The History of Pendennis: His Fortunes and Misfortunes, His Friends and His Greatest Enemy (1848–50) is a novel by the English author William Makepeace Thackeray.

The main hero is a young English gentleman Arthur Pendennis, who is born in the country and sets out for London to seek his place in life and society.

He and his foster sister Laura are raised in the village of Fairoaks by his indulgent mother, Mrs Helen Pendennis.

The family has risen to gentility in the past generation or two but is not wealthy: the late Mr Pendennis left only a house and investments producing about 500 pounds a year.

The Pendennises, however, claim descent from an ancient family, and Arthur's uncle Major Pendennis, though he has only his retired Army pay, associates with wealthy and titled people.

At age 18, however, Pen falls in love with an actress, Emily Fotheringay (a stage name), who is about ten years his senior.

Soon a large house in the neighbourhood that has stood empty for years is reoccupied by its owners, the Clavering family, consisting of Sir Francis, a baronet and Member of Parliament addicted to gambling; his rich and kindly but low-born wife, whose father earned his fortune in India; their young son; and Lady Clavering's daughter from her first marriage, Blanche Amory.

One of them, Pen's college friend Harry Foker, falls in love with Blanche but cannot propose to her as his father will disinherit him unless he marries his cousin Ann.

A new character, Colonel Altamont, is introduced at this point: he knows a secret about the Clavering family and uses it to extort money from the baronet.

In addition to being blackmailed, Sir Francis Clavering loses a tremendous sum of money at the races and hides from his wife and creditors in an obscure part of London.

He leases his house at Fairoaks to tenants and returns to London, while Laura goes to live as companion to a Lady Rockminster.

Pen does what he considers the honourable thing: he maintains his engagement with Blanche but refuses her family money and the seat in Parliament.

The secret of the Clavering family finally becomes known to everybody and Harry Foker breaks his engagement to Blanche—not because of her disreputable father, but because she deceived him and doesn't love him.