Major Pierre Ducos is a major antagonist in the Richard Sharpe novels and television adaptations. He is the overarching antagonist of the novel Sharpe's Battle and short story "Sharpe's Skirmish", one of three main antagonists of the novel and television adaptation Sharpe's Enemy (with Obadiah Hakeswill and Pot-au-Feu) and the main antagonist of the novels and television adaptations Sharpe's Honour, Sharpe's Siege and Sharpe's Revenge.
He was portrayed by Feodor Atkine, who voiced Jafar in the French dub of Aladdin.
Biography[]
A French intelligence officer with meticulous records, Ducos was aware of Captain Richard Sharpe from his exploits at Talavera. He co-ordinated Guy Loup and Dona Juanita in a failed attempt to incite the Irish troops in Lord Wellington's army to mutiny with false reports of troubles back home and recognised Sharpe's name when Loup told him of their encounter. He would again find one of his schemes foiled by Sharpe when he directed General Herault in a sneak attack on the border.
Ducos would finally encounter Sharpe personally in late 1812, when they met during a truce as the British and French worked together to defeat Hakeswill and Pot-au-Feu's deserters enclave at Adradas. Ducos was planning for the French to capture Adradas, a key fort on the Spanish-Portuguese border. When he insulted Sharpe's wife, the Spanish partisan Teresa, Sharpe broke his glasses in response.
Ducos developed a fanatical desire for revenge on Sharpe, mixed up with a scheme to break the alliance between the British and the Spanish. Working with the corrupt Spanish priest Father Hacha and the partisan leader El Matarife, Ducos framed Sharpe for the murder of a Spanish Marques, then had the Marques' wife Helene handed over to Hacha. The British hierarchy faked Sharpe's execution, allowing him to go undercover and expose the truth. Ducos captured and tortured Sharpe but was overruled by General Verigny.
With the British and their allies invading France, Ducos sought another opportunity to strike a blow against them and get revenge on Sharpe. He had the Comte de Maquerre, a French aristocrat who had infiltrated the British, lure Sharpe and a group of riflemen to the fort of Teste de Buch where Ducos and General Calvet waited in ambush. Ducos compelled the American privateer Cornelius Killick to attack the fort but Sharpe surrendered to Killick without a fight and the American spirited Sharpe and his men away from Ducos.
Realising the war was lost, Ducos stole the Emperor's treasure after killing its guard, Colonel Maillot. In collaboration with Sergeant Challon, he framed Sharpe and his friend Captain Frederickson by pretending the treasure had been at Teste de Buch, having the fort's commandant, Henri Lassan, killed to prevent him saying otherwise. Ducos took up base in Naples but was tracked down by both Sharpe and Calvet, who joined forces to attack the fort and capture him. Calvet took the treasure while Sharpe, Frederickson and Harper handed Ducos over to the French authorities, who executed him for treason.
Television[]
Ducos first encountered Sharpe and Harper at Adradas, having accompanied Colonel Dubreton to pay the ransom for his wife, who was being held by Hakeswill. Ducos' main aim was to scout out the fort for an attack. Sharpe captured it first and Ducos attempted to negotiate a surrender with the cowardly Sir Augustus Farthingdale only for Sharpe to take charge. When Ducos insulted Teresa, who had been murdered by Hakeswill, Sharpe broke his glasses and then drove off his attack.
Ducos worked with Hacha, El Matarife and La Marquesa to frame Sharpe for the murder of La Marques. He learned Sharpe had survived and had him captured and tortured but Sharpe escaped. Ducos killed Hacha for his failure but, with the French having been routed at Vitoria, he was attacked and shot by fleeing French soldiers, who scattered the letters of support that Hacha had provided him with in their search for loot.
As the British advanced into France, Ducos used Maquerre to arrange for Sharpe to make an advance into Bordeaux and use Maquerre's family fortress as a staging post. Ducos and Maquerre then tricked the cowardly Colonel Bampfylde into abandoning his position, leaving Sharpe with few troops and ammunition to defend the fort from an attack by General Calvet. Sharpe fought off the attack and Ducos learnt the advance had been a feint: By removing Calvet from his position, he had allowed Wellington's main army to break through the French line.
As the war drew to a close at Toulouse, Ducos was stationed with Calvet and made a futile attempt to attack Sharpe that saw him humiliated and driven off. He and Challon absconded with the Emperor's treasure, sending a statement, supposedly from Colonel Maillot, blaming Sharpe. When Frederickson demanded Maillot make the statement in person, Ducos had him killed. He took up position in Naples and, when Sharpe and Calvet attacked, escaped and brought back Neapolitan troops. Sharpe halted their attack by scattering gold across the field, which the mercenaries stopped to pick up. Ducos tried to flee on his horse but Sharpe shot him from a distance.
