Your Questions

Q

Dearest Mr. Cornwell, Love the history of your ancestors which are revealed in your books on Uhtred. Please, if you can recommend books that show the treatment of Jewish people through those turbulent times, I would highly value your opinions. If the English were removed from England for 2000 years, expelled and persecuted from every land, would they still have the same language, sing the same songs, or have the same religion? If King David was to return to Jerusalem today he would indeed have the same religion, speech, and song. This interests me to the plight of the Jews throughout the Catholic Period. Mahalo, Mike

Submitted March 11, 2009

A

I doubt that an English diaspora would have turned out similar to the Jewish experience, simply because there was nothing in English culture as distinctive as the Jewish religion. If, for instance, the Danes had conquered Saxon England and then decided to scatter the indigenous population to the continent, then the Saxons would have melted into the neighbouring Christian countries. It's all a stretch, isn't it? Maybe they already played cricket, which is every bit as distinctive as Judaism, and its Torah a lot more complicated (try explaining the LBW law)

Q

I live in Dallas and has just finished Agincourt. I have also read a number of your Sharp books. I wish you had observed in your postscript to Agincourt how utterly senseless the battle was. All that death and suffering just because the King of England thought he should be King of France as well.What was the national interest in invading France and fighting that battle?

Robert Rendell

Submitted March 11, 2009

A

Why should I judge Henry V by 21st Century standards? Of course it seems risible to us that he should have claimed the throne of France, but it was a claim taken very seriously at the time, and, in a society that believes in the nonsensical doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings, the claim cannot be dismissed as frivolous. Yes, in retrospect it's senseless, but so were most wars. I think it made more sense to fight over territory in France than to kill hundreds of thousands in the Thirty Years War over a squabble about the Real Presence

Q

Reading Agincourt - I don't know how Nick keeps focused after losing a finger and a brother and didn't understand the significance of Lanferelle's cutting off the 5th finger for Melisande - the guy blood pact. The end is obscure about her father Lanferelle also - he would have been a prisoner? As a woman too, how did they clean up the mess and get out of Calais? Where did you find the account of Soissons and is there a picture of the C2 saints in the cathedral? Rita Kralik MD

Submitted March 11, 2009

A

There are pictures of Crispin and Crispinian in Soissons Cathedral, which happily survived the various wars. The details of Soissons are in a number of books - maybe the most accessible, if brief, account is in Juliet Barker's Agincourt. Sorry you find the rest obscure.

Q

Thank you for your enlightening series of novels. I have read the Starbuck, Saxon and Holy Grail series. Please give us more! I have a couple of questions. At the end of Lords of the North Uhtred is riding a large black stallion. The horse disappears in Sword Song. What happened? Do you think you will complete anymore novels in the Starbuck series? Hopefully you are writing another sequel to the Saxon series. Thanks

Peter Mitchell

Submitted March 11, 2009

A

God knows. I can't remember. I imagine he kept it? He'd have owned several horses!

I am writing the next book of the Saxon stories now; and I do hope to get back to Starbuck before too long!

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell: I spent much of my life in France without ever going to Spain, even though there were family connections. I assumed the French and the Spanish were very similar till I went to live for 4 years in Spain in the 1990s. I was amazed to hear how much they disliked the French. After reading most of your Sharpe books and reading of the hatred then I wonder if the dislike today stems from that earlier hatred. Does your research tell you this?. Thank you for your writings. Sincerely, Frank Ledwidge

Submitted March 4, 2009

A

I'm not sure how far back the hostility goes, but they were certainly uneasy neighbours. Spain was mostly irrelevant until after the Reconquista, and after that the growing influence of Spain (fuelled by new world silver) made it a rival to France for continental domination. The hatred during the Napoleonic Wars, though, is in a class of its own - that was intense! I suspect that before those wars the Spanish probably harboured greater suspicion of the British, but the French invasion changed all that. I'm really not an expert on the long picture, but I have a feeling that Spain and France were rivals rather than enemies so long as they were both the dominant powers inside the Roman church, but that the French espousal of rationalism at the Revolution turned rivalry into fear and then hatred. After the Napoleonic Wars, of course, Spain turned inwards - and the next French invasion (part of Spain's civil wars) was not greeted with hatred at all, which suggests the mood of the Napoleonic Period was an exception.

Q

Mr. Cornwell, I would just like to say thank you for your books, they acted as a happy distraction during my time serving in the United States Navy away from home. I recently have left the service choosing to focus on my family (4 of my 8 years were spent overseas - great for travel, hard on a wife). Your books have inspired me to consider writing a story on my family's heritage as I am a distant relative to Polish royalty and no one seems to write historical fiction on Poland. Do you have any suggestions on research tools you have used, or good historical references for European warfare and living conditions in the 1300's? I know you keep busy but if you have any suggestions, I would greatly value your opinion. P.S. Don't worry even though I am out the Navy I still love to read your books, I can't wait for the next Saxon Story. A loyal fan, Jeff Olek Rochester NY

Submitted March 4, 2009

A

Truly not . . . if I specialise in anything it's British history. I'm sure Polish society was different in many ways, and the circumstances of Poland would make the nature of warfare distinctly different from an island nation, so I fear I can't help except to assure you that the information you want will certainly be out there! I'd start by combing the bibliographies on Polish history and military history in Wikipedia - I'm certain you'll find useful things very fast. Good luck!

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell, I absolutely love your books and as my favourite author I have them all. Have you considered writing about Robin Hood? Like King Arthur He is another legendary hero to us Saxons/English. Scotty

Submitted March 4, 2009

A

Yes, I have considered Robin Hood.....

Q

Hello! My name is Andrey and I am a big fan of your work. I am 22 years old, Brazilian, and I've been reading you books for 10 years now. I am writing this message to tell you about how I like everything you write and also to ask if you have any idea of the success of your books here in Brazil. I also want to know how are you capable of writing so many books so rich in details in such a small time. Reading your work made me think about writing too, and of course I have my ideas, thanks to you. To finish this message. Do you have any project of writing a Second War based book? Thanks a lot for your time. Andrey Mattos Machado PS: Sorry for my poor English.

Submitted March 4, 2009

A

Thank you for your message Andrey. I'm glad to know my books do well in Brazil! I have no plans to write a book set during the second World War.

Q

Mr. Cornwell, I'm enjoying your Sharpe series, and have taken care to read all your books in order. I'm currently reading Sharpe's Prey and have noticed many references to events that I didn't read about in the preceding book, Sharpe's Trafalgar. Mainly dealing w/ his life w/ Lady Grace. Did I miss something? Mike

Submitted March 4, 2009

A

No, I don't think so....keep reading Sharpe's Prey; hopefully it will all be made clear.

Q

Hello Mr. Cornwell, As weird as it may sound my brothers and I sit around from time to time and talk about which Sharpe moment is our favorite (mine is Sharpe defending Wellesley at the Battle of Assaye...doesn't get any better than that!). I was wondering if you had a favorite moment?
Charles

Submitted March 4, 2009

A

Picking lice from the Marquesa? I think that is Sharpe's favourite moment! Mine is probably the assault on Badajoz in Sharpe's Company.