelly (''

'' - '' Sharpe's Havoc'') * Cpl Matthew Dodd (''

'' - '' Sharpe's Escape'') (missing in action) * Sgt Latimer ('' Sharpe's Battle'' - ''

'') (alive) * Sgt Williams (''

'') * RSM Patrick Harper ('' Sharpe's Prey'' - '' Sharpe's Devil'') (alive) After making their way to Portugal, and taking part in the Battle of the Douro, Sharpe and his surviving 30 riflemen are attached to the Light Company of the South Essex Regiment (a fictional regiment) as part of Wellesley's Peninsula Army. Some of the men Sharpe commanded in the South Essex are: * Pte Peters (alive) * Pte

Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...

(alive) * Pte

Gutteridge Gutteridge is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernard Gutteridge (1916–1985), English poet * Christopher Gutteridge, British software developer * Don Gutteridge (1912–2008), American baseball player * Don Gutteridge (bor ...

(alive) * Pte Roach (alive) * Pte

Batten A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields. In the lighting industry, battens refer to linea ...

(alive) * Pte Clayton (killed at Waterloo) * Pte Dobbs (alive) * Pte Mellors (alive) * Pte Farrell (alive) * Pte Paddock (alive) * Pte

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...

(alive) * Cpl Jackson (alive) * Sgt Read * Sgt

McGivern McGivern Is an anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Uidhrín, a patronymic from a personal name which is from a diminutive of odhar ‘dun’. This surname is also found in Galloway in Scotland, where it is of Irish origin. They belonged to Cenél Fearadh ...

(alive) * Sgt Huckfield (lost a finger at Waterloo) * Sgt Charlie Weller (alive) * Sgt Obadiah Hakeswill (executed for his many war crimes) * RSM Maclaird * Ens Denny * Ens Mattews (murdered by Hakeswill) * Ens Collip (alive) * Ens Jack Bullen * Ens Iliffe * Ens McDonald * Lt Michael Trumper-Jones (alive) * Cpt Robert Knowles (murdered by Obadiah Hakeswill) * Cpt Carline (killed at Waterloo) * Cpt

(killed at Waterloo) * Maj

Harry Price Harry Price (17 January 1881 – 29 March 1948) was a British psychic researcher and author, who gained public prominence for his investigations into psychical phenomena and exposing fraudulent spiritualist mediums. He is best known for ...

(alive) * Maj Peter D'Alembord. (loses a leg at Waterloo) Sharpe takes part in a number of notable actions, either with the South Essex, or on detached duty for Wellesley's

spymaster A spymaster is the person that leads a spy ring, or a secret service (such as an intelligence agency). Historical spymasters See also * List of American spies *List of British spies *List of German spies The following is a list of people e ...

, Captain Michael Hogan of the Royal Engineers. These include capturing a

French Imperial Eagle The French Imperial Eagle (''Aigle de drapeau'', lit. "flag eagle") refers to the figure of an eagle on a staff carried into battle as a standard by the ''Grande Armée'' of Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. Although they were presented with ...

at the

Battle of Talavera The Battle of Talavera (27–28 July 1809) was fought just outside the town of Talavera de la Reina, Spain some southwest of Madrid, during the Peninsular War. At Talavera, a British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley combined with a Spani ...

in 1809 (fulfilling a promise to the dying Captain Lennox), and the storming of the breach at

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The populatio ...

. He also takes an active role in the first siege of Almeida, the battles of Bussaco, Barossa,

Ciudad Rodrigo Ciudad Rodrigo () is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population in 2016 of 12,896. It is also the seat of a judicial district. The site of Ciudad Rodrigo, perched atop a rocky rise on the right bank ...

, Fuentes de Onoro,

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Her ...

, Vitoria and

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

. Over this period, he rises in rank from

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

to major, eventually taking unofficial command of the entire regiment. In parallel, Sharpe's Irish friend Harper rises from rifleman to

regimental sergeant major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by warrant officers class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, including Austral ...

. His intelligence work for Wellesley brings him the long-lasting enmity of the fictional French spymaster Pierre Ducos, who conspires several times to destroy Sharpe's career, reputation or life. Prior to the

, Sharpe is appointed aide to the

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Disgusted by the Prince's dangerous incompetence during the course of the battle, Sharpe deserts his post (making an attempt on the prince's life afterwards), but comes to the aid of his old regiment, steadying the line and preventing a French breakthrough. Wellesley then gives him command of the unit for the remainder of the battle (''

''). Following Napoleon's defeat, Sharpe ends up in Paris with the occupying allied armies. There he uncovers and defeats a secret Bonapartist group ('' Sharpe's Assassin''). Afterwards, he retires from the army.

Retirement

In 1820 Sharpe, living as a farmer in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, is commissioned by the Countess of Mouromorto to find her husband, Don Blas Vivar, who has disappeared in the Spanish colony of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

; both she and her husband had become acquainted with Sharpe in 1809, during the events leading up to the assault on Santiago de Compostella. Sharpe and Patrick Harper travel to South America. En route, they meet Napoleon, in exile on

St Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

, who makes Sharpe an unwitting accomplice to his escape plot. Sharpe becomes entangled in Lord Cochrane's risky schemes on behalf of the rebels in the Chilean War of Independence. In the end, he finds Blas Vivar alive, and Napoleon dies before he can escape.

Equipment

During the earliest (chronological) books Sharpe is a private and later sergeant, and so his uniform and weapons largely are in line with Army regulations. His first sword and officer's sash are taken from the dead in the wake of the Battle of Assaye, although no specifics are given on the weapon. By the time of '' Sharpe's Prey'' as a junior rifle officer, although carrying a regulation

Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre The Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre is a sword that was used primarily by British light dragoons and hussars, and King's German Legion light cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars. It was adopted by the Prussians (as the 1811 pattern or "Blücher sa ...

, Sharpe has begun carrying a

Baker rifle The Baker rifle (officially known as the Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle) was a flintlock rifle used by the rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British ...

as well, and is noted to prefer a heavier sword like the cutlass used by the Navy, as the point of the curved sabre was never where he expected it to be and also lacked the weight to block attacks from a musket and bayonet in close-quarter battles. In ''

'', Sharpe acquires his other signature weapon. Captain Murray, mortally wounded in the Corunna retreat, leaves his Pattern 1796 heavy cavalry sword to him, a replacement for the sword that broke in the battle. From a French chasseur Harper kills, Sharpe takes his overalls and boots. Sharpe continues to wear his green jacket even whilst serving in a regular infantry battalion out of pride, as do Harper and all of the other elite riflemen. As Sharpe, like the majority of his men, also acquires a French ox-hide pack in place of the inferior British one he is originally issued, more of his equipment is French than British. Sharpe also possesses a fine telescope made by Matthew Berge, a gift from Wellington for saving his life in the Battle of Assaye. It is inscribed "In Gratitude, AW. September 23rd 1803." It is destroyed by Pierre Ducos in '' Sharpe's Honour'', but he is given another that belonged to Joseph Bonaparte, which he carries until ''

'' when it is confiscated after Sharpe's arrest. This is in turn replaced by a sea captain's telescope. In '' Sharpe's Assassin'', immediately after the

, Sharpe buries his rifle with rifleman Daniel Hagman and takes Hagman's-a better weapon-as his own. He is later bestowed the

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

(2nd class), which was given to Wellington by Emperor

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of Gra ...

. It was first offered to a cavalry colonel who turned it down, so Wellington gives it to Sharpe.

Relationships and family

Sharpe, the son of a prostitute, has almost no memory of his mother, and no knowledge of his father. The author, Bernard Cornwell, in answer to a query on his website, wrote a riddle which he claims contains the father's identity: "Take you out, put me in and a horse appears in this happy person!". Bernard later announced on his website that Sharpe's father was a French smuggler, and that is all he "knows". Sharpe is both a romantic and a womanizer. In ''Sharpe's Rifles'', Harper notes that "He'll fall in love with anything in a petticoat. I've seen his type before. Got the sense of a half-witted sheep when it comes to women." In India Sharpe asks for permission to marry Mary Bickerstaff, who later leaves him (''Sharpe's Tiger''), and has a brief affair with Simone Joubert, who bolts with gems he left with her for safekeeping (''Sharpe's Triumph'', ''Sharpe's Fortress''). His relationship with Lady Grace Hale in 1805 has a more lasting impact; the death of his first child, who succumbs only a few hours after Grace dies in childbirth, leaves Sharpe deeply distressed. In Copenhagen, Sharpe falls in love with Astrid Skovgaard, the daughter of an important Danish spy for the British. However, after the British naval attack on Copenhagen, her father refuses to let her marry him. After Sharpe leaves, she and her father are murdered by British spymaster Lord Pumphrey (''Sharpe's Trafalgar'', ''Sharpe's Prey''), as their loyalty has become suspect. During the early years of the Peninsula Campaign, Sharpe's affections are torn between a Portuguese courtesan,

Josefina LaCosta Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...

, and the Spanish partisan leader

Teresa Moreno Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...

(''Sharpe's Eagle'', ''Sharpe's Gold''). Teresa bears Sharpe a daughter, Antonia (''Sharpe's Company''), in 1811, and marries Sharpe in 1812, but is murdered a year later by Sharpe's longtime enemy, deserter Obadiah Hakeswill (''Sharpe's Enemy''). Sharpe leaves his daughter to be raised by Teresa's family, and, as far as is known, never sees her again. Over the same period, Sharpe also has affairs with an English

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

, Sarah Fry (''Sharpe's Escape''); Caterina Veronica Blazquez, a prostitute who has beguiled Henry Wellesley, Sir Arthur's brother (''Sharpe's Fury''); and the French spy Hélène Leroux (''Sharpe's Sword'', ''Sharpe's Honour''). For some years, Sharpe carries a small portrait of Jane Gibbons, taken after murdering her brother (''Sharpe's Eagle''). In 1813, he returns to England to fetch replacements, and meets, elopes with, and marries Jane (''Sharpe's Regiment''). Sharpe remains faithful to his second wife, until, when Sharpe is falsely accused of theft and murder, she embarks on an

adulterous Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

affair with Sharpe's former friend

Lord John Rossendale Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleon ...

and steals the fortune Sharpe had accumulated and entrusted to her. It is while searching for evidence to clear his name that Sharpe meets and falls in love with

Lucille Castineau (nee Lassan) Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. Cornwell's series (composed of several novels and short stories) charts Sharpe's progress in the British Army during the Napoleonic ...

, the widow of a French officer killed in Russia (''Sharpe's Revenge'', ''Sharpe's Waterloo''). Although unable to marry while Jane lives, Sharpe settles with Lucille on her family estate in Normandy and raises two children, Patrick-Henri, who becomes a French cavalry officer (and a character in Bernand Cornwell's '' The Starbuck Chronicles''), and Dominique, who ultimately marries an English aristocrat. By 1861, Patrick-Henri, then a colonel in the Imperial Guard Cavalry observing the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and Confederate armies during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, mentions that his mother is "very lonely", so it may be assumed that Sharpe has died sometime before that date. (The ''Sharpe Companion'' gives Sharpe's year of death as 1860, though this is never stated in any of the books.) This is contradicted in the television adaptation ''

Sharpe's Challenge ''Sharpe's Challenge'' is a British TV film from 2006, usually shown in two parts, which is part of an ITV series based on Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction novels about the British soldier Richard Sharpe during the Napoleonic Wars. Contra ...

'', set in 1817, in which Sharpe states that Lucille has already died.

Promotions

Historical achievements

Sharpe is often portrayed as the driving force in a number of pivotal historical events. Cornwell admits to taking license with history, placing Sharpe in the place of another man whose identity is lost to history or sometimes "stealing another man's thunder." Such accomplishments include: * Disabling a booby trap laid for the British soldiers assaulting

Seringapatam Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated at around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule the city ...

(Cornwell points out in the novel's historical note that there never actually was such a booby trap, and the event was based on a British shell that struck a magazine in the city days earlier); * Killing

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He in ...

and looting his corpse (the identity of the man who killed the sultan is unknown; like Sharpe, the soldier probably wished to remain anonymous because of the riches he acquired); * Saving Arthur Wellesley's life at the

(Wellesley was unhorsed and forced to defend himself from

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 as a ...

artillerymen for a few crucial moments; Cornwell notes that if any soldier or officer had saved his life during this fight, he would almost certainly have rewarded him with a promotion); * Storming the walls of the inner fortress at

and opening the gates to the besieging forces (in reality, this was achieved by Captain Campbell leading the light company of the 94th Scotch Brigade; in the novel, Campbell and his troops are the first to join Sharpe once they realise what he's planning); * Preventing the Danish fleet from being set on fire during the Second battle of Copenhagen (while the order to set the fleet on fire was given, it is unknown why it was never carried out); * Finding the boats that allowed Wellesley's forces to ambush Marshal

Nicolas Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Frenc ...

's forces at the

Second Battle of Porto The Second Battle of Porto, also known as the Battle of the Douro or the Crossing of the Douro, was a battle in which General Arthur Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese Army defeated Marshal Soult's French troops on 12 May 1809 and took back the ...

(Cornwell notes that in reality a Portuguese barber approached the British forces of his own volition rather than being sent across by Sharpe); * Being the first British soldier to capture an

Imperial Eagle The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of th ...

, at the

(in reality, the first French Eagle captured by the British was by Ensign Edward Keogh and Sergeant Patrick Masterson at the Battle of Barrossa in 1811); * Successfully assaulting the central breach at

(according to Cornwell's historical note, the central breech remained largely unused during the assault); * Destroying the Army of Deserters and taking their leader "Marshal Pot-au-Feu" Deron captive (Cornwell notes that the historic Deserters' Army was finally destroyed by the French, though they did hand British deserters over, as shown in the novel); * Deliberately triggering the massive explosion that destroyed the fortress of Almeida (usually attributed to accident, combined with careless British handling of their munitions store); * Retrieving and restoring the Imperial Family's treasure (in his note, Cornwell notes that several chests of personal belongings and riches did get lost in the chaos of the French defeat of 1814, but how this happened and their final fate are unknown) * Carrying the news of Napoleon's invasion of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

to Wellington at the

Duchess of Richmond's ball The Duchess of Richmond's ball was a ball hosted by Charlotte, Duchess of Richmond in Brussels on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras. Charlotte's husband Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, was in command of a reserve f ...

, during the

Waterloo campaign The Waterloo campaign (15 June – 8 July 1815) was fought between the French Army of the North and two Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied army and a Prussian army. Initially the French army was commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte, but he ...

(historically the bearer of the message was one of the Prince of Orange's ADCs: Lieutenant Henry Webster, 9th Light Dragoons); * Firing the shot that wounded the

during the

, forcing him to retire from the field (in reality, this shot was most likely fired by a French skirmisher); * Taking command of a regiment in driving off the advance of the French Imperial Guard at the Battle of Waterloo (the regiments who actually held off the Imperial Guard are in the novel as well); * Saving the Duke of Wellington from two assassination attempts in Paris (Cornwell explains that the first attempt happened, though the shooter simply missed, while the second is fictional and based on a likely deliberate fire that broke out in a house Wellington had been in days earlier).

Novels, short stories, and non-fiction

The first book was written in 1981, with Richard Sharpe in Spain at the Talavera Campaign in 1809. The next seven books were written in order up to ''Sharpe's Siege'' in 1814. The novel ''Sharpe's Rifles'' was written next, set earlier in 1809 at the time of the retreat from Corunna, Spain. The next four books follow on from ''Sharpe's Siege'' up to ''Sharpe's Devil'', set in 1820–21. Then came ''Sharpe's Battle'' set between ''Sharpe's Gold'' and ''Sharpe's Company'' (set in 1811). Cornwell then moved to the beginning of Sharpe's army career in British India with ''Sharpe's Tiger'' set in 1799, beginning a series of three books, closing with ''Sharpe's Prey'' set in 1807. Cornwell followed this with two novels and four short stories which lie between ''Sharpe's Rifles'' (1809) and ''Sharpe's Devil'' (1820–21). Cornwell published the non-fiction book '' Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles'' in September 2014, timely for the 200th anniversary of the

. Sharpe possibly appears in

Simon Scarrow Simon Scarrow (born 3 October 1962) is a British author. Scarrow completed a master's degree at the University of East Anglia after working at the Inland Revenue, and then went into teaching as a lecturer, firstly at East Norfolk Sixth Form Co ...

's ''

The Fields of Death The Fields of Death is the fourth and final book in Simon Scarrow's ''Wellington and Napoleon Quartet'', which tells the story of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars from the point of view of Sir Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of ...

'', although his surname is not confirmed. A major in the 95th Rifles called Richard and who, "unusually for an officer... carries a rifle like his men," delivers captured French orders to the Duke of Wellington indicating the enemy's intention to fall back to Vitoria.

References

Citations

General and cited references

* * *

External links

*
The Sharpe page at Bernard Cornwell's official site

Yesterday's Sharpe section
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpe, Richard Book series introduced in 1981 Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Historical novels by series Novels about orphans Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) Sharpe characters Fictional soldiers Fictional thieves Fictional farmers