Sharpe's Fortress (novel)
Encyclopedia
Sharpe's Fortress is the third (historically) of the Richard Sharpe
series, and last of the Sharpe India
trilogy, by English author Bernard Cornwell
. It tells the story of ensign
Sharpe, during the battle of Argaum and the following siege of the Fortress of Gawilghur
in 1803.
And waiting with the cornered Mahrattas is another enemy, the renegade Englishman, William Dodd, who does not envisage defeat, but only a glorious triumph. For the Mahrattas have taken refuge in Gawilghur
, the greatest stronghold of India, perched high on its cliffs above the Deccan Plain. Who rules in Gawilghur, it is said, rules India, and Dodd knows that the fortress is impregnable. There, behind its double walls, in the towering twin forts, Sharpe must face his enemies in what will prove to be Wellesley’s last battle on Indian soil.
Richard Sharpe (fictional character)
Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
series, and last of the Sharpe India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
trilogy, by English author Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
. It tells the story of ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
Sharpe, during the battle of Argaum and the following siege of the Fortress of Gawilghur
Gawilghur
Gawilghur was a well-fortified mountain stronghold of the Maratha Empire north of the Deccan Plateau, in the vicinity of Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati District, Maharashtra. It was successfully assaulted by an Anglo-Indian force commanded by Arthur Wellesley on the 15 December 1803 during the...
in 1803.
Plot summary
It is 1803 and Sir Arthur Wellesley’s army is closing on the retreating Mahrattas in western India. Marching with the British is Ensign Richard Sharpe, newly made into an officer and wishing he had stayed a sergeant. Spurned by his new regiment, he is sent to the army’s baggage train and there finds corruption, romance, treason and enemies old and new. Sergeant Hakeswill wants Sharpe dead, and Hakeswill has powerful friends while Sharpe has only an orphaned Arab boy as his ally.And waiting with the cornered Mahrattas is another enemy, the renegade Englishman, William Dodd, who does not envisage defeat, but only a glorious triumph. For the Mahrattas have taken refuge in Gawilghur
Gawilghur
Gawilghur was a well-fortified mountain stronghold of the Maratha Empire north of the Deccan Plateau, in the vicinity of Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati District, Maharashtra. It was successfully assaulted by an Anglo-Indian force commanded by Arthur Wellesley on the 15 December 1803 during the...
, the greatest stronghold of India, perched high on its cliffs above the Deccan Plain. Who rules in Gawilghur, it is said, rules India, and Dodd knows that the fortress is impregnable. There, behind its double walls, in the towering twin forts, Sharpe must face his enemies in what will prove to be Wellesley’s last battle on Indian soil.
Characters in "Sharpe's Fortress"
- Ensign Richard SharpeRichard Sharpe (fictional character)Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
– Ensign in the British Army - General Sir Arthur WellesleyArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
– commander of the British in India - Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill – Sharpe's former sergeant and ongoing nemesis
- Major William Dodd – renegade British officer
- Ahmed – Sharpe's trusty Arab helper
- Syud Sevajee – commander of allied Mahratta forces and Sharpe's ally and old friend
Release details
- 1998, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-225631-2, Pub date 19 November 1998, hardcover (First edition)
- 1999, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-105562-3, Pub date 1 March 1999, Audio book cassette
- 1999, UK, Chivers Audio Books ISBN 0-7540-5319-9, Pub date ? November 1999, Audio book CD
- 2000, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-651031-0, Pub date 6 March 2000, paperback
- 2005, USA, HarperTorch ISBN 0-06-101271-8, Pub date ? June 2005, paperback
- 2006, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-723505-4, Pub date 18 April 2006, paperback (Recent TV tie-in)