Your Questions

Q

Hello,

I'm a huge fan of yours but that sounds redundant as to how can anyone not be a fan! I have a question pertaining to my relative James Brown. Although some historical documents have him being born in Ireland we believe he came originally from Scotland, this coming from our grandmother. My sister made a journey to Scotland and when purchasing some plaids in a shop, was told by the woman shopkeeper that the "Browns" fought for the Fraser clan in Scotland and were called the Browns for the brown color they wore. Do you know of any historical references to the Brown's who fought for the Fraser clan?

Thanks in advance Mr. Cornwell.

Regards

John Brown  .

Submitted April 12, 2021

A

I’m afraid I know nothing about it, but I’m sure the Fraser clan has an archive and the Wikipaedia page is probably as good a place to start as any – there are footnotes which might help? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Fraser

 

Q

Mr. Cornwell,

I just finished the last book in the Last Kingdom series and am anxiously waiting for the next season on Netflix. From Stonehenge to Sharpe to the Fort and so many of your tales I must say thank you for the many years of captivating story telling. I sometimes wonder how many hours I have enjoyed reading your books. Time very well spent. Having read a great deal of historical fiction you are the best story teller I have come across. The detail, the description, the day to day life, the historical significance are so well researched and vivid. Please keep it up. Perhaps a new series set around the First World War and into the 20’s?

Thank you again for the pleasure you provide.

Steve Fisch

 

 

Submitted April 8, 2021

A

That's not likely....I prefer to stick to the more distant past!

Q

I have recently started the Last Kingdom Series and I am really enjoying it. It's a period of history I've found fascinating for a long time. I have one question that's been bugging me a little-- not in a bad way, I just can't stop wondering. Finally, I realized I could just ask you!

The Dane who adopts Uhtred is named Ragnar. This could cause some confusion, since a man named Ragnar was also the father of several other characters in the book. You fix this problem by calling them 'the sons of Lothbrok'. It isn't what they would have been called in history, but saying 'sons of Ragnar' would make us think of the wrong Ragnar.

My question is-- why did you name Uhtred's adopted father Ragnar? Are you just a big fan of the name? Is there some historical precedent I've missed?

I'm dying of curiosity to know your thoughts!

Last of all, thank you for your time, and for writing these wonderful books I cherish. The Warlord series helped me get through the isolation of COVID and I'll be forever grateful.

L Cohen

Submitted March 31, 2021

A

A name plucked more or less at random, and yes, I should have chosen another because it is confusing.

Q

Did you teach at a prep school in Cirencester?

Chris Faulkner

Submitted March 31, 2021

A

Not guilty!

Q

Dear Bernard,

I am greatly looking forward to the next Sharpe book. Two questions. Firstly, as it is set in Paris, will Sharpe get a chance to meet Helene Leroux again? Secondly, any chance of Sharpe finally getting his revenge on Captain Morris?

Many thanks!

James

Submitted March 31, 2021

A

No, it doesn’t happen.

 

I think there’s a very good chance of that happening!

Q

Hi Bernard

really enjoying your talk with Suffolk Libraries today. You said you like Hilary Mantell and George McDonald Fraser - have you ever read his McAuslan novels about the dirtiest and worst soldier in the British army. Very funny and great if you need a break like your love of Terry Pratchett?

Thanks for bringing Sharpe back - roll on September and may you add to the TMB collection for years to come

Mike Kerr

 

Submitted March 31, 2021

A

I have read all the McAuslan stories – they’re wonderful!  Thank you!

Q

I have just finished War Lord 10/10

I have discovered that a place name has been missed - Page 324 - Ethandun Seems picky but could you advise what the current name or is it fictitious?

Look forward to hearing from you

Regards

Chris Beech

Submitted March 31, 2021

A

Ethandun is anything but fictitious and most scholars believe it was fought at Edington in Wiltshire where there is a memorial to the battle. You can read a lot more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Edington

Q

We do understand a lot about the formation of the so called "church" that was in Rome that is actually a very wicked deceitful lie. We really like how you expose the hypocrisy. We do get very annoyed and angry when characters like Hild says to Uhtred, " don't kill him he is a man of God" which he is not. He is an apostate follower of satan. We were wondering if you are aware that during that time, those who were members of the true Body of Christ how they were murdered and killed by this apostate false copy. There is a great book you can even read online called "The Pilgrim church" that tells the true church history how the body of Christ since its birth was hunted down and killed by the fake evil church, The Roman Catholic church. Kings back then were not anointed by God even though they claimed that. They also proclaim false teachings like the 10 lost tribes of Israel which are and never were lost. The apostles and Christ spoke about the 12 tribes. Anyhow, we really enjoy how you mixed history and made a great story out of it. I am a history buff and love history. What is funny when the so called queen and king, Alfred and his wife call Danes pagan, they are also pagans them self! They are unbelievers that follow a false God. Anyhow, my husband and I cannot tolerate organized religion. It is evil and apostate and even now is a falling away. I had another question about my favorite catholic priest, Purlig. When he blew on Uhtred when he was baptised again, where you making references to Benny Hinn!! Hee hee! it was hilarious. I told my husband, his guy has observed "Benny the Hunn" I call him doing his religious fake crap when he blows on people! I wanted to know that too. Thanks so much for writing such a thorough in depth adventure.

Desma Jones

Submitted March 31, 2021

A

I hate to disappoint, but I wasn’t aware of Benny Hill’s blowing trick, sorry!  Nor am I sure that the Christians of Uhtred’s time were followers of Satan, which seems a bit harsh. I’m no lover of the church, but their sins were mortal and mainly motivated by greed and ambition. The church nevertheless did enormous amounts of good work, whether looking after the sick or sheltering orphans.  I imagine that the history of Christianity has always had a tension between greed and the desire to live a Christ-like life, and it’s probably still there.

 

Q

Hello,

I'm french and I'm reading with great pleasure your Sharpe's serie.

I just close Sharpe's Gold and as you probably know, France is about to commemorate (celebrate ?) the bicentennial of Napoleon's death.

In Sharpe's Gold, you describe the war crimes perpetrated by french army during the peninsular war. I'd simply like to know on which sources you rely about this ? Were those crimes isolated "accident" or were they planned on a large scale as a terror politic ?

My question is not motivated by chauvinism (I'm the least chauvinist man you could imagine as far as it doesn't come to food and drink), but this anniversary is more and more controversial as the time comes near. Especially as politicians spend much time rewriting History to fit their very present goals. So I think it's important to know about it.

Regards,

Samuel

Submitted March 31, 2021

A

The Guerilla war in Spain was peculiarly harsh and cruel. The occupying French armies were hated and any prisoners were put to death, often in particularly ghastly ways. The French response was to be equally harsh in their treatment of the local people, and so the horror escalated. Much of this occurred because French armies were encouraged to ‘live off the country’, i.e. supply their food from local sources, and food was always scarce in the Peninsula – there’s an old saying that in Spain ‘large armies starve and small armies are defeated’. When peasants saw their food stolen they became very bitter. A French Hussar officer, Michel de Rocca, who fought in Spain wrote in his Memoire sur la Guerre des Francais en Espagne  ‘The French could only maintain themselves in Spain by terror; they were constantly under the necessity of punishing the innocent with the guilty, . . . . Plunder had become necessary for existence, and such atrocities as were occasioned by the enmity of the people . . . injured the moral feeling of the army and sapped the very foundations of military discipline.’ Virtually every memoir of the Peninsular War talks of the horrors of the Guerilla war – so there are many, many sources.