Recurring
| Character name | Portrayed by | Historical basis | First appearance | Last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Buckingham | Steven Waddington (2007) | Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham | Episode 1.01 | Episode 1.02 |
| A direct descendant of Edward II, Buckingham was openly resentful of the "new men" like Cardinal Wolsley who have risen by ability rather than birth. Described by Thomas More as stupid but powerful, Buckingham confides in Norfolk that he aspires to the crown. After being reprimanded by Henry for attempting to humiliate Wolsey, Buckingham recklessly plans to assassinate the King. However, this plan is reported to the Cardinal by Thomas Boleyn, whom Buckingham had tried to recruit. Buckingham is subsequently convicted for treason and beheaded. He leaves behind a daughter, who had a brief relationship with Charles Brandon (also one of the reasons he was at odds with Henry since the latter refused to punish Brandon). | ||||
| Anna Buckingham Hastings | Anna Brewster (2007) | Anne Hastings née Stafford, Countess of Huntingdon | Episode 1.01 | Episode 1.07 |
| The Duke of Buckingham's daughter was the former lover of Charles Brandon, and a catalyst for her father's attempted assassination of the King of England. She later becomes the common law wife of William Compton, and dies in the dreaded sweating sickness epidemic along with him. | ||||
| Princess Margaret Tudor | Gabrielle Anwar (2007) | Mary Tudor, Queen of France; Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots | Episode 1.03 | Episode 1.09 |
| Engaged to the elderly King of Portugal, feisty Margaret begs her brother, King Henry VIII of England, to reconsider the match. He refuses, and she is further irritated that he has chosen his common-born friend Charles Brandon to accompany her to Portugal and present her to her future husband. Margaret pressures Henry to agree that, once her husband is dead, she may marry whomever she chooses; he seems to concede. Margaret is at first dismissive of court lothario Brandon, but they soon have passionate sex on the long sea voyage to Portugal. Margaret marries the decrepit Portuguese king, who lives only a few days until she smothers him in his sleep. Henry is angry to lose the political alliance, but even more furious when he discovers that Margaret and Brandon have married without his consent. With accusations of treason, they are exiled from court; the Duke of Norfolk soon promises to intervene on Brandon's behalf in exchange for Brandon's assistance in ruining Norfolk's political rival, Cardinal Wolsey. Margaret's relationship with Brandon eventually collapses; she argues that he only "loved her for an hour", as he continues to have affairs with other women. As Brandon returns to favor at court, Margaret displays an obvious dislike for Anne Boleyn and her allies. Margaret falls ill with pulmonary tuberculosis, and dies as Charles is engaging in sex with another woman. Henry is furious at Brandon for his lack of attention to his wife, and Brandon shows remorse as he buries Margaret. | ||||
| William Compton | Kristen Holden-Ried (2007) | William Compton | Episode 1.01 | Episode 1.07 |
| A longtime friend to King Henry VIII, "common-born" William Compton (along with similarly-ranked Charles Brandon and Anthony Knivert) attracts the ire of the noble-born Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, due to Henry's favouritism toward the trio. In Episode 1.04, Compton is knighted Sir William Compton, alongside Knivert, for no more apparent reason than having amused the King by substituting a small log for a lance while jousting. The new Sir William is portrayed throughout the series as a witty and elegant courtier who avoids the occasional blunders of his two friends Brandon and Knivert. Compton, though married, soon shows a romantic interest in the young composer Thomas Tallis in Episode 1.05. At first Tallis refuses Compton's advances, but does not pull away when Compton kisses him; later they are shown in bed together. Compton is the second to die (after Henry Fitzroy) from the devastating "sweating sickness" in Episode 1.07. | ||||
| Thomas Tallis | Joe Van Moyland (2007) | Thomas Tallis | Episode 1.01 | Episode 1.10 |
| Young composer Thomas Tallis comes to London with good references and secures a position with the Chapel Royal. He soon attracts the attention of Sir William Compton, a close friend of King Henry VIII, and the two become lovers. After Compton's death, Tallis courts two sisters. After his first choice dies he marries the second. In the only supernatural element in the series the dead sister watches Tallis and his new wife in bed together. Though he does not appear in subsequent seasons, Tallis continued to prosper throughout the period, and received the favor of Elizabeth I. | ||||
| Ambassador Mendoza | Declan Conlon (2007–2009) | Íñigo López de Mendoza y Zúñiga | Episode 1.03 | Episode 3.02 |
| The Spanish ambassador to England, Mendoza serves as a link between Queen Katherine and her nephew, Charles V, as her letters are being opened by Cardinal Wolsey. He is also the one friend Katherine has at court, since her Spanish ladies-in-waiting were dismissed by Wolsey, and her English ladies-in-waiting were either bribed or seduced by the Cardinal, to say nothing of being seduced by the king himself. He bore the brunt of Henry VIII's attack when Charles V broke the treaty between England and Spain by setting free Francis I of France without consulting Henry, as Charles's ally, and also marrying Isabella of Portugal when he is betrothed to Princess Mary. He is promoted by Charles and sent home to Spain, leaving the issue of Queen Katherine and King Henry's divorce to the new ambassador to handle. | ||||
| Bishop John Fisher | Bosco Hogan (2007–2008) | Bishop John Fisher | Episode 1.05 | Episode 2.05 |
| Bishop of Rochester and legal counsel to Katherine. Historically, he was confessor and good friend to Henry's mother, and one of the few men who were not afraid of him. He suffered terribly for his convictions. He was created Cardinal for his steadfastness and was later canonized in the Roman Catholic Church. His feast day is the same as Saint Thomas More. | ||||
| Mary Boleyn | Perdita Weeks (2007–2008) | Mary Boleyn | Episode 1.01 | Episode 2.05 |
| Daughter of Thomas Boleyn and sister to George and Anne Boleyn. Also the onetime mistress to King Henry VIII. Seen more as a recurring character in the show's second season, although she is banished from court after revealing her secret marriage to William Stafford who was of a lower rank. | ||||
| Lady Elizabeth Blount | Ruta Gedmintas (2007) | Elizabeth Blount | Episode 1.01 | Episode 1.05 |
| Married mistress to King Henry VIII, and mother to his first (though illegitimate) son who survived infancy. He dies in the fifth episode at the young age of four, as both she and the King weep over the loss. (Her son's death contradicts history, as her son survived through his teenage years.) | ||||
| Richard Pace | Matt Ryan (2007) | Richard Pace | Episode 1.01 | Episode 1.04 |
| A widower who was the secretary of Henry VIII. He was framed by Cardinal Wolsey of spying for the French, and sentenced to the London Tower. He lost his mental facilities before he was released from the Tower. | ||||
| George Boleyn | Pádraic Delaney (2007–2008) | George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford | Episode 1.04 | Episode 2.09 |
| Son of Thomas Boleyn and brother to Mary and Anne Boleyn. George benefits greatly from Anne's rise, and revels in his newfound power. Despite his womanizing, George has a clandestine affair with the male court musician Mark Smeaton. Upon his sister Anne's fall, George is caught in the storm and accused of incest with Anne, which is later corroborated by his abused and neglected wife, Jane. He is beheaded for treason in Episode 2.09. | ||||
| William Brereton | James Gilbert (2008) | William Brereton | Episode 2.01 | Episode 2.09 |
| Seeming to be commissioned by Pope Paul III and Ambassador Chapuys to assassinate Anne Boleyn for the good of King Henry VIII and the Catholic Church. He was accused of having carnal knowledge of the Queen Anne, unlike the others in his position, who either denied (George Boleyn and Henry Norris) or were tortured into admitting it (Mark Smeaton), Brereton falsely admitted his guilt to Thomas Cromwell. He is beheaded in episode 9 of series 2 along with the others accused. | ||||
| Lady Jane Rochford | Joanne King (2008–2010) | Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford | Episode 2.07 | Episode 4.05 |
| Wife of George Boleyn and thus sister in law of Queen Anne and King Henry. She has an arranged marriage (through her and George's families), is sexually abused by George, who shows no affection for her at all. She tries to win his love but is frustrated by his affairs and disgusted when she learns of his relationship with Mark Smeaton. She avoids sharing in the fall of the Boleyns by giving evidence against her husband and agreeing to the allegation that he committed incest with his sister.
Despite her unhappy marriage and the scandal of her inlaws, Jane is asked back to court by Queen Jane and is appointed her principal lady in waiting. Jane secretly helps the Queen to get funds to the Lady Elizabeth's governess when Henry refuses to pay and arranges the public return of Lady Mary to court.Lady Rochford is a keen supporter of the Reformation and abhors the Catholic faith. She was a lady in waiting to Katherine Howard and helped out with the clandestine affair between Katherine Howard and Thomas Culpepper. Once the affair came to light, she was interrogated and arrested for treason (as well as aiding and abetting) and had a nervous breakdown. Despite Lady Rochfod being declared legally insane King Henry VIII passed a law to make it legal to execute her by beheading. She was executed the same day as Katherine Howard. |
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| Lady Jane Howard | Slaine Kelly (2007) | Episode 1.01 | Episode 1.01 | |
| Mistress of Henry VIII for a short period, though of no historical basis. Named after the granddaughter of the Duke of Norfolk, Jane Neville née Howard, Countess of Westmoreland. | ||||
| King Francis of France | Emmanuel Leconte (2007–2008) | Francis I of France | Episode 1.02 | Episode 2.08 |
| Adversary and ally of King Henry VIII | ||||
| Queen Claude of France | Gabriella Wright (2007) | Claude of France | Episode 1.02 | Episode 1.08 |
| Queen consort of Francis I of France. She rejects the Duke of Suffolk's advances because she believed that making love for revenge (at her husband, who flaunts his mistresses much like Henry VIII) kills the soul. | ||||
| Thomas Wyatt | Jamie King (2007–2008) | Thomas Wyatt | Episode 1.03 | Episode 2.10 |
| The former love of Anne Boleyn, poet Thomas Wyatt befriends and collaborates with composer Thomas Tallis while both are on a trip to France with Cardinal Wolsey. He claims to have had carnal relations with Anne, although this is at odds with Anne saying that her maidenhead was only for her husband to claim. He makes few appearances in the first season, but appears frequently in the second. He still holds and proclaims his feelings for Anne even though she has married the King. Wyatt is arrested and charged with being betraying Henry but is released in time to see Anne's execution. | ||||
| Emperor Charles | Sebastian Armesto (2007) | Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor | Episode 1.03 | Episode 1.03 |
| Alternately the ally and adversary of King Henry VIII, Charles is Holy Roman Emperor and the nephew of Henry's first wife, Queen Katherine. He was betrothed to Princess Mary, although he later broke the betrothal in order to marry Isabella of Portugal. | ||||
| Lady Salisbury | Kate O'Toole (2007–2009) | Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury | Episode 1.05 | Episode 3.06 |
| A middleaged noblewoman who is charged to act as governess and guardian to Princess Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, when the princess is awarded her own household in the Welsh marches. Lady Salisbury later earns the King's enmity as the mother of Reginald Pole, who declines his offer of an appointment to a senior position in the Church of England but reluctantly accepts the rank of cardinal from the Pope. With Cardinal Pole beyond his reach Henry takes vengeance against his family by having Lady Salisbury, another of her sons and her young grandson executed. Historically this was widely seen as an atrocious act by Henry against an elderly woman who was innocent of any crime. | ||||
| Catherine Willoughby Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk | Rebekah Wainwright (2007–2009) Marcella Plunkett (2010) |
Catherine Willoughby, 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby | Episode 1.10 (Wainwright) Episode 4.10 (Plunkett) |
Episode 3.08 (Wainwright) Episode 4.10 (Plunkett) |
| Charles Brandon's seventeen year old ward, Catherine becomes his second wife and Duchess of Suffolk. With her sharp-tongued wit, she motivates Brandon to "keep his pretty head" despite his hatred for Anne Boleyn, now Queen. When Catherine learns that Brandon has had a brief affair with the French ambassador's mistress she forgives him, saying that he was the only one who made her cry. In Season 3 their marriage suffers from her contempt for Brandon's willingness to enforce the King's orders in ruthlessly putting down Catholic unrest in northern England. In season 4, she is not present and is estranged from her husband. | ||||
| Lady Eleanor Luke | Andrea Lowe (2008) | Episode 2.03 | Episode 2.04 | |
| Briefly the mistress of King Henry, though of no historical basis.Henry takes an instant liking to her over the Christmas festivities when she comes to court to attend Queen Anne. He quickly makes her his mistress and Anne discovers their affair. She demands her brother gets rid of her, which he does by accusing her of stealing Anne's jewels. Lady Eleanor leaves the Court and is later mentioned when Henry asks Anne why she was dismissed. Anne replies that Eleanor stole something precious. | ||||
| Eustace Chapuys | Anthony Brophy (2007–2010) | Eustace Chapuys | Episode 1.03 | Episode 4.08 |
| Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's ambassador to the court of Henry VIII. As the Emperor is the nephew to Katherine of Aragon, his ambassador acts as her ally and plots against Anne Boleyn but achieves little. Chapuys attempts to use the devoutly Catholic courtier William Brereton to assassinate Anne but the conspiracy fails. Brereton is subsequently executed for (falsely) admitting that he had an affair with Queen Anne. While presented as a devious diplomat and courtier, Chapuys appears genuinely devoted to Lady Mary, advising and reassuring her during the period that she is out of favour with the King. | ||||
| Edward Seymour | Max Brown (2008–2010) | Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset | Episode 2.08 | Episode 4.10 |
| Brother of Jane Seymour, he is quickly elevated as Jane gained the King's favour. His behaviour suggests that he cares more about the family's status than Jane's happiness. He acts as gaoler for Lady Somerset and her family, taking each in turn to their execution. | ||||
| Lady Ursula Misseldon | Charlotte Salt (2009) | Episode 3.01 | Episode 3.05 | |
| A lady in waiting to Queen Jane though not a historical figure. She is the mistress of Sir Francis Bryan and subsequently King Henry who finds her bravery arousing. She arrives at court during the King and new Queen's wedding celebrations. She is engaged to be married but does not think twice of using her body for advancement and rewards. | ||||
| Princess/Lady Elizabeth Tudor | Kate Duggan (2008) Claire MacCauley (2009) Laoise Murray (2010) |
Elizabeth I of England | Episode 2.07 (Duggan) Episode 3.03 (MacCauley) Episode 4.01 (Murray) |
Episode 2.10 (Duggan) Episode 3.07 (MacCauley) Episode 4.10 (Murray) (4.10 Dream Sequence) |
| The daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn. During Elizabeth's infancy, she is proclaimed Princess of England and the Act of Succession nominates her as the heir to the throne, supplanting her older half-sister, Mary, who is sent to Elizabeth's establishment at Hatfield to wait on her. Shortly before Anne's execution, her marriage to Henry is annulled, making Elizabeth a bastard. She is removed from the line of succession and referred to as Lady Elizabeth.
In the aftermath of Anne's execution, Henry is initially unwilling to have anything to do with Elizabeth, claiming not to believe that she is his child, but when Elizabeth's half-sister, Mary, and stepmother, Jane Seymour, arrange for her to be brought to court and presented to her father for Christmas 1536, she is welcomed. She attends the christening of her half-brother, Edward, and later goes to live at Hundson with Mary. In episode 3.07, Elizabeth and Mary are present at court to greet their newest stepmother, Anne of Cleves. At this time, Henry refers to both daughters by the title of Princess but it is unclear whether or not they have been restored to the succession. Elizabeth develops a closness to her brother and sister in Season 4 but remains emotionally distant from her father at times. By the end Henry acknowledges, while conversing with the spirit of Anne Boleyn, that he has always been proud of his daughter and does recognise that she is very intelligent. He also reveals that he wishes that he could have shown her more affection but that her resemblance to her mother made him keep her at arms length. |
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| Thomas Seymour | Andrew McNair (2009–2010) | Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley | Episode 3.04 | Episode 4.10 |
| Younger brother to Edward Seymour, older brother to Queen Jane Seymour, and uncle to Prince Edward Tudor. Thomas appears as an associate of Sir Francis Bryan, in their search to find and kill Cardinal Pole. | ||||
| Cardinal Reginald Pole | Mark Hildreth (2009) | Reginald Pole | Episode 3.01 | Episode 3.07 |
| A Catholic priest studying in Italy, Pole is also an heir of the deposed House of Plantagenet via his mother, Margaret Pole, the Countess of Salisbury. Reginald is created a Cardinal, and with the guidance of his mentor, Cardinal von Waldburg, seeks to undermine Henry VIII's throne by taking advantage of the civil unrest in Yorkshire to encourage the King's foreign enemies to support the rebellion. Henry's outrage over this is visited on Pole's family. | ||||
| Earl of Surrey | David O'Hara | Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey | Episode 4.01 | Episode 4.09 |
| An eminent poet with a reputation for debauchery, the Earl grew up with Henry VIII's illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy. Henry Howard is also portrayed as an aggressive and fearless soldier. As the son of the Duke of Norfolk and the cousin of both Katherine Howard and Anne Boleyn, he considers the Seymour family to be his enemy. He also has an intense hatred for the members of court who come from commoner level families. | ||||
Read more about this topic: List Of The Tudors Characters
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