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Historical person

William Pitt the Younger

1759–1806

William Pitt the Younger was British prime minister during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. His career was defined by financial reform, war leadership, union with Ireland and long rivalry with Charles James Fox.

William Pitt the Younger also held the offices or ranks of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Leader of the House of Commons, and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. William Pitt the Younger was born in Kent and died in London.

David Donachie’s A Lawless Place places William Pitt’s government behind the wartime naval and diplomatic world in which Harry Ludlow operates, while Enemies at Every Turn uses the same Revolutionary War setting to show how policy made in London determines the missions, enemies and legal constraints faced by officers at sea. Winston Graham’s Demelza situates the Poldarks in the Britain Pitt governed as revolution in France, war and economic pressure begin to reshape Cornwall. James Vernon’s Modern Britain, 1750 to the Present treats Pitt within the transformation of the British state during industrialisation, imperial expansion and prolonged war. Robert Harvey’s The War of Wars gives him a more direct strategic role, examining how Pitt’s finance, coalition-building and determination to continue the struggle against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France shaped Britain’s long war.

Series

Historical novels and book series featuring William Pitt the Younger (3 series)

Poldark in Order

by Winston Graham 12 books 4.4(68,383)

The Poldark novels follow Ross, Demelza and their family in Cornwall from the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War through the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and into the Regency aftermath. The series combines mining, gentry politics, coastal smuggling, marriage, family conflict and the pressure of war on…

All books in this series

1. Ross Poldark

First published 1945 · 4.4(10,736)

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2. Demelza

First published 1946 · 4.4(6,400)

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3. Jeremy Poldark

First published 1950 · 4.3(6,680)

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4. Warleggan

First published 1953 · 4.4(5,701)

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5. The Black Moon

First published 1973 · 4.4(5,287)

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6. The Four Swans

First published 1976 · 4.5(4,923)

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7. The Angry Tide

First published 1977 · 4.5(5,233)

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8. The Stranger from the Sea

First published 1981 · 4.4(4,848)

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9. The Miller’s Dance

First published 1982 · 4.4(4,303)

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10. The Loving Cup

First published 1984 · 4.5(4,269)

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11. The Twisted Sword

First published 1990 · 4.5(4,094)

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12. Bella Poldark

First published 2002 · 4.5(5,909)

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John Pearce in Order

by David Donachie 18 books 4.2(6,934)

The John Pearce series follows a radical Londoner who is illegally pressed into the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. Pearce and the fellow captives he calls the Pelicans must learn shipboard warfare while resisting abusive officers, pursuing freedom and protecting one another across an expanding conflict.…

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1. By the Mast Divided

First published 2004 · 2.5(5)

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2. A Shot Rolling Ship

First published 2005 · 4.3(398)

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3. An Awkward Commission

First published 2006 · 4.2(461)

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4. A Flag of Truce

First published 2008 · 4.2(437)

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5. The Admiral’s Game

First published 2008 · 4.2(380)

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6. An Ill Wind

First published 2009 · 4.2(399)

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7. Blown Off Course

First published 2010 · 4.0(471)

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8. Enemies at Every Turn

First published 2011 · 4.0(389)

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9. A Sea of Troubles

First published 2012 · 4.1(439)

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10. A Divided Command

First published 2013 · 4.1(411)

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11. The Devil to Pay

First published 2014 · 4.2(563)

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12. The Perils of Command

First published 2015 · 4.0(433)

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13. A Treacherous Coast

First published 2016 · 4.2(437)

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14. On a Particular Service

First published 2017 · 4.1(423)

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15. A Close Run Thing

First published 2018 · 4.2(406)

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16. HMS Hazard

First published 2021 · 4.1(420)

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17. A Troubled Course

First published 2022 · 4.2(248)

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18. Droits of the Crown

First published 2023 · 4.2(214)

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Contraband Shore in Order

by David Donachie 3 books 3.9(310)

The Contraband Shore trilogy follows former naval officer Edward Brazier into the Georgian port of Deal, where respectable trade, organised smuggling and local power are inseparable. His attempt to marry Betsey Langridge draws him into a struggle against her controlling family and the criminal interests that dominate the…