Bernard Cornwell

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Lore & Background

Cornwell structures his historical novels around a 'big story' of real events and a 'little story' of fictional characters. For The Saxon Stories, he identified that few in England knew how their nation began, unlike Americans with a clear founding date; this became the series' driving force. He partly based Uhtred on his own belief that he is a descendant of Uhtred the Bold. A defining feature of his work is an end note explaining how the fiction matches or differs from history and what visitors might see at modern sites today. The series depicts the struggle for power in 9th-century England, specifically focusing on the unification under Alfred, pitting Anglo-Saxon paganism against Christianity, as Druidism was largely extinct by that time.

In Their Own Story

The narrative follows Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a character whose ancestral roots Cornwell claims to share. The series begins with 'The Last Kingdom' released in 2004. It details the formation of England under King Alfred the Great. Cornwell wrote two books a year for a long time before slowing to one per year in his sixties. He believes he is a descendant of Uhtred the Bold, which provided the personal connection for the protagonist's 'little story.' The books are set against major historical battles and political shifts, blending the harsh reality of war with the internal conflicts of a man caught between two cultures. Cornwell also wrote nonfiction on the Battle of Waterloo and fictionalized it in his Sharpe series, demonstrating his dual focus on fact and fiction.

Reader's Guide

The Saxon Stories were adapted for television as 'The Last Kingdom' by the BBC and Netflix. The show is one of three historical novel series Cornwell has seen adapted, alongside the Sharpe series (ITV) and 'The Winter King' (MGM+). Fans can find Cornwell's unique perspective in the end notes of his books, where he contrasts his narrative with historical records. The author lives in the US, alternating between Cape Cod and Charleston, South Carolina, after moving there in 1979.

Did You Know?

• Cornwell was adopted by a strict pacifist sect called the Peculiar People.
• He met his biological father, William Oughtred, for the first time when he was 58 years old in Vancouver.
• He changed his surname from Wiggins to Cornwell via deed poll after meeting his birth mother's family.
• Cornwell moved to the US in 1979 and began writing novels because he could not get a work permit without one.
• He believes he is a direct descendant of Uhtred the Bold, the historical figure who inspired The Saxon Stories.