Cochrane the Dauntless: The Life and Adventures of Thomas Cochrane

by David Cordingly

Written with scholarship and great narrative skill, Cochrane the Dauntless is a vivid portrayal of a flawed hero who helped define his age.

Thomas Cochrane was the epitome of the Romantic hero – a man of action, whose bold and impulsive nature meant that he was often his own worst enemy. This impetuousness lay behind his early success, but also caused him to upset admirals and politicians and culminated in the 1814 Stock Exchange scandal, which saw him blackballed by the British Establishment. Undaunted, he took his very young and pretty wife Kate and his undiminished naval abilities to South America, where he helped to liberate Chile, Peru and Brazil from their colonial masters. Returning to Europe, Cochrane put his energies at the service of Greek independence before returning home to restless retirement.

Drawing on his own travels and the kind of original research that distinguished ‘Billy Ruffian’, David Cordingly brings a fresh approach to a deeply controversial figure. From unpublished letters he unravels the lifelong friendship between Cochrane and his surgeon (the real-life Stephen Maturin), and also reveals the secret love between Kate and his friend, Lord Auckland.

• Hardback
• 448 pages
• ISBN: 9780747580881