General Calvet is a recurring antagonist in the Richard Sharpe novels and television adaptations. He is a major antagonist in the novel and adaptation Sharpe's Siege and the TV story Sharpe's Mission and a major antagonist-turned-ally in the novel and adaptation Sharpe's Revenge.
In Sharpe's Siege and Sharpe's Mission, he was portrayed by the late Oliver Pierre. In Sharpe's Revenge, he was portrayed by the late John Benfield.
Biography[]
Novels[]
General Jean Calvet (his real name was Jean-Baptiste but he was embarrassed at being named after a saint so shortened it to Jean) was a capable French officer who played a key role in Major Pierre Ducos' latest plan to get revenge on Major Richard Sharpe. With the aid of the Comte de Maquerre, a French aristocrat working as a double agent, Ducos manipulated Sharpe into capturing the French fort Teste du Buch, then had Calvet launch an attack on it in order to destroy him. Sharpe managed to hold off Calvet's initial attack by blinding his soldiers with lime, forcing Ducos to turn to the American privateer Killick for help. This backfired when Sharpe surrendered to Killick as part of a prior deal and he and his men were evacuated by sea, despite Ducos ordering Calvet to try and stop them.
Calvet was later one of the French generals at Toulouse, where he suffered the brunt of the attack by Major-General Nairn's brigade, with Sharpe as brigade major. He ordered his men to retreat. Sharpe saw him in the distance and called out to him in an attempt at a challenge but Calvet simply waved his sword in acknowledgement. Despite the abdication of Napoleon, Calvet remained loyal to the former emperor and received news that Ducos had stolen the Emperor's treasure and set up camp in Naples. He took his men to the fortress where they encountered Sharpe and his friends Harper and Frederickson, who were also after Ducos. Calvet told them they were now serving under him and together they managed to capture the fort and Ducos, as well as fighting off Neapolitan troops. Calvet took the treasure to Napoleon in exile on Elba, leaving Ducos with Sharpe.
Television[]
General Maurice Calvet was approached by Ducos as part of his plan to trap Sharpe's force during the British invasion of France. Calvet was a veteran of the Russian campaign and ate extravagantly as a result of being starved during the campaign, aided by his batman Gaston. He approved Ducos and Maquerre's plan to strand Sharpe in Maquerre's family fortress, having tricked his superior Colonel Bampfylde into destroying most of the defenses. However, Calvet admitted his troops were untrained conscripts. Their morale was wrecked when Maquerre was killed from a distance and they were easily driven off by a combination of volley fire from the British defenders' limited ammunition and the use of lime to blind them. Ducos tried to get Calvet to attack again, but Calvet was furious to learn that, by moving from his position on Ducos' orders, he had failed to stop the main British force breaking through the French line.
Calvet was later approached by another intelligence officer, Colonel Cresson, who had been ordered to capture Lord Wellington's intelligence officer Major-General Ross. Calvet allowed his powder magazine to be used as bait for a British incursion, and also provided Cresson with a group of deserters for his agent among the British, Colonel Brand, to slaughter as cover. However, Cresson's scheme was an almost total failure and resulted in the powder magazine actually being destroyed by Sharpe, Ross and Major Pyecroft. Calvet had Gaston kill Cresson for the failure.
Calvet making plans with Sharpe, Harper, Frederickson and Gaston.
Calvet was with Ducos at Toulouse and discovered he was again up against Sharpe and Ross. After being driven from the field, he left the emperor's treasure with Ducos while he and his few remaining Imperial Guard went to ground to continue fighting for the emperor. He initially believed Sharpe had stolen the treasure but Frederickson convinced him Ducos was the real culprit. Calvet proposed a joint expedition to Naples which Sharpe insisted on leading, saying Calvet's old rank counted for nothing. They managed to capture the fort and the treasure, with Calvet personally killing one of Ducos' men to save Sharpe. After deterring a group of Neapolitan troops summoned by Ducos by firing gold coins into the air, Calvet advised Sharpe to leave thoughts of revenge with the death of Ducos and return to life in France with his new love Lucille.
Trivia[]
- During the two fourth season episodes where he is played by Oliver Pierre, Calvet has no English dialogue. All of his dialogue is delivered in French with subtitles.
