In the British Empire, nothing upsets the “status quo” more than the sight of a low-born upstart achieving rank and fame through deeds rather than inheritance. Bernard Cornwell's hero, Richard Sharpe, is one such man.

As a child of poverty, Sharpe had to steal and fight just to stay alive and when he killed a man in self-defense, he found refuge (as so many did) in the Army and was dispatched to India.

Courageous and resourceful, Sharpe is just the sort of man Sir Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington) knows that he can rely on. His exploits win him a commission, which does nothing to earn him acceptance from his fellow officers. But because he leads by example, and is far more honorable than the so-called “gentlemen” who look down upon him, Sharpe earns the respect of his men.

Needless to say, he is not without enemies. Early in his career he manages to run afoul of a sadistic sergeant named Obediah Hakeswill, who becomes a life-long antagonist.

The following titles appear in the historical order of the series, not in the order of publication:

Sharpe’s Tiger: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam, 1799
HarperPaperbacks, 1997

Seringapatam is an island citadel belonging to the Tippoo of Mysore, which the British are determined to remove from power. A raw young private soldier named Richard Sharpe and a young lieutenant infiltrate the Tippo's forces, but once inside the citadel Sharpe realizes that catastrophe waits for the British.

Sharpe’s Triumph: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803
HarperCollins, 1998

After surviving a massacre orchestrated by renegade officer, Lieutenant William Dodd, Sgt. Richard Sharpe becomes the unofficial aide to General Sir Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington) during the time of the siege of Ahmednuggur and battle at Assaye. Meanwhile, Sharpe’s enemy, Obadiah Hakeswill is plotting his revenge.

Sharpe’s Fortress: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Gawilghur, December 1803
HarperCollins, 1999

Now an officer, Sharpe finds he is not welcome in his new regiment. Assigned to the baggage train, he quickly discovers that his new superior, with the help of old enemy Obadiah Hakeswill, is selling army supplies for his own profit. His efforts to rectify the situation do not go down well, and a failed plot to have him murdered lead to a bloody trail of revenge. His adventures lead him back to his old regiment, the King's 33rd, and with these men he leads an escalade on the fortress that facilitates it's capture. With no way out, Major Dodd (who escaped Sharpe at the Battle of Assaye) is forced to fight the heroic ensign.

Sharpe’s Trafalgar: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805
HarperCollins, 2000

In 1805 Ensign Richard Sharpe is on his way home from India. However, his ship is threatened by a French warship, the Revenant, which is terrorizing British shipping. As the French warship races home, carrying a treaty that could ignite India into a new war against the British, the hunt turns into a stern chase. When the Revenant encounters the combined French and Spanish fleets off Cadiz it seems that Sharpe's enemies have found safety. Yet over the horizon is Nelson's fleet, and Sharpe's revenge will come in a savage climax when the two armadas meet off Cape Trafalgar.

Sharpe’s Prey: Richard Sharpe and the Expedition to Copenhagen, 1807
HarperCollins, 2001

Richard Sharpe, is sent from England to Denmark on a secret mission. But as England and France fight over the powerful Danish fleet, Sharpe finds himself trapped in the war-torn city of Copenhagen.

Sharpe’s Rifles: Richard Sharpe and the French Invasion of Galicia, January 1809
Viking, 1988

Sharpe, newly in command of a company of demoralized, distrustful soldiers, must lead them to safety through the enemy infested mountains of Spain after being cut off during a British retreat.

Sharpe’s Havoc: Richard Sharpe and the Campaign in Northern Portugal, Spring 1809
HarperCollins, 2003

Lt. Sharpe's finds himself fighting the savage armies of Napoleon Bonaparte as they try to bring the whole of the Iberian Peninsula under their control. Napoleon is advancing fast in northern Portugal, and no one knows whether the small contingent of British troops stationed in Lisbon will stay to fight or sail back to England. Sharpe, however, does not have a choice: He and his squad of riflemen are on the lookout for the missing daughter of an English wine shipper, when the French onslaught begins and the city of Oporto becomes a setting for carnage and disaster.

Sharpe’s Eagle: Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign, July 1809
Viking, 1981

Sharpe leads his men into action in the bloodiest battle of the war. The danger is as great from his enemies on his own side as from those across the battlefield (he finds himself at odss with his new C.O.). Yet Sharpe manages to save both his own life and the honor of the regiment.

Sharpe’s Gold: Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of Almeida, August 1810
Viking, 1981

With Wellington's army on the verge of collapse, his only hope may be a cache of gold hidden in the mountains of Portugal. And Richard Sharpe is the only man with the guts and talents necessary to steal it.

Sharpe’s Escape: Richard Sharpe and the Bussaco Campaign, 1810
HarCollins, 2004.

During the battle of Bussaco, Sharpe (along with his sturdy Irish side-kick, Sgt. Harper) finds himself separated from his company and lured into a trap from which he must escape in order to rejoin the conflict and stop French invaders at Lisbon. And once again he must protect his loyal men from a dangerously underqualified officer, Lt. Cornelius Slingsby--his commanding officer's brother-in-law.

Sharpe’s Battle: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 1811
HarperCollins, 1995

Shortly after the destruction of Almeida, Sharpe is given the task of preparing the hitherto purely ceremonial Royal Irish Company for real battle. The commander's ambitious wife and false rumors of a massacre in Ireland complicate the job.

Sharpe’s Company: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812
Viking, 1982

As his old enemy Hakeswill resurfaces to try to ruin his career, Sharpe must lead a suicidal assault on the fortress of Badajoz to save his wife and daughter.

Sharpe’s Sword: Richard Sharpe and the Salamanca Campaign, June and July 1812
Viking, 1983

Sharpe is sent to protect El Mirador, Wellington's best spy, and finds himself a target of Colonel Leroux, a ruthless, sadistic French swordsman who has been commanded to capture El Mirador. When Sharpe is wounded in battle, a mute French convent girl comes to his aid.

Sharpe’s Enemy: Richard Sharpe and the Defense of Portugal, Christmas, 1812
Viking, 1984

Sharpe is selected to rescue two officer’s wives being held by a renegade army of British, Spanish , Portuguese, and French deserters at an old castle and watchtower on the Northern border of Portugal and finally comes to terms with his old enemy, Obadiah Hakeswill.

Sharpe’s Honor: Richard Sharpe and the Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813
Penguin, 1985

An unfinished duel, a midnight murder, and the treachery of a beautiful prostitute lead to Sharpe's imprisonment. Caught in a web of political intrigue for which his military experience has left him fatally unprepared, Sharpe becomes a fugitive -- a man hunted by both ally and enemy alike.

Sharpe’s Regiment: Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of France, June to November 1813
Viking, 1986

Major Sharpe travels to England to investigate why his regiment has received its promised recruits and discover corruption in the highest ranks of the army for which he risks a charge of treason to expose as well as attempts on his own life.

Sharpe’s Siege: Richard Sharpe and the Winter Campaign, 1814
Viking, 1987

The invasion of France is underway, & the British Navy has called upon the services of Major Richard Sharpe. He and a small force of riflemen ordered to capture a fortress & secure a landing on the French coast.

Sharpe’s Revenge: Richard Sharpe and the Peace of 1814
Viking, 1989

The defeat of Napoleon seems imminent if the well-protected city of Toulouse can be conquered. For Richard Sharpe, the battle turns out to be one of the bloodiest of the Peninsular Wars, and he must draw on his last reserves of strength to lead his troops to victory.

Sharpe’s Waterloo: Richard Sharpe and the Waterloo Campaign, 15 June to 18 June 1815
HarCollins, 1990

Lt. Col. Sharpe encounters his estranged wife and her lover just before he takes part in the fateful battle of Waterloo, during which he watches the Dutch prince of Orange, by no means a military adept, sends hundreds of brave men to their deaths before Sharpe takes matters into his own hands.

Sharpe’s Devil: Richard Sharpe and the Emperor, 1820-1821
HarperCollins, 1992

Five years after Waterloo, Sharpe's peaceful retirement is shattered by a plea for help. Sharpe and Harper find themselves bound for Chile via St. Helena, where they have a fateful meeting with the fallen Emperor Napoleon.

Created and maintained by: Lynne M. Kennedy.

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