Bernard Cornwell is a renowned British-American author known for his riveting historical novels. He was born on 23 February 1944, in London. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in Britain. Raised in Essex by the Wiggins family, who belonged to a strict Protestant sect known as the Peculiar People, Cornwell eventually moved on to pursue higher education at the University of London.

Following his graduation, Cornwell worked as a teacher before joining BBC Television, where he served as a researcher and later became Head of Current Affairs Television for BBC Northern Ireland. It was during his time in Belfast that he met his future wife, Judy, an American, prompting him to move to the United States.

Faced with visa challenges, Cornwell turned to writing to support himself, leading to the creation of his most famous series featuring British rifleman Richard Sharpe, set during the Napoleonic Wars. Cornwell's works often include an end note detailing historical accuracies and deviations, appealing to both history enthusiasts and fiction readers.

In addition to the Sharpe series, Cornwell has authored several other successful historical series, including The Saxon Stories, which has been adapted into the television series The Last Kingdom, and other works like the Arthurian tales and the Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2006, in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.

Currently, Bernard and his wife reside in the United States, dividing their time between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Charleston, South Carolina, where he continues to write and delight readers worldwide.