Brigadier-General Guy Loup is the secondary antagonist of the Richard Sharpe novel Sharpe's Battle and the main antagonist of its television adaptation.
He was portrayed by Oliver Cotton.
Biography[]
Novel[]
Loup was considered France's finest soldier and commanded a detachment known as the Loup or Wolf Brigade, who wore grey uniforms resembling wolf's fur. He was aware that Spanish guerrillas were using terror tactics against the French occupiers so sought to make himself as horrifying as them. His men sacked a Spanish village, killing almost every man, woman and child and raping many of them. Two of his men were captured by Captain Richard Sharpe and his company during the raid. Loup attempted to negotiate their release but Sharpe had them shot by firing squad, earning Loup's emnity.
Loup met with French intelligence officer Pierre Ducos and the Spanish double agent Dona Juanita, with whom he shared a mutual animalistic attraction. Ducos outlined his plan to make the Irish troops in Wellington's army rebel with reports of British atrocities against them. With Sharpe based at a fort training the Real Compania Irlandesa, an Irish regiment in service to Spain, Loup launched an attack by having Juanita open the unguarded south gate, also encountering a Portuguese regiment billeted there. Even though they surrendered, Loup had many of them killed anyway, including having their commander Colonel Oliveira tortured to death. Sharpe and his men barricaded themselves in the barracks and Loup was driven off when Sharpe's friend Captain Tom Garrard sacrificed himself to blow up the powder magazine.
Loup and Sharpe encountered each other the final time at the Battle of Fuentes de Onouro. Marshal Massena was reluctant to let Loup take part in the battle, seeing him as a potential rival, but sent him in as a clearance operation believing the battle won, only for Loup to be in the path of Sharpe leading the Real Compania Irlandesa in a counter-attack. Sharpe fought Loup in the stream outside the city and ended up holding him underwater and drowning him.
Television[]
Loup encountered Major Richard Sharpe after Sharpe took two of his men prisoner following their massacre of a Spanish village. Loup demanded their return, saying he had promised his men he would never abandon them, but Sharpe had them shot and Loup swore revenge. He followed Sharpe as he took up position at a fort to train the Real Compania Irlandesa. Sharpe raided Loup's base for supplies, while Loup had Irish troops who had deserted tortured to death, with their mutilated bodies left as a warning. He launched an attack on Sharpe's fort but was fought off.
However, Loup had been using his secret lover Dona Juanita to distribute false reports of British atrocities in Ireland and had convinced a small group of Irish troops led by Guardsman O'Rourke to assist him. He had them capture Lady Kiely, the wife of the Real Compania Irlandesa's commanding officer, holding her prisoner so Lord Kiely wouldn't assist Sharpe. He attempted to rape the pregnant Lady Kiely but she held a shard of broken glass to her throat, saying she would kill herself rather than let her and her baby be defiled, and he ordered her returned to the cells.
When Sharpe and his men attacked the fort, they initially found themselves cornered with Kiely refusing to provide support. However, Sharpe eventually convinced Kiely to attack and Loup's men found themselves being driven back. Kiely went to free his wife from the cells but Loup followed and killed him. Sharpe then arrived and killed Loup in turn after a vicious sword fight.
