Characters / The Tudors

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The House of Tudor

Henry VIII

King Henry VIII

Played By: Jonathan Rhys Meyers

The monarch of England and the main focus of the series. He is obsessed with siring a legitimate male heir to inherit his throne and is willing to do anything from tearing England away from the pope to executing his closest friends and advisors if it means he'd get his way. Despite being a charismatic man, many of those close to him must learn to handle his increasingly tyrannical and mercurial rule. The father to Lady Mary, Elizabeth, Henry Fitzroy, and Prince Edward. And the husband to six women, all of whom learn that being wed to him does not mean they are safe from Henry himself.

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• Abusive Parents: He dotes on Mary and Elizabeth... until his marriages to their respective mothers dissolve, after which, he strips them of their legitimacy, banishes them from his court, and occasionally toys with the idea of having them killed. His extreme protectiveness and sheltering of his son, Edward, also is its own form of abuse, which Jane Seymour points out in her Season 4 cameo. Granted, this time Henry really tried to do what he thought was best for him.
• All for Nothing: All his efforts to secure the Tudor Dynasty for generations to come are this. Edward dies young as a teenager and neither Mary nor Elizabeth will have heirs, ending the reign of House Tudor and passing it on to his sister's descendants in House Stuart.
• "Ass" in Ambassador: The man is a walking diplomatic incident, constantly either insulting foreign dignitaries to their faces or capriciously deciding to renegotiate treaties at the drop of a hat.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Henry's hair is black/dark brown in this show. In real life, he was a Fiery Redhead.
• Bad Boss: Not at first, but as time goes on, he not only becomes impossible to satisfy but also has an unfortunate tendency to behead his ministers for simply annoying him.
• Belated Love Epiphany: He weeps in shame reading Katherine of Aragon's farewell letter and her expressing forgiveness for his mistreatment of her and her undying love for him. It could be read simply as guilt, but he clearly is greatly saddened by her death.
• Big Bad: Of the series. Henry might be the protagonist, but he's also a villain through and through, and the foremost authority in England as its anointed king. The various Arc Villains throughout the series only have as much power as he invests in them, so taking them down primarily involves making sure they lose Henry's favor. Ultimately, for most of the characters, the real trial isn't taking down these various favorites so much as surviving Henry's court with their heads intact.
• Boisterous Bruiser: He loved to joust.
• The Bluebeard: He abandons his first wife shortly before she tragically dies (at Katherine of Aragon’s post-mortem a black spot was discovered on her heart, leading people to think Henry or Anne Boleyn poisoned Catherine, though the spot was more likely a sign of cancer), he orders two wives to be executed (one of whom was likely innocent of her charges), and his third wife dies in childbirth. While Jane's death isn't his fault, it adds to his black reputation as a husband. Princess Christina of Denmark, while willing to obey the wishes of the Holy Roman Emperor if he orders her to marry Henry, flatly says she'll only marry him if she had two heads. When Katherine Parr is approached with his marriage proposal, she's terrified for this reason: "You know what happens to his queens! Everyone knows what happens!"
• The Caligula: Henry may see himself as The Good King, though in truth he is closer to being this. By around the end of Season 4, which depicts his last years, England is both broke due to Henry's extravagant lifestyle and several war campaigns that didn't bring any significant gains whatsoever and politically isolated due to the King splitting from the wealthy Catholic Church, his nasty tendency of breaking off deals and treaties (in some cases, only days after signing them) and his tendency to declare war on his neighbors. The few people competent enough to solve this situation, such as Wolsey and Cromwell, are dead due to Henry's paranoid mindset of seeing even the slightest act as a betrayal - even of those 100% loyal to him and him buying into rumors delivered by greedy and corrupt individuals.
• Career-Ending Injury: A crippling leg injury, and an ulcerated leg wound, prevent him from being as physically active in Seasons 3 and 4. He spends the rest of the series walking with a cane.
• The Casanova: If he's not jousting or scheming, he has some maid or lady of court in bed.
• Chewing the Scenery: Whenever Henry's angry or passionate or just trying to make a point no scene would be left unchewed.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: On both a micro-scale (the best way to tell that you're about to be executed is to have Henry come to you and reassure you of your position in his court) and a macro one (he constantly breaks his treaties with France and the Holy Roman Empire).
• Control Freak:
  • Oh, my, yes. As Cromwell realizes (too late) in Season 3, this is the true reason why he began the Reformation: he has no particular theological disagreements with the Catholic Church, he simply won't countenance the idea that someone, somewhere in England might ultimately be under the authority of someone who isn't him.
  • With all of his wives. In a Establishing Character Moment he reveals his Hair-Trigger Temper when he explodes at Catherine teasingly stating she is as clever as her father. He immediately states that she is his wife and must obey him.
• Death Wail: A guilt-ridden one when his old friend Sir Thomas More is executed.
• Disowned Sibling:
  • He throws one of these against his sister when he learns that she has betrayed him by marrying without his permission:
  "How dare you look at me? I am your Lord and Master; not your brother! You are both banished from court. You will relinquish your London houses. You will remove yourself from my sight. [...] And Margaret! I have yet to decide whatever to make your bed-mate a head shorter."
  • Of course, he forgives them later. (In real life, it was his sister Mary who pulled this stunt, not Margaret.)
• Drunk with Power: As he gets older, he starts throwing more and more of his weight around. By the end of Season 2, he's basically become an absolute monarch, and he's clearly let it go to his head.
• Freudian Excuse: His reason for cracking down so hard on the north after the Pilgrimage of Grace Rebellion (and his hardline stance on rebellions in general) is implied to be because he remembers fearing for his and his mother's lives when they were being protected in the Tower of London from a rebellion against his father.
• General Failure: He is every soldier's nightmare general. His army barely held together at Boulogne because of his erratic leadership.
• Glory Seeker: In the first episode, he's shown willing to impoverish his country by going to war with France simply so he can one-up Henry V.
• Gratuitous Rape: Averted. While Henry VIII has been portrayed as a rapist in other works, all of his sexual encounters in this series are consensual; he even explicitly asks one of Katherine of Aragon's ladies for her consent before disrobing her.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: From about Season 2 onward, literally anything can set him off.
• Heal Thyself: Believes his self-made "concoctions" are the best way to ward off disease.
• Heir Club for Men: One of the most infamous examples in real-life history. He takes on multiple different wives and grows more desperate with each failed attempt at gaining a legitimate son.
• Hiding the Handicap: Leaves his own Christmas party with a smile on his face, despite his ulcer causing him incredible pain and a visible limp.
• Historical Beauty Update: Not at first, since Henry was actually considered very attractive in his youth, having blue eyes, red hair, and being very tall and athletic with a muscular build. The trouble is, he stays this way even through the whole show. In Real Life, during his marriage to Anne Boleyn, Henry was involved in a jousting accident where he was unconscious for 2 hours and nearly died. The accident left him with an injured leg, ending his athleticism (possibly giving him brain damage as well) and after Jane Seymour’s death, he had become obese (being at least 400 lbs/180 kg by the time he reached his 50s, making him one of the biggest Trope Codifiers for the Adipose Rex), having a bushy beard, greying hair, and a foul-smelling leg.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Ultimately, it is his own attempts to secure the Tudor Dynasty that lead to its downfall. His long-desired son, Edward, dies as a teenager, partially due to the stress of becoming king at such a young age. His eldest daughter, Mary, marries at a much older age (partially because Henry feared her possible children would be used in a rebellion against them) to where she was unable to have children before her death. And finally, his youngest daughter Elizabeth refused to get married (even though she became queen young enough to have her own children) because her view of marriage was warped by her father's actions and seeing it as a weakness for herself. In the end, Henry only has himself to blame for what would happen to his family.
• Hot-Blooded: Even in his youth, he's passionate and bold. In his old age, he goes from zestful to constantly pissed off.
• Hypocrite: In regards to deals, agreements, and vows, Henry is this to a T.
  • He's outraged at the idea that one of his wives may have been unfaithful to him. Meanwhile, he can't stay faithful to them for more than one episode after the wedding.
  • Henry will get enraged when someone he's allied with either goes back on their agreement or acts without his consent. However Henry himself isn't one to talk, since he constantly switches between allies, will only keep his word if that suits him, and sometimes will even make promises that he never intended to fulfill to begin with.
• Icy Blue Eyes: Supposedly, this is Truth in Television, but there's no way to know for sure.
• Ironic Nickname: In Episode 4 of Season 1, the Pope grants Henry the style "Fidei Defensor" (Defender of the Faith) for his treatise attacking Martin Luther. It won't be long before Henry spends much more time attacking the Catholic Church than defending it...
• Irony: Edward, the son he fought for so many years to have, to the point he outright killed one of his wives on false adultery charges to marry the wife that would give birth to his son, ends up dying young and with no children, effectively making all of Henry's efforts to have him in the first place pointless. To pour even more salt in the wound, the daughter of the aforementioned wife he murdered, Elizabeth, ended up bringing about the golden age he dreamed of, but willingly let the House of Tudor die out because all of Henry's actions caused her to despise the institution of marriage, leading her to have no heirs of her own. Henry must have been rolling in his grave by the time this all went down.
• It's All About Me:
  • He is freely and openly unfaithful with all of his wives, and yet is homicidal at the very idea of one of them being unfaithful to him. Not to mention his court is a revolving door for people who happen to be on his good side at any given time.
  • In one episode, he asks Suffolk how he's doing. After his friend tells him about how his wife miscarried their child, Henry immediately makes the conversation about himself.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: He shows a great deal of remorse for those of his ministers he's had executed, but only because he realizes how good they were at their jobs, not out of any sort of compassion.
• Jerkass Has a Point: While Henry goes to terrible lengths in order to have a legitimate son, he's right to be worried about only having a daughter for an heir. England had never had a queen regnant before, so a woman being the sole ruler would have been contested both at home and abroad. (Also, Henry had no way of knowing that his second daughter, Elizabeth, would become one of the country's most successful monarchs.) Plus the Tudor dynasty itself is distinctly shaky since Henry's father had an incredibly weak claim to the throne and overthrew the previous king; in the first season alone, the Duke of Buckingham tries to usurp the throne in turn, claiming to have a stronger right to it.
• Ladykiller in Love: Subverted. The closest he comes is with Jane Seymour, if only because she both gave him a son and died when their marriage was at its apex. It still didn't stop him from having affairs. The series implies, especially in the series finale, that Anne Boleyn was his great passion (particularly in that her ghost is the only one he actually asks to stay). But to say that he truly loved any of his wives is really... dubious.
• Mr. Fanservice: Spends quite some time shirtless and even shows his naked ass on-screen.
• My Beloved Smother: A Rare Male Example towards Edward; the last episode of the series even implicitly blames his overprotectiveness of his beloved son leading to Edward's early death as a result.

• Never My Fault:
  • His failed marriages are always someone else's fault, usually the unlucky wife's. For example, he convinces himself that the apparent deformity of Anne Boleyn's last miscarried child is ironclad proof of her supposed adultery since obviously, the kid must be someone else's.
  • After the deaths of Wolsey and Cromwell (and the discovery that they were pretty much his only competent advisors), he lays all the blame for their departures on the rest of his Privy Council. While it's true they had a hand in Wolsey and Cromwell's downfalls, it's also true that they would not have occurred if Henry hadn't decided to get rid of them for his own reasons.
• No Sense of Personal Space: When Henry wants to intimidate someone and doesn't go for the Large Ham No Indoor Voice route which is also his custom, he'll usually talk really, uncomfortably close to them. He probably does it deliberately.
• Panicky Expectant Father: Worries and prays his way through Jane Seymour's prolonged labour.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Zigzagged. His last meeting with Suffolk might seem like a Kick the Dog, because he's basically dragging a dying man out of bed to go see him, but it's still a nice moment between him and his Only Friend. He even offers to use his "powers as king" to cure him of his fever. Sadly, it doesn't work.
  • Another one with Suffolk, played straight; Henry is sorry that his friend is estranged from his wife and asks what he can do to help.
  • He's also occasionally affectionate to his daughters and wives, but he gradually discards most of them.
  • Again in the finale he professed his love for all his children, gives them each a place in the succession, and sets his final wife up with a pension and permission to marry whomever she wants.
  • After Jane Seymour's death and her household is dissolved, Lady Missledon tells him of her plans to return home to her mother since she knows her fiance will never marry her after he found out about her affair with the king, he offers to give him one of the abbeys if he agreed to marry her. She graciously refused.
• Requisite Royal Regalia: His square-cut ruby ring, and his many gold livery collars.
• Royally Screwed Up: Throughout the latter part of the series, there have been moments that shown Henry is not all there. He shows paranoia against his advisors, becomes more and more tyrannical as the series goes on, and his moods can change on a dime.
  • The jousting accident in Season 2 caused him to be unconscious for hours (as it did to the real Henry), In real life, being unconscious for more than five minutes is a sign of possible brain damage.
• Serial Romeo: A very dark example.

• Villain Protagonist: The whole series is more or less the story of Henry's descent into infamy, so this is a given.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Within England, certainly. No matter what bastardly things he does, his people are always willing and even eager to blame his advisors (Wolsey, Cromwell, Cranmer, and Anne Boleyn being favorite patsies). Meanwhile, it's a different story outside England — France in particular calls him 'a monster' and 'the English Nero,' and he has great difficulty in finding a fourth wife from European royalty due to the 'divorced, beheaded, died' fates that met his previous queens.

Lady Mary Tudor

Princess/Lady Mary

^{Click here to see the Lady Mary when she was a child.} 

Played By: Blathnaid Mckeown (Season 1), Sarah Bolger (Seasons 2-4)

Henry's eldest and only surviving child by Katherine of Aragon. Raised as a princess but reduced to a bastard during the Great Matter. A fiercely devout Catholic who was forced to watch as her country slowly slips into heresy and vows to one day to restore the old faith in her own way. The future Queen Mary I.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: Like the rest of the Tudors, she had red hair in real life.
• Affectionate Nickname: "Mi preciosa" and "mi cielo" from Katherine of Aragon.
• Big Sister Instinct: Despite what Anne did to her, Mary is a very kind and loving sister to Elizabeth, same with Edward.
• Anti-Villain: She is more sympathetic in this series then she is usually portrayed.
• Blood Lust: They didn't call her "Bloody Mary" for nothing.
• Break the Cutie: She has a pretty tough life after her parents split up.
• Child Prodigy: Reported to have "exceptional talents," particularly in music and Latin, as a little girl. This is Truth in Television as the real-life Mary was able to perform on the harpsichord for a visiting French delegation at the age of four and translated religious works to English by the age of 12.
• Crush Blush: When Duke Philip of Bavaria shares his feelings for her with Anne of Cleves, soon leading to her First Kiss.
• Driven to Villainy: It's implied her parents' tragic divorce has slowly been breaking her to where, by the final season, she is willing to "burn every heretic".
• Domestic Abuse: Her father forbids her from seeing her mother, doesn't allow her to attend her funeral, and then sends thugs to threaten and coerce her into signing a document declaring herself a bastard, as well as betraying her dead mother and her faith.
• Every Proper Lady Should Curtsy: Her curtsy often includes an elegant turn of the head to one side.
• Fainting: Her reaction to Henry reminding the assembly at court, in her presence, that some of them wished for her to be put to death.
• First Mother Wins: Mary is very close to her mother so much she stayed loyal to her even after her death. When her father divorced her for Anne Boleyn, she vowed that she would "recognize no queen but [her] mother". She also referred to Anne in a derogatory sense calling her "harlot" or "the King's mistress".
• Foreshadowing:
  • Any scene in which she vows or wishes to burn heretics. There are several.
  • Sir Richard Rich's kiss on her hand after he assures her that he shares her commitment to restore the Catholic faith.
• God Is Good: Her reaction to the word of Anne Boleyn's impending execution.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: Foreshadowed by a speech she delivers to Chapuys, vowing to "make this unfortunate realm Catholic again" if she ever takes the throne.
• Gratuitous Foreign Language:
  • French, when greeting Henry in Season 1, and in a brief conversation with the French ambassador in Season 4.
  • Latin, when addressing an assembly of northerners, also in Season 4.
  • Spanish, when meeting the Duke of Najera, also in Season 4.
• Guilt Complex: Blames herself for not having been born a boy, as her parents may have stayed married and Henry may never have broken with Rome.
• Has a Type: Smiles with excitement upon being told of a potential Portuguese husband who is "tall, with very dark hair" and "piercing blue eyes." Later falls for the dark-haired and blue-eyed Duke Philip of Bavaria.
• The Hero: To Catholic northerners, plus anyone who supported Katherine of Aragon.
  Robert Aske: Lady, you must know how beloved you are to the people, as was your mother before you, God rest her soul.
• Historical Hero Upgrade: While the show doesn't shy away from her violent hatred of Protestants in Season 4, we are ultimately still made to sympathise with her undeniably horrible circumstances.
• Horrible Judge of Character: In Season 4, she becomes alienated from Katherine Parr, while becoming friendly with Bishop Gardiner and Sir Richard Rich. Parr is a strong Protestant and therefore (to Mary's eyes) an Affably Evil heretic at best.
• The Ingenue: Henry refuses to believe how little she knows of the oft-licentious language of the English court. He sends Sir Francis Bryan to find out, with amusing results. Henry uses exactly this term to describe her in Season 3.

  My daughter knows nothing of the world. She is an innocent, an ingenue.

• In the Hood: Wears a hooded cloak to visit Robert Aske while he is imprisoned.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope/Knight Templar: Toward the end of Season 4, she lets her hatred of the "heretics" consume her, vowing to restore England to the "true faith" no matter how many people she has to burn to do it.
• May–December Romance: Almost has this with her older cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The plan is for them to marry when Mary turns 12; however, Charles decides he can't wait that long and marries Isabella of Portugal instead.
• Odd Friendship: With Anne of Cleves.
• Old Maid: Fears she is becoming this after Katherine Howard gleefully points out how much younger she is than the still unmarried Mary.
• Omni Glot: Proficient in English, French, Spanish and Latin.
• Parent with New Paramour: Five times!
• Prayer Is a Last Resort: And often her first resort, in many cases, but especially when Prince Edward falls ill and the court fears for his life.
• Prayer of Malice: Promises to pray for Bishop Gardiner to succeed in a plan to stop Prince Edward's Protestant education, which "may touch people close to [Mary]."
• Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 4, despite Sarah Bolger having played Mary for the previous two seasons.
• Prone to Tears: She is a very sensitive person and is usually seen crying or sounds sad in most of her scenes. Then again, given the shit she has gone through...
• Proper Lady: In social settings, she is unfailingly polite and gracious to everyone she meets - except Katherine Howard, who turns her into an Ice Queen.
• Protagonist Journey to Villain: The show basically chronicles her path on becoming the fanatical tyrant that history remembers her to be.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift: While banned from court, she dresses mostly in black, leaving everything from the neck down covered. After she is permitted to return, her clothes become much finer, including an array of jewels and the Impossibly-Low Neckline that was the style at the time.
• Sibling Rivalry: Zigzagged. She loves her siblings, but hates that they are being raised as Protestants.
• Tears of Joy: After sharing her First Kiss with Duke Philip of Bavaria.
  Duke Philip: You're crying.
  Lady Mary: Only because I'm so happy.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Her misfortunes slowly take her from a gracious and loving princess who just wants to defend her poor dead mother and faith, to the first glimpses of the bloodthirsty tyrant who would become Bloody Mary.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Blathnaid Mckeown portrays the young Princess Mary as cheerful, playful, and loving – except in her final scene in Season 1, where her solemn departure to Wales hints at the dark turn her character will take after being separated from her mother. Sarah Bolger has a few sweet moments as the grown-up Lady Mary, but in general is very much not the girl she used to be.
• Visionary Villain: Will settle for nothing less than the elimination of Protestantism in England.
• Was Too Hard on Her: Regrets her initial dislike of Anne of Cleves after realizing how much more she dislikes Katherine Howard. It's a long way to come from hoping Anne drowns in the sea to defending her from Katherine Howard's characterization of her as 'a person of no consequence.'
• Who's Laughing Now?: She survives the Protestant Reformation and enacts the Catholic Counter-Reformation as queen. She also outlives king Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer.

Lady Elizabeth Tudor

Princess/Lady Elizabeth

^{Click to see Elizabeth in Season 3} 

^{Click to see Elizabeth in Season 2} 

Played By: Kate Duggan (Season 2), Claire McCauley (Season 3) and Laoise Murray) (Season 4)

Henry's only child by Anne Boleyn. Like her elder sister, Mary, she had been born a princess but once her mother was executed she was reduced to being a bastard. A child prodigy, she's nonetheless viewed as Henry's least favoured child and tends to keep herself quiet in the background. Is close to her siblings but after watching her father's marital adventures vowed never to wed herself. The future Queen Elizabeth I.

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• Child Marriage Veto: Refuses to marry. Anyone. Ever.
• Cute Bookworm: She has mostly been seen in this series with her reading or showing off her book knowledge.
• Daddy's Girl: Doubled Subverted. Despite her father being a total dick to her at times, Elizabeth shows she does love her father very much and admires his approval.
  Mary: The King has waited a long time for a son.
  Elizabeth: But he still loves us.
  Mary: A boy is more important, Elizabeth.
  Elizabeth: I don't think so.
  • However, by the end of the series, Elizabeth seems to have turned against him, since when he sends her away from Whitehall along with Katherine Parr and Mary, she doesn't shed any tears for him but strides off without looking back.
• Fiery Redhead: Implied by Lady Bryan to Mary that Elizabeth is this.
  Mary: I shall retire to the country...and I shall take the Lady Elizabeth with me.
  Lady Bryan: [with a wry smile] And knowing that young lady, you shall have no peace at all.
• Foreshadowing :
  • After Katherine Howard's death, Elizabeth tells her sister she vows to never marry. There's a reason why she's nicknamed the "Virgin Queen". Elizabeth truly did say this at age 9. No doubt her father's six marriages warped her view of marriage.
  • Anne's smile at the end could be a minor hint to Elizabeth's future. In the end, she did give Henry the "son" he wanted... in Elizabeth.
• The Fundamentalist: Downplayed. While she was staunchly Protestant and had similar religious viewpoints of Martin Luther, King Henry VIII, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, she did not want to "make windows into people's souls". While Catholics were executed under her reign (similar to Henry VIII and Edward VI) they were executed for treason, not heresy. She hated Spain and Portugal and helped the "black legend" spread, continued the alliance with Northern European Protestant majority countries, etc. Even other tolerant monarchs at the time such as King Henry IV of France kept his distance from her. At the same time, some hardcore Protestants at the time thought she did not go far enough and left for the Netherlands, other Northern European countries, Switzerland, and North America to spread their Protestant views there.
• Future Badass: There have been some hints of this in the show. Although a minor character, anyone who knows English history knows she becomes by far the most successful monarch out of Henry's children. There's a reason Anne's ghost gives a coy grin to Henry as she leaves.
• Hot-Blooded: Surprisingly subverted slightly. Even other tolerant monarchs at the time such as King Henry IV of France kept his distance from her when she was queen. She's had a couple of hints of this, but is usually seen with a level head. Then again, this is before she became Queen.
• Omni Glot: Elizabeth was known for being fluent in French, Italian, Latin, and Greek. In Season 3, Elizabeth shows off her knowledge of other languages to her father and in Season 4 is tutoring Edward.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift: Like Mary, Elizabeth's clothing becomes much more elaborate after she is welcomed back to court, and even more so after she is restored to the line of succession. Special mention goes to the frilled white collar she wears when she appears in Henry's vision of Anne Boleyn, which looks exactly like the one in the famous "Darnley portrait" of Elizabeth I.[1]◊
• So Proud of You: In the final episode, Anne Boleyn states how proud of Elizabeth she is. Henry also admits he is very proud of Elizabeth and admires her cleverness. However, the fact that she is Anne's daughter puts a strain on his relationship with her.
  Henry: Why are you here?
  Anne: To see my daughter. She was the only pure thing in my life and in my life, I neglected her because she was only a girl and I wanted so much to give you a son. But now I'm so proud of her. Fiercely proud. She is so clever... you must be proud of her too, Henry.
  Henry: I am very proud of her. And I know how clever she is. And I wish I could love her more. But from time to time, she reminds me of you, and what you did to me.
• Stepford Smiler: She spends a lot of time being extremely pleasant and polite to everyone around her, especially her father. However, her unemotional reaction to his impending death suggests her good behavior is rooted in her need to keep herself safe by cultivating goodwill.

Prince Edward

Prince Edward

Played By: Eoin Murtagh, Jack Hathaway

Henry's only sole legitimate son by way of Jane Seymour. Another child prodigy, his birth was marred by the fact that his mother died days later due to childbirth fever. He is Henry's pride and joy but due to the fact he's Henry's only son, he's overprotected and sheltered by everyone around him. The future Edward VI.

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• Adorably Precocious Child: Though clearly very rehearsed, he has an exceptional vocabulary for a child.
• The Fundamentalist: As a king. He is one of the most fanatical Protestants in this series alongside Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer. So much so that even Protestants at the time thought he was going way too far.
• Regal Ringlets: Has a head full of gorgeous blond curls.
• Someone to Remember Him By: As in real life, his mother doesn't last long after his birth.
• Too Good for This Sinful Earth: The series finale foreshadows that despite Henry pinning all his hopes for the Tudor dynasty on him, he will die young like his mother.
• Tragic Keepsake: Keeps a locket containing a picture of his mother, Jane Seymour, as well as her thimble.

Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret

Played By: Gabrielle Anwar

Henry's sister, the former Queen of Portugal, and Henry Brandon's first wife. A combination of Henry's two Real Life sisters, she's just as headstrong and as passionate as her brother. After being forced to wed to a man old enough to be her grandfather, she murdered her then-spouse and then married Charles Brandon without Henry's permission. Punished with banishment, she and Charles watched as their marriage deteriorate. Unfortunately, before Charles could reconcile with her, she dies from consumption.

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• Arranged Marriage: With the old and decrepit king of Portugal. She makes sure it doesn't last long.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Charles Brandon, leading to a verbal Slap-Slap-Kiss on the ship to Portugal.
• Composite Character: Henry VIII had two sisters, Margaret and Mary. The show keeps the name that would lead to less confusion with his daughter Mary.
• Continuity Snarl: Henry's only having one sister in the show, who dies childless, makes Henry calling the King of Scotland his nephew in Season 3 rather inexplicable. In real life, of course, this is because he was the son of Margaret, whose own story was removed (the show's Margaret has the rough biography of the sister named Mary). It's also fortunate the show didn't extend to Elizabeth's reign, as it would have had quite the pickle in explaining why Mary, Queen of Scots was advocated as a claimant to the English throne.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Quite cold and dismissive of Charles until he is assigned to escort her to Portugal. A glimpse of his shirtlessness makes her feel differently, leading to an Immodest Orgasm at sea.
• The Exile: She and Charles are banished from court after marrying without Henry's consent.
• Incurable Cough of Death: Dies of consumption, resulting in a very great deal of Blood from the Mouth.
• Lady Macbeth: Encourages Charles to use Wolsey's past kindness to get back into Henry's good graces.
• Tantrum Throwing: After she and Charles are banished from court, leading to another Slap-Slap-Kiss.
• You Said You Would Let Them Go: Believes Henry agreed to her demand to be allowed to choose her next husband after the death of her first, the elderly king of Portugal. He never did.

King Henry's Six Wives

Katherine of Aragon

Katherine of Aragon

Played By: Maria Doyle Kennedy

Henry's first wife and mother of Mary. Katherine was a daughter of the Catholic Monarchs and gained the support of the English people, but only sired one living child. A lack of legitimate male heir eventually led to Henry finding a way to have their marriage annulled, but due to political circumstances instead of a quick annulment, there were 7 years of court stall tactics and pressure as she refused all of his attempts to annul their marriage. Tired of waiting, he broke away from the Catholic Church, creating his own where he is the supreme head, had their marriage annulled, banished her from court, and forbid Mary to see her ever again. Forced to watch as her husband marries one of her ladies and her daughter is reduced to a royal bastard, Katherine died from an illness only a few years later, abandoned but still believing that her queenship as true and lawful in the eyes of God.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: Like her husband, the real Katherine of Aragon was a redhead, but is portrayed as a brunette in this series.
• Brainy Brunette: As a Spanish princess and the long-standing Queen of England, Katherine is highly educated and intelligent, aware and involved in diplomacy as well as both secular and religious matters.
• Break the Haughty: Her divorce and banishment from the court.
• Defiant to the End: Never stops referring to herself as Queen of England and the King's true and legitimate wife. status as queen.
• Earthy Barefoot Character: Walks barefoot in the rain into a humble chapel as a sign of humility.
• Get Thee to a Nunnery: Was offered this as an alternative to the annulment, she refused.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: Averted. Henry fears the daughter of Isabella I of Castile will go to war in order to defend her own daughter's claim, but she is determined never to hurt him on purpose. In real life, while England was at war with Scotland in 1513, Katherine rode north in full armour while heavily pregnant to rally the troops, perhaps giving Henry extra reason to fear this.
• Grand Dame: She has traits of this, being a formidable and unyielding Proper Lady.
• Gratuitous Spanish: Slips some Spanish phrases into her regular speech, especially in sweet moments with Mary or tense moments with Anne Boleyn. Subverted as her Spanish is not gratuitous when sensitive information is being discussed with her country's ambassador.
• The High Queen: Charitable to the common people, well-connected, loyal and faithful to the royal family, and beautiful on top of all of that. The only thing she doesn't have going for her is the lack of a living son.
• Iron Lady: She acts this way, refusing to bend to Henry's demands and maintaining her dignity.
• Lightning Bruiser: She is this the most out of all of king Henry VIII's wives.
• Mama Bear: She is very protective and loving of her only surviving child Mary. Katherine tries to prevent Henry from betrothing young Mary to potential husbands who might prove wrong, and continues to fight for her daughter's rights even as her own are stripped away.
• Nice to the Waiter: She is thoughtful and unreservedly kind to her servants, which is why they collapse into sobs upon her death.
• Phenotype Stereotype: In real life, she had fair skin, red hair, and blue eyes; in this series, she has black hair, which makes her look more recognizably Spanish. She does have blue eyes and fairly pale skin, which is an improvement over most depictions of her. Ironically, her actress is Irish — who are usually thought of as fair-skinned and red-haired, as indeed Kennedy is in real life!
• Renaissance Woman: She is the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain after all.
• Spell My Name With An S: As in real life, the very first letter of her name is interchangeable between C and K. The show opted to use the latter.
• Taking the Veil: Averted; Henry's courtiers believe she can be persuaded to do this to make way for Anne Boleyn, but she refuses.
• Tranquil Fury: All over her face when she rather sarcastically toasts Henry on the birth of his illegitimate son.
• Universally Beloved Leader: Almost universally beloved across Europe. She was incredibly beloved by the common people even decades after her death - Truth in Television - which proved a significant advantage when her daughter needed to fight for the throne. Even Reformists like Thomas Cromwell, who played a big part in her banishment from court, at least pitied and respected her. And it says a lot that even the French court, her family's sworn enemies, recognized her as the legitimate Queen of England.
• Unwanted Spouse: One of the most famous in history. After years of marriage without a living male heir and with growing philosophical differences, Henry grew tired of Katherine and went so far as to break with the Catholic Church so that he could divorce her. Historically speaking, she originally married Henry's older brother, Arthur Tudor. However, he passed away after a few months, and Katherine later became Henry's wife.

Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn

Played By: Natalie Dormer

Henry's second wife and mother of Elizabeth. A passionate reformer and sophisticated beauty, Anne caught the eye of the King of England but refused to become his mistress, vowing her virginity was meant for her husband only. Dazzled by her promise of a legitimate son, he made moves to annul his first marriage with Katherine but even he and everyone in Europe could not have guessed just how tumultuous that move turned out to be. Unfortunately, after years of waiting and after breaking away from the Pope and executing some of his closest friends to do so she was only able to carry one daughter to term. Several miscarriages followed, the last ended with a young stillborn son. Henry, now tired of her passion, jealousy and broken promises had her executed on trumped up charges.

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• 0% Approval Rating: Got this treatment from the people of England and the whole of Europe as she was deemed 'the other woman' and the main scapegoat of the Great Matter. It does not help that she is a reformist and is blamed for the rise of Protestantism in, back then, a Catholic England.
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Pleads for one more chance to give Henry a son after her second miscarriage, by which point their marriage has broken down completely.
  Anne: Your majesty, I beseech you!
• Alas, Poor Villain: Despite how unpopular she was amongst the people of England as well as abroad, her execution was not considered justified. Even the Duchess of Milan, Katherine of Aragon's own niece, brings it up when Henry's ministers ask her to marry Henry, saying Anne was an innocent put to death.
• Alpha Bitch: She acts this way even before becoming queen. It becomes even more apparent as she becomes queen.
• Am I Just a Toy to You?: Expresses concern that she will have to ask this of Henry if she follows her father's orders to seduce him.
  Anne: Even if he had me, who is to say he would keep me?
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: Most people are not sad when she dies. Mary was especially exultant thinking, wrongly, things would go back as it was before.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Tries this when it finally sinks in, far too late, that she's lost Henry's favor. It doesn't work.
  Anne: I love you a thousand times more than Katherine ever did!
• Arc Villain: Of Season 2, though she's something of a Villain Protagonist.
• Awesome Moment of Crowning: Henry crowns her himself using St Edward's Crown, normally reserved for the monarch regnant, while a slower and more epic version of the show's theme swells in the background.
• The Baroness: She can be fierce and domineering.
• Becoming the Mask: Is sent in to seduce Henry for her family's ambitions, but falls genuinely in love with him, which makes her story all the more heartbreaking.
• Betty and Veronica: She is involved in two love triangles of this sort, and is the Veronica both times. In the first instance, this works out well for her. The second time around... Not so much.
• Brainy Brunette: Although her intelligence is aimed at other goals than Katherine of Aragon's, Anne is another educated and clever queen.
• Break the Haughty: Her downfall, imprisonment and execution.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Once married to the king, Anne is not nearly as patient or willing to turn a blind eye to his affairs as Katherine was. It's especially notable when she complains (rather, rambles about it, and to a side character who barely had any idea how to respond) about the king's disappearances in a very teenager way ("Can you believe that?!"), as well as imagining him with a harem of his own. However, this is Henry we're talking about, so it's not like her jealousy is not justified.
• Commonality Connection: She's known to be inclined in supporting England's allegiance to France, due to her having been raised there and because of France's mutual hatred of Spain. In Real Life Anne was known for being quite French in her tastes and one French man even called her as having the grace of a native born French woman. This is why she and Francis can be considered mutual allies. However, due to the ever fickle nature between these three countries, Francis will not hesitate to abandon Anne if it benefits him. Anne, due to the nature of her background, is a bit more loyal and when pressed to insult France because Henry wanted a new alliance with Spain, she finds it incredibly difficult to do naturally and many considered her actions as deeply out of character of her.
• Competition Freak: She is the most competitive of the six wives by far.
• Control Freak: Not to the extent of Henry VIII, but she does how signs of this.
• Dark Mistress: Before she married Henry.
• Death Glare: She gives one to Katherine of Aragon, Cardinal Wosley, Thomas More, John Fisher and Jane Seymour, among others.
• Did They or Didn't They?: The nature of her previous relationship with Sir Thomas Wyatt is never perfectly clear.
• Disappointed in You: To House Howard. The Howards are a devoutly Catholic noble house who takes part in Anne Boleyns' downfall, though it is not shown.
• Dramatic Sit-Down: After she learns Francis rejected the betrothal of his son to Elizabeth because he believes she's a bastard.
• Entitled Bitch: She is extremly entitled. In her eyes, she deserves all kinds of special privileges and treatment just because she is the queen.
• Extreme Doormat: While not usually this with others, she tends to defer to her father. He controls her by threatening her, even physically abusing her as he sees her as a way to power.
• Face Death with Dignity: From her arrest to her execution, save a few brief moments of distress, she remains remarkably dignified and calm in the face of death.
• Femme Fatale: She is very beautiful and seductive, which she uses for her ambitions.
• Final Speech: Her execution speech moves the crowd to tears and prayer, and even makes the executioner beg her to "forgive [him] for what [he] must do."
  Good Christian people, I have come here to die, according to the law, and thus yield myself to the will of the King, my Lord. And if I ever in my life I did offend the King's grace, then surely with my death I do now atone. I pray and beseech you all to pray for the life of the King, my sovereign Lord and yours, who is one of the best princes of the Earth, who has always treated me so well. Wherefore I submit to death with a good will, humbly asking for pardon from all the world. If anyone should take up my case, I ask them only to judge it kindly.... Thus I take my leave of the world and of you. I heartily desire all of you to pray for me.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Played around with. At first, she does feel like the more responsible sibling, working hard to ensure her family's ambition and the rise of their court. She's also shocked and sides with her father when Mary wedded a man far below her station and without permission at that, making Mary the foolish one. She also has shades of this with George, who tended to be reckless and foolish as well. It's only when she's executed that people viewed Anne (and George) as the foolish ones and Mary the responsible one, as banishment allowed her to escape persecution.
• The Fundamentalist: One of the most fanatical Protestants in the series alongside Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer. She also shares their anti-Catholicism.
• Gratuitous French: When meeting the new French ambassador, whose English is perfect, in Season 1.
• Green-Eyed Monster: When it comes to Jane Seymour.
• Happy Flashback: While preparing for her execution, to a day spent playing with her father and siblings when she was a child.
• Hidden Agenda Villain: YMMV on the villain part but at first it seems like she's only there to marry Henry and become Queen but as the show goes it's shown that aside from that she also wished to introduce the Christian Reformation to England, and works hard to achieve that. She attempts to use the assets taken from the temples to increase welfare and does charity work like Katherine of Aragon did.
• Historical Beauty Update: The real-life Anne was not particularly beautiful, in a time where pale, fair-haired women were considered traditionally attractive, Anne had olive skin, brown (almost black) eyes, long black hair, a very slender build and a tooth that was larger than the rest of her teeth. Henry VIII was attracted to her dazzling wit and humour. However, Anne did have a bold sense of fashion.
• Hold My Glasses: Her maids remove her pearl necklace and earrings in the final seconds before her beheading. This is something of a Call-Back as she is wearing the exact same necklace and earrings during a particularly nasty argument with Henry four episodes prior.

  Henry: Don't you know that I can drag you down as quickly as I raised you?! 'Tis lucky you have your bed already, madam, because if you did not, I would not give it to you again!

• Hot-Blooded: Her fiery passion attracts Henry early on, but eventually is used against her when he wants to be free of their marriage.
• Hypocrite:
  • Became Queen by becoming one of the King's mistresses and encouraging him to get rid of his first wife but is absolutely irate at the possibility that Jane Seymour could be doing the same. It would seem that Anne only has a problem with infidelity when she's the wronged party.
  • Anne disowns her older sister Mary Boleyn (along with her father) for marrying William Stafford, who is a soldier of lower-class. William had nothing to off Mary, no title, no land, while Mary was the sister to the Queen of England. Despite this, Anne seduced Mary’s former lover, King Henry VIII, and married him, as a noblewoman, not a foreign princess like most wives of Kings. Yet Anne has a problem with her sister marrying someone poorer than them.
• In Love with Your Carnage: She seems to be sexually aroused Henry's violent fits and brutal temper.
• Icy Blue Eyes: Unlike Henry, this is almost certainly not historically accurate.
• Inspirational Insult: Begins sharing her father's motivations after Cardinal Wolsey calls her a "silly little girl."
• Ironic Echo: Her death, long after Henry comments that he loves her neck and shortly after threatening to have Cromwell "cropped at the neck" after he displeases her.
• Irony: Despite her downfall, her legacy ends up surpassing both her predecessor's and every single one of her successors' legacies thanks to her daughter becoming the most famed and successful monarch of the Tudor dynasty by far, arguably surpassing even Henry himself. Meanwhile, the son Henry so desperately craved and ultimately killed Anne for, which was born by Anne's immediate successor Jane Seymour, ended up dying at fifteen with no children, effectively making a mockery of all his father's attempts to secure the dynasty by having him in the first place. To top it off, her daughter Elizabeth effectively ended the Tudor dynasty willingly because her view of marriage was warped by her father's actions, including his decision to order the death of her own mother, by choosing not to marry and have children. Ultimately, Anne in death is more victorious than she ever was in life, and she manages to effectively spite all her rivals, including Henry, from beyond the grave.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Anne can be manipulative, selfish, and ambitious (and influences Henry to increase these traits in himself), but she is also loyal to her family (poor sense of judgement in that though), grows to love Henry, and adores her daughter Elizabeth.
• Lady-In-Waiting: To Katherine of Aragon.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Henry's affair with Jane is awfully familiar...
• Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Anne Boleyn is the dark feminine to Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymore and Mary Boleyn's light feminine.
• Mama Bear: Truth in Television, she was a devoted mother to Elizabeth and for a Queen, unusually interested in her early years.
• Manipulative Bitch: Not to the same extent as most portrayals, but she still is shown this way.
• Make-Out Kids: She and Henry are these before they are married.
• Making Love in All the Wrong Places: Consummates her relationship with Henry in the woods. She refuses to let him.... finish though, much to his frustration.
• Motherly Side Plait: Right after she gives birth to Elizabeth and is cuddling her in bed.
• Ms. Fanservice: One of the more sexualized of Henry's wives.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Her passion charmed Henry, yet it was the same behaviour that repulsed him once she miscarried her babies and led her to the scaffold.
• Nice to the Waiter: When one of her maids fell ill, Anne actually went to hug and comfort her, even as it became clear said maid was stricken by the Sweating Sickness.
• New Era Speech: Delivers one of these to her servants regarding the Reformation.
• Noble Bigot: Despises the Spanish - but only because Katherine of Aragon is Spanish and Anne viewed Katherine as the biggest obstacle to her marrying Henry. Especially since it was due to Spain's interference that the original goal of obtaining an annulment from the Pope became out of reach.
• Not Like Other Girls: Causes a minor stir at court upon her arrival thanks to her French style of dressing and more openly flirtatious manner.

• Odd Friendship: With the stauchly Catholic (but still tolerant) Margeret of Austria. Margeret would not have approved of what she did to Katherine of Aragon, who was her relative, however.
• Oh, Crap!: Has a nonverbal case of this upon learning that all the other major royal, political, and religious leaders in Europe consider Katherine to still be Henry's lawful wife.
• Permission to Speak Freely: Zig-zagged; she doesn't think she needs this from Katherine of Aragon and is quickly corrected.
  Katherine: He will tire of you, like all the others.
  Anne: And what if he does not?
  Katherine: I did not give you permission to speak! You are a servant!
• Playing Hard to Get: Will not accept gifts or premarital sex from Henry. She ends up accepting both.
• Properly Paranoid: After her marriage, she gets increasingly paranoid about the king's new affairs, her enemies at court, Katherine and Lady Mary's possible attempts to plot against her (the look on her face when she hears that Mary will be the one attending to her infant daughter Elizabeth has "uh oh" written all over it) and even the king himself once his powers become absolute. Then again, she does have plenty of enemies trying to put her down, and she's not wrong when saying that the king can do whatever he pleases and then take it back, including putting her daughter on the line of succession and then taking her out again.
• Purple Is Powerful: Causes a stir at court when she wears "the color of royalty" while Henry is still married to Katherine.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: She is the Red Oni to Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour and Mary Boleyn's Blue Oni.
• Rich Bitch: As queen, she acts this way. She pretends to be more rich then she actually is before coming queen.
• Self-Made Woman: She sees herself this way. Despite the fact that she would not be in her position without the aid of her family, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Once she starts actually throwing her weight around at court, it becomes glaringly obvious that she has little intrinsic political worth. Henry's advisers, for example, bristle whenever she voices her objection to policies, and when she can't bear Henry a son, Henry tires of her and has her executed.
• Taking the Veil: After one too many delays, she wondered if this was going to be her final fate. Unfortunately for her, Henry was determined that she be executed.
• Verbal Irony: Her motto as queen is "The Most Happy." By the end of her life, she was anything but that.
• Wicked Stepmother: She's most definitely this to Mary. Although she does offer an olive branch towards Mary during a visit to Elizabeth, asking Mary to acknowledge her and in return, Anne would ask the King to restore her to his affections. Mary understandably rejects this and even insults her to her face.
• Unsportsmanlike Gloating: She is not gracious in victory. She openly gloats at the deaths of Cardinal Wosley, Katherine of Aragon, Thomas More and John Fisher among others.
• War Hawk: She absolutely loves the idea of going to war with Spain and Portugal. It doesn't happen, however.
• You Have Out Lived Your Usefulness: As soon as she miscarried the second time, Henry grew tired of her and plans to have her executed on false charges so that he could wed Jane Seymour.

Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour by Annabelle Wallis (Season 3)

^{Jane Seymour by Anita Briem (Season 2)} 

Played By: Anita Briem (Season 2), Annabelle Wallis (Seasons 3&4)

Henry's third wife and mother to his only legitimate son. One of Anne Boleyn's Lady-In-Waiting, Jane was the opposite of his second wife. After Anne's execution, she weds Henry only to find that her position is even more precarious than either of her predecessors. A faithful Catholic, she wished to one day be able to steer her husband back to the old faith. She was also instrumental is bringing both Mary and Elizabeth back to court, thus uniting Henry's family together for the first time in years. However, after a protracted child birth, she died from childbed fever but not before giving Henry the son he had always wanted.

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: The real-life Jane Seymour was said to have been rather plain.
• Death by Childbirth: Dies shortly after giving birth to Edward.
• Doomed Moral Victor: She tries to keep the peace between England, Spain, and France. She also tries to have the monasteries restored and return England to Catholicism but fails.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Downplayed as she was never so vehement, but she does say something to this effect after learning from Lady Rochford that Henry has taken a mistress.
• Ermine Cape Effect: Almost always wears a tiara, even when she's just eating lunch.
• Good Stepmother: One of the reasons for her to marry Henry was to restore Mary back at court. Once she does that she even worked to ensure Elizabeth is welcomed back as well.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: The blonde Jane is by far the sweetest and gentlest of the queens.
• Heroic Seductress: Her main role.
• Historical Beauty Update: The real Jane was thought to be rather plain. She was short, pale, had a large nose, small eyes, and wasn’t very fashionable, her only feature considered attractive being her long, blonde hair (which was quite rare at the time). Like Anne Boleyn, Henry seems to have fallen in love with Jane because of her personality. Anne was confident, witty and funny, while Jane was shy, reserved and kind. It’s likely Henry loved her for being so different to Anne.
• The High Queen: Jane become Queen, 10 days after Anne Boleyn's execution. She was also a kind woman who was loved by many.
• Historical Hero Upgrade: In real life, Jane was kind to Mary but indifferent to Elizabeth. She never invited Elizabeth to court or tried to help Elizabeth, and her attention was focused on Mary.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: She is viewed as this, although she started as the King's mistress, her conduct and submissive personality gave her this air.
• Lady-In-Waiting: To Anne Boleyn. "Lady In Waiting" is also the title of the episode in which she reports for duty.
• Leitmotif: She gets two for her scenes with Henry: this wistful tune in Season 2, and this bittersweet tune in Season 3.
• Light Is Good: She is often portrayed in bright light settings and she is heroic.
• The Lost Lenore: Henry mourns her after her death and cries that he misses her. How much he loved her is debated, but he does show some grief.
• Nice Girl: Sweet Jane is the polar opposite of her predecessor, the fiery Anne Boleyn.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Her ghost accuses the elderly Henry of condemning Edward to an early death by overprotecting him.
• Odd Name Out: The only wife of Henry not named Katherine or Anne.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Icelandic-born Anita Briem struggled with Jane's received pronunciation.
• The Other Darrin: The only time the show lost an actor whose character could not simply be written around.
• Please, Don't Leave Me: Henry's last words to her.
  Henry: Don't go. Please, don't go. Just because you have done everything that you promised, please don't leave me.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Refuses to accept a purse from Henry while he tries to court her, on the ground that she wishes to protect her honor. She's just Playing Hard to Get, though.
• Stiff Upper Lip: Her reaction to being informed that Henry has taken one of her ladies-in-waiting as a mistress; at this point, she knows she is about to give him a reason to be loyal to her.
  Jane: He must do as he will. It is we, Lady Rochford, who must always honor and obey.
• Textile Work Is Feminine: Shown working with an embroidery hoop, plus Prince Edward keeps her thimble to remember her. The real Jane Seymour was known to be an exceptional embroiderer.
• Token Good Teammate: Alongside her father, she is the only Seymour who is not a villain in this series.
• Together in Death: Henry's last wish is to be buried next to her, with their effigies "fashioned as if [they] are sweetly sleeping."
• Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Dies in childbirth, though not before giving birth to Henry's only living son, Prince Edward.
• Wacky Cravings: Develops a taste for quail eggs while pregnant with Edward. In real life, she craved quail itself, not the eggs.

Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves

Played By: Joss Stone

Henry's fourth wife and the only one of his spouses whom he wedded before seeing her. Due to a cultural clash, Anne accidentally repulses Henry who then rejected her. At first, he was unable to call the wedding off due to the current political climate weds her albeit grudgingly. Unfortunately, neither of them were able to make the marriage work and Henry soon found himself falling in love with the young Katherine Howard. After the alliance between Henry and Anne's brothers were no longer worth keeping, Henry began the process to annul his marriage to her. Fearing for her life, she accepted and was soon raised to the rank of the King's sister and is known as the one of his two wives who survived him. The failure of this marriage led to Thomas Cromwell's downfall and execution.

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: Henry screams that "She looks like a horse!" Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but most viewers couldn't figure out why he would think that. Although, many historians have come to doubt that Anne was unattractive and think Henry may have spread this rumor to cover his impotence and/or the fact that Anne was not immediately smitten with him, making this Truth in Television.
• Adaptational Dye-Job: The real Anne of Cleves was Blonde, but is a Brunette in this.
• All-Loving Heroine: Likes the company of most people. It does not matter to her whether they are Catholic or Protestant.
• Amicably Divorced: Considering his other break-ups, she got the best from her annulment: an estate of her own in England, a welcoming place in court, and the freedom, both financial and marital, to do pretty much whatever she wanted for the rest of her life. So amicably, in fact, that Henry actually grows attracted to her and even sleeps with her! Cromwell must be rolling in his grave...
• Break the Cutie: Her divorce and removal as queen.
• Better as Friends: She and Henry realize quickly that they are this. And because she accepts this and not fight the divorce, they actually do remain friends. The real Henry VIII referred to his ex-queen as "his beloved sister."
• Contrasting Replacement Character: To Anne Boleyn. She lacks Anne Boleyn's violent anti-Catholicism, racism against the Spanish and Portugese and fanatical Protestantism. She also is greatly turned off by king Henry VIII's depraved and cantekerous personality. Also, while King Henry VIII was smitten by Anne Boleyn, he is disgusted by Anne of Cleves. To put things in perspective, while even Mary Tudor and Bishop Gardiner respects her, they both hated Anne Boleyn.
• Did They or Didn't They?: Ends up taking Henry into her bed while he is married to Katherine Howard. They wake up fully clothed.
• Dramatic Sit-Down: After she is informed of the annulment of her marriage to Henry.
• Friend to All Children: She loves children.
• Good Stepmother: She is a loving stepmother to all of King Henry VIII's children. In real life, she said that being Elizabeth's mother would have brought her greater happiness than being Queen of England, and her first request after the divorce was Henry's permission for Elizabeth to visit her.
• Gratuitous German: Lapses into this when airing her grievances with Henry to Cromwell.
• Heroes Love Dogs: Delighted when Katherine Howard gifts her the puppies she received from Henry for Christmas.
• Insatiable Newlyweds: As averted as humanly possible, as she is evidently terrified and Henry can't bring himself to do anything.
• Love at First Sight: A platonic variant, regarding Mary and Elizabeth. While evidence suggests that she was not much more thrilled to be married to Henry than Henry was to be married to her, she was immediately fond of her two stepdaughters. While her remark that she would love them as her own was likely said at first to be polite, she maintained her relationship with both of them after divorcing their father, and seems to have sincerely loved them both.
• Mate or Die: Fears this is the choice before her after months of non-consummation.
  Anne: If I cannot please the King... will he kill me?
• Mysterious Veil: The first time we ever see Anne, she and her sister Amalia are each wearing one of these; their brother, the Duke of Cleves, does not want anyone from Henry's court to see their faces until a betrothal is secured.
• Nice Girl: Unfailingly kind to Henry after their annulment, as well as Katherine Howard.
• Odd Friendship: With Mary Tudor and Bishop Gardiner both of whom are fanatical Catholics, while Anne is a Lutheran. However, Anne was raised a Catholic by her mother and would later convert to Catholicism during Mary’s reign.
• Parental Substitute: Since Elizabeth rarely comes to court until Henry marries Katherine Parr, Anne frequently invites her, as well as Mary, to her own estate.
• Returning the Wedding Ring: Asks Henry (kindly) to "break it into pieces, as a thing of no value."
• Sexless Marriage: Played straight, she and Henry never consummate their marriage due to his distaste for her. Ironically, this ends up working out to her advantage. Upon their divorce, she's informed that due to remaining a virgin, she's allowed to remarry whomever she wishes.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: Henry's reaction to her arrival at court for Christmas.
• Unwanted Spouse: On both sides. Henry finds her accidental rejection of him repulsive while she finds him intolerable. Fortunately, they turned out better separated and as friends.

Catherine Howard

Catherine Howard

Played By: Tamzin Merchant

Henry's fifth wife and the youngest among the all. Catherine was barely an adult when she caught Henry's eyes and was more concerned with having a fun time rather than understanding her role as queen. Immature and reckless, she fell in love with Thomas Culpepper and soon entered into an affair with him. A former lover of hers prior to her marriage returned to her life, making statements that led to an investigation regarding her past. After finding out, Henry had her and all her lovers executed for treason.

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• 0% Approval Rating: Despite Henry's affections, Catherine proves to be very unpopular due to her immaturity. She sees this firsthand when the people of England cheer for Mary, her enemy, and doesn't even notice Katherine's absence. She punishes Mary for her lack of respect but even Elizabeth, who is polite to her, truthfully can't stand her either.
• Affectionate Nickname: Henry calls her his "rose without a thorn."
• Anti-Hero: Catherine is sweet-natured, vivacious, helpful, altruistic (for the most part), kind, tolerant, and tries to be a good person. She is also ditzy, shallow, spoiled, lustful, weak, cowardly, and has a poor judge of character.
• Blackmail: Appoints Francis Dereham, one of her past lovers, as her private secretary to keep him quiet about their history, which backfires against both of them. Fear of this may be why she appoints her ex-roommate Joan Bulmer as one of her ladies-in-waiting.
• Brainless Beauty: Cares little about anything other than pleasing herself, and her thoughtlessness has fatal consequences.
• Break the Cutie: Her imprisonment and execution.
• Bring My Brown Pants: She wets herself while watching Lady Rochford's execution.
• Confessional: Averted. She is offered the opportunity to confess before her execution, but declines:
  I have spoken to God so rarely that I do not believe he would know who I was.
  • This is Artistic License – History as the real Katherine did make a confession.
• Diamonds in the Buff: The first time we see her in Season 4, she is wearing nothing but a diamond necklace, unless you count the rose petals strategically covering her body.
• Dissonant Serenity: After an initial Freak Out following her arrest, she settles into this instead.
• Distracted by the Luxury: Since Henry gifts her new jewels and dresses nearly every day, it's hard to see how this couldn't happen to her.
• Driven to Villainy: Against Mary. Despite an initial attempt at friendship, Mary's disrespect drives Catherine to make some especially cutting remarks about her superior marital status.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: It truly hits her how little the people of England think of her when she oversleeps and misses a speech she was supposed to give, which Mary handles in her place. No one notices her absence and greets Mary with roaring celebration.
• Dumb Blonde: Speaks with a ditzy voice, lacks queenly dignity, and is a sharp contrast to the well-educated, intelligent queens before and after her.
• Dying Declaration of Love:
  I die a queen, but I would rather die the wife of Culpeper!
• False Rape Accusation: Tries to use one of these to escape adultery charges. It doesn't work.
• Femme Fatale: A more benevolent version when compared to Anne Boleyn.
• First Blood: A variation. Her execution takes place off-screen, but a few drops of blood from the previous execution of Lady Rochford fall from the headsman's axe onto Catherine’s neck as he raises it for the final blow.
  • More Artistic License – History as Catherine was executed before Lady Rochford in real life.
• Food as Bribe: When trying to become friends with Mary.
  Catherine: Will you stay awhile? My maids have made some cakes.
  Mary: No.
• Historical Villain Upgrade: While not exactly a villain on the show, she is portrayed as petty, air-headed, and hedonistic, while in real life she was said to be rather sweet. She also made amends with Princess Mary. That historical fact is left out. The historical Katherine Howard was quite kind during her brief reign as queen, even towards prisoners.
• Idealized Sex: With Henry. In real life, he was grotesquely obese and infirm by the time he had married Katherine, and sex would not have been enjoyable with a partner in such a condition. Here, given Henry is more attractive and healthy, she apparently enjoys his company a great deal. A notable exception is in episode 4.04, in which sex with Henry is more of an obligation as she would rather be with Culpeper.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's more ditzy and clumsy then actually evil. She can be spoiled, but she's not mean-spirited and callous. She also gets over her jealousy towards Anne of Cleves.
• Laugh of Love: She does this when she is around king Henry VIII. Also when they are having sex.
• Leitmotif: This one, during her sexual scenes with either Henry or Culpeper.
• Making Love in All the Wrong Places: One of her encounters with Culpeper takes place in a stool closet.
• May–December Romance: The real Katherine was around 16 when she married the 49-year-old Henry. In the show, she is 17 when Henry marries her; with him even boasting about her young age.
• Ms. Fanservice: She is seen naked at least once per episode and is known as the most sexualized of Henry's wives - even compared to Anne Boleyn.
• Naïve Everygirl: She has no special skills and is usually clueless as to what is going on.
• Parental Abandonment: She grew up under the very lax supervision of her step-grandmother the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, who either turned a blind eye or was completely unaware of her dalliances with other men.
• Parenting the Husband: Gender inverted. Catherine is even younger than Henry's eldest daughter. This shows as he witnesses her giddy exuberance with all the energy of a teenager's father, and spoils her rotten.
• Pretty in Mink: She and her ladies are overjoyed to see the fur stole Henry sends her for Christmas.
• Sexy Soaked Shirt: The first episode of Season 4 ends with the first rainfall in two months soaking through her nightgown.
• Too Dumb to Live: When your husband willingly executes a pretty wife on false adultery charges, it's probably not a good idea to have a real affair right under his nose.
• Wicked Stepmother: Mary sees her this way, despite her best efforts. She has better luck with Henry's other children, giving a necklace to Elizabeth and playing Peekaboo with Edward. Elizabeth truthfully does not enjoy her presence either, she's just better at hiding it than Mary.

Katherine Parr

Katherine Parr

Played By: Joely Richardson

Henry's last wife. Another passionate reformer, Katherine reluctantly weds him after he made his feelings known. She nonetheless raises to the occasion but her desire for a complete Protestant Reformation in England made her powerful enemies and she nearly lost her life after one too many debates with Henry. Loves all of her step-children and it was due to her influence that both Mary and Elizabeth were restored to the line of succession. She and Anne of Cleves were the only wives of Henry to survive him.

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• An Offer You Can't Refuse: Initially recoils at the idea of marrying Henry, given his well-known reputation for discarding (and executing) his wives. However, she fears the consequences of turning down his proposal and reluctantly accepts.
• Bookworm: She was personally invested in the education of Elizabeth and Edward, and was a proponent of allowing citizens to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. She also writes a book of her own during the series, becoming the first English woman to write a book published in her own name.
• Freak Out: When she thinks she is about to be arrested for heresy.
• Good Stepmother: Loves her step-children and even worked with Henry to have both Mary and Elizabeth reinstated in the lines of succession.
• Guile Hero: Manages to talk her way out of a heresy charge and execution. Truth in Television, too.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Much like Henry's other blonde wives, she's not scheming or nefarious and contains a recurring golden theme in her wardrobe.
• The High Queen: She rules as Queen Regent while Henry is fighting in France, and proves to be very good at it.
  Charles Brandon: I have heard nothing but praise in all quarters for the dedication and skill of Queen Katherine in matters of state. She has great clarity of mind, and a woman's touch which soothes and cures where a man would usually rush into anger and complaint.
• Illegal Religion: Some at court correctly suspect her of being a passionate Protestant. Bishop Gardiner seeks to charge her with heresy, but does not succeed.
• Last Girl Wins: And by "wins" we mean "survives" .
• Parental Substitute: She proves to be a very good maternal figure for her step-children Elizabeth and Edward.
• Spell My Name With An S: As in real life, the very first letter of her name is interchangeable between C and K. The show opted to use the latter.
• Statuesque Stunner: At 5'10", she's the tallest of Henry's wives.
• Widow's Weeds: Wears these upon the death of her second husband, Lord Latimer.
• Younger Than They Look: The real Katherine Parr was around 32 when she married Henry. Here, she's played by a woman close to 50.

Men of the Royal Court

The Duke of Suffolk

Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk

Played By: Henry Cavill

King Henry's best friend and the only person who stayed his friend until Charles' death. He wedded Princess Margaret without the King's permission and only barely avoided execution due to Henry's affection for him.Initially a rake who spent more time seducing women and being concerned about having a fun time, he soon grew more and more jaded as his loyalty to Henry forced Charles to act against his better judgement. As Henry became more like a tyrant, Charles became more grounded and started to take his own responsibilities seriously. In the end, he became the only person Henry could trust implicitly and that loyalty took a toll on him and eventually costs Charles his second marriage.

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• Anti-Villain: Starts off this way at first, being a slightly less inhibited version of Henry who nevertheless has some honorable qualities.
• Anti-Hero: Starting with Season 2, he matures immensely, but also becomes darker and more cynical. By Season 4, he's more jaded than ever, but is also one of the few noble characters in Henry's court.
• Archenemy: The Boleyns and then Cromwell. He doesn't like Cranmer either, though that is downplayed in the series.
• Ascended Extra: He is much more involved in the events in the Tudors then his historical counterpart.
• Badass Bureaucrat: After he starts doing double-duty as a member of the Privy Council and as the point man for Henry's royal army.
• Beta Couple: He and his wife Catherine, to Henry and his assorted wives and mistresses.
• The Casanova: His first scene is romancing the Duke of Buckingham's daughter, and he's probably second to only King Henry in the number of dalliances he's shown having.
• Character Development: From a womanizing rake to a reliable courtier to a jaded old man.
• The Charmer: In Season 1, he wins a hundred crown bet with Henry by charming the pants (literally) off the Duke of Buckingham's daughter. He does the same with Henry's sister Margaret, which Henry is much less amused by.
• Foil: To Henry, in so many ways. Henry starts off as a promising, dynamic monarch, but quickly becomes Drunk with Power and becomes a tyrant. Charles starts off a wastrel who ignores the duties of his office, but undergoes Character Development and becomes the king's most loyal and reasonable servant, and a powerful magnate. They start off being very similar personalities, but end up being very different.
• Everyone Has Standards: Brandon loathes Anne Boleyn with a passion, but he's outraged on her behalf when he realises Thomas Boleyn cares more about keeping his own title and head and abandoned his children to their fates.
• Four-Star Badass: He commands Henry's army in York and in France. During the latter, he personally assisted his soldiers in running off some French scouts.
• Grin of Audacity: The Duke of Buckingham catches his daughter in bed with Brandon, who keeps smiling throughout the confrontation, even as Buckingham is pressing the tip of his sword to Brandon's throat.
• Historical Beauty Update: This [2]◊ is a portrait of the real Charles Brandon. In the series, he is played by a clean-shaven Henry Cavill. In Season 4, he has long hair and a beard, and looks like a fitter approximation of the historical Brandon.
• Historical Hero Upgrade and Historical Villain Upgrade: The real Brandon was a pretty unremarkable figure, and as far as history goes, he was basically a Lighter and Softer Henry VIII his whole life. The copious Character Development he undergoes is fictionalized wholecloth, he directly profited from the appropriation of monastic lands, and his wife was one of the most prominent women in early English Protestantism. That said, his marriage with Mary Tudor (Margaret on the show) was happy and produced several children — Lady Jane Grey was his granddaughter. Lastly, he played no part in suppressing the Pilgrimage of Grace; that was Norfolk, who was written out after Season 1 and his part and Brandon's were combined.
• Interrupted Intimacy: With the Duke of Buckingham's daughter, by the Duke of Buckingham.
• Knight in Sour Armor: He suffers greatly for his loyalty to the king, especially in Season 3 where he's forced to double-cross the Pilgrimage of Grace. It bothers the hell out of him, but his loyalty is unshakable.
• Ladykiller in Love: Despite his skirt-chasing ways, he was genuinely in love with Margaret and put himself a great risk to marry her. And he's very broken up when she dies. It happens again with his second wife Catherine, a clear indicator that he's changing his ways.
• The Lancer: To Henry, after he comes back to court.
• Manly Facial Hair: In Season 4. Generally speaking, he gets more facial hair as he gets more badass, but the Season 4 one is truly notable.
• A Match Made in Stockholm: In Season 4, he falls in love with a Frenchwoman who was his prisoner during the Boulogne campaign.
• Mr. Fanservice: Next to Henry, he too has moments spent near nude for the viewers.
• My Greatest Failure: Putting down the Pilgrimage of Grace. He considers it a grievous moral failure on his part after he sees thousands of people killed, and Thomas Darcy brutally executed, all because Cromwell threatened him with censure. He's much more subdued afterward, his marriage is destroyed, and his friendship with the King is not as close as it was before. When he returns to Pontefract Castle, he's visibly affected, and starts glimpsing Darcy's spirit wandering the halls.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: He angsts about what this entails. In Season 3, his oath to Henry drives him to commit actions against his better nature.
• Noble Top Enforcer: None of Henry's other advisers would be satisfied with executing only the leaders of a rebellion, while sparing the thousands of ordinary rebels.
• Older Than They Look: Cavill's Brandon looks perpetually boyish, whereas the historical Brandon was actually seven years older than Henry VIII. During the Boulogne arc in Season 4, Brandon looks forty at most when he would have been nearing sixty.
• Only Friend: By the end of the series, it becomes clear that Brandon is the only real friend that Henry has left.
• Only Sane Man: Between his Mood-Swinger best-friend, the King, and a bunch of power-hungry diplomats and noblemen, he seems to be one of the few if not the one in court who manages to keep most of his sanity (and his head) throughout the series.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Eventually. Case in point, contrast his leadership of the English army at Boulogne, with Henry's. Also, at Surrey's tribunal following his military blunders in France, Charles is the only one who actually addresses the charges at hand. Thomas Seymour and Bishop Gardiner are more interested in slandering Surrey with false charges of corruption. Later, when the two are speaking privately, Charles assures him that his punishment is not damning, and that if he keeps his nose clean, he might one day regain his glory on the battlefield.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In the final episode of Season 2, furious at Thomas Boleyn's greater concern being for the fact he gets to keep his title and his head rather than that his son has already been executed and his daughter will soon follow suit, Charles slams Boleyn against a wall and makes his contempt clear about Boleyn's seeming indifference to the fact he willingly sacrificed his children for his own ambition.
  Charles Brandon: Did you watch your son die?! What about your daughter, will you watch her suffer? Will you watch her die?! Tell me, Boleyn, was it all worth it?!
• The Reliable One: He's one of the few people that Henry can rely on with any degree of consistency. It helps him keep his head to the end of the series.
• The Rival: He eventually becomes a second center of power on the Privy Council. When his rivalry with the Boleyns becomes public, his retainers and Thomas Boleyn's retainers start fights on the streets of London. When Thomas Cromwell tries to assume leadership of the Privy Council while the grieving Henry is incommunicado, Charles leads the other lords in walking out and shutting down the government, forcing Henry to return and neutering Cromwell's influence.
• Suppressed Rage: When Anne wonders out loud why Henry assigns him to entertain the French ambassador instead of her father.
• Undying Loyalty: Deconstructed. His loyalty to Henry costs him a lot, including his marriage.
• Workout Fanservice: A very literal version; after hearing that exercise may ward off the sweating sickness, he immediately finds a woman to "exercise" with.

Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More

Played By: Jeremy Northam

One of Henry's closest friends and mentors. A devout Catholic, he became horrified at Henry's attempt at divorcing Katherine and the King's desire to break away from the Holy See to achieve it. His inability to compromise on his faith to the Catholic Church led Henry to execute him on charges of treason.

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• Affectionate Nickname: "Harry" to King Henry. It's a sure sign that their friendship has ended when Henry screams at More to stop calling him that.
• Anti-Hero: His potrayal does seem to hint at this. He is not really a bad guy/villain/antagonist, but his execution of 6 Protestants is a stain on his otherwise immpeciable personality and reputation. His relationship with Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cranmer is potrayed as mostly sour (which was probably true in Real Life), but his rivalry with Thomas Cromwell is rather downplayed when compared to most potrayals. John Fisher is more closer to a classic hero in his potrayal, although it is hinted at that he encouraged Charles V to invade England. The more tolerant Protestants at the time such as Lady Margret Bryan and Mary Boleyn were most likely not happy about the death of Thomas More and John Fisher, despite their religious differences. Lady Margret Bryan was also possibly friends with Lady Margret Pole, despite the fact that Margret Pole was Catholic.
• Badass Preacher: Zigzagged. He was more of a religious scholar then a preacher.
• Best Friend: With John Fisher. In real life, the historical Thomas More and John Fisher were both close friends.
• Burn the Witch!: The show gives rather more attention to his vehement hatred of Protestantism than is typically portrayed.
• Doomed Moral Victor: Downplayed, compared to More's portrayals elsewhere. The show seems to rest somewhere between "he was a principled man put to death for doing what he believed in," and "he could have avoided his fate if he wasn't such a hardass."
• Face Death with Dignity: He does this alongside John Fisher.
• The Fundamentalist: This series is much more ambivalent about More's commitment to the Roman Church than most portrayals, putting more spotlight on his willingness to overlook clerical abuses of power, his opposition to the notion of individualism and personal conscience in religion, and his persecution of Protestants.
• Gentleman and a Scholar: His anti-Protestantism aside, he is this in spades. John Fisher is this as well. The historical Thomas More and John Fisher both had a top notch Renissance education. They were among the most well-read and well-educated people in Henry VIII's court.
• The Good Chancellor: Literally, in this case. Despite his somewhat frequent butting heads with Henry, More is an excellent and loyal chancellor. Henry misses More sorely when he is gone, and deeply regrets his execution. It is not much of a stretch to say that in Real Life Henry VIII really did regret the imprisonment and execution of Thomas More and John Fisher because they were both close royal advisors to him and he almost certainly held them both in high regard.
• Honor Before Reason: He is fully aware that continuing to choose his morals over his king is going to get him killed. That doesn't sway him at all.
• Horrible Judge of Character: It was a very bad idea to confide in Richard Riche, which Thomas in a moment of weakness despite knowing how inconstant Riche is. In real life, Thomas More always insisted that Riche was lying about their supposed conversation, and in fact defended himself by saying he never would have trusted Riche enough to confide such a thing to him.
• Inspirational Martyr: Invoked by Pope Paul III, along with John Fisher. More is upheld as such by the Catholic peasantry who regard them both as heroes.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Deconstructed. His unbending devotion to his moral principles is admirable, but also destroys his friendship with the king and puts him on the fast track to execution. It also drives him to dangerous degrees of fanaticism, causing him to abandon his humanist ideals to lead book-burnings and heretic-burnings.
• The Last DJ: He is more concerned with his ideals than with politics, so he is no match for court intrigues. He only takes the job of Chancellor as a favor to his friend the king, and as soon as things get too dicey for him, he resigns.
• Loophole Abuse: He's able to save his head by exploiting the fact that it's technically not treasonous to express no opinion on the Oath of Supremacy, even if he refuses to swear to it. Unfortunately for him, he does reveal his true feelings about the Oath in confidence to Richard Riche, who betrays him to the authorities.
• Knight in Shining Armor: He is SIR Thomas More, after all.
• Noble Bigot with a Badge: He destests the Protestant Reformation, but it's very clear that he is not an antagonist/villain/evil guy. He really does think that suppressing the Protestant Reformation (by force, if necessary) is the way to go. Lampshaded during his trial.
  Royal Judge: We see now, that you are maliciously bent.
  Thomas More: No sirs, NOT maliciously! I pray that we all meet merrily in heaven together!
• Nerves of Steel: He's never once rattled by being on the king's bad side, even knowing his martyrdom is a certainty and being subject to extended imprisonment.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He fails to stop the influence of the Protestant Reformation and he does not manage to stop the policies of Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer.
• Obstructive Zealot: His idealism is partially responsible for the excessive prolongation of the King's "Great Matter". Additionally, his willingness to burn heretics at the stake backfires, and he actually helps the Reformation gain momentum.
• Odd Friendship: With the corrupt and conniving Cardinal Wolsey.
• Off with His Head!: His ultimate fate.
• Oh, Crap!: At his trial, he maintains that he has never spoken maliciously of the Act of Supremacy that makes Henry supreme head of the church in England. When Sir Richard Rich is called to testify, More suddenly remembers a seemingly casual conversation the two head the day before, in which he compared the Act to a piece of legislation that claims God is not God. He makes this expression when he realizes how he was entrapped—but then, knowing his fate is already sealed, he goes on to openly attack the Act and defend the supremacy of the Vatican.
• Papa Wolf: He genuinely loves his family. He does his best to shield them from the consequences of his actions, and to make sure they are provided for in his absence.
• Pacifist: He absolutely detests the idea of war, and makes a point of talking King Henry out of his poorly-conceived plans for war with France. The historical Thomas More likely had mixed views on the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition.
• The Rival: When compared to most portrayals, his rivalry with Thomas Cromwell is rather downplayed. Charles Brandon is Thomas Cromwell's main rival in the Tudors.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Despite his extreme hatred of the Protestant Reformation, he is mostly a good person. He even talks out against some of the abuses that take place in the Catholic Church and is against war and violence in general. He has a conversation with his daughter that acknowledges there are good Protestants and bad Catholics. His execution of six Protestants is rooted in a Renaissance concept of retributive justice. It's not done out of sadistic pleasure or hateful spite.
• Wolverine Publicity: He is greatly respected and admired throughout Europe. His reception in the United Kingdom is mixed due to his anti-Protestant policies.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: His devout Catholicism and his devotion to Humanism oftentimes have a difficult relationship with reality.

Cardinal Wolsey

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey

Played By: Sam Neill

King Henry VIII's primary and most trusted adviser... at first.

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• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Katherine of Aragon mocks him for literally begging her on his knees to join a convent.
• Ambition Is Evil: Nothing is beneath him if it gets him closer to becoming Pope.
• Anti-Villain: He is a corrupt bastard, no doubt about it. But damned if he didn't make for a great Lord Chancellor.
• Arc Villain: Of season 1.
• Butt-Monkey: Everyone except Henry hates his guts and plots against him, and Henry slowly becomes convinced that Wolsey is deliberately blocking his divorce from Katherine (even though the exact opposite is, in fact, true).
• Doomed Moral Victor: A much darker version than most, but yes. He is unapologetically corrupt, and is a venal hypocrite to boot, but he's ultimately trying to reign in a king whose capriciousness could ruin the realm. He's correct that the Catholic Church's stalling in the King's Great Matter threatens the unity of the Church in England, and that war with France is in both nations' worst interests. He is ultimately killed for it, because his life literally depends upon the king's favor, and he very quickly loses it trying to balance all of this at once.
• Driven to Suicide: Disgraced, stripped of his position, and about to be executed for high treason, he can't do much except beg God for forgiveness and do the deed himself.
• Face Death with Dignity: His final prayer. He throws himself on God's mercy, admitting to himself that he doesn't deserve it.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: As Henry soon discovers to his chagrin after dismissing him from his post. In Wolsey's absence, the King's privy council is almost completely ineffective, save for Cromwell and Thomas More for the brief time he's present. Even ironically Anne Boleyn gives him a backhanded compliment of being better than Cromwell.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: His long-time mistress, Joan Larke, as well as their children.
• Just Following Orders: His excuse when Katherine of Aragon blames him for Mary being sent to Wales.
• Last Disrespects: While he is committing suicide, the court enjoys a play about him being dragged down to hell.
• Manipulative Bastard: Zig-Zagged. He controls the politics of Henry's court quite adeptly, but he fails so completely at manipulating the Catholic Church to secure Henry's divorce that Henry thinks Wolsey is doing it on purpose.
• No Delays for the Wicked: Despite being on France's payroll and skimming the treasury for his own pocket, Wolsey is better at managing the king's affairs than the entire Privy Council combined.
• Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: He deftly manipulates the politics of the King's court, but he's way out of his depth when it comes to trying to finesse the Roman Catholic Church. In part this is because the Church is subject to political forces far outside of Wolsey's control, but also because the Roman Curia makes for a far more sophisticated opponent than the English king's highly incompetent courtiers.
• Odd Friendship: With Honor Before Reason Thomas More.
• Redemption Equals Death: Only at the eve of his execution does he finally repent for all of the bad things he's done in his life.
• Regretful Traitor: He attempts to sell out the crown to the Holy Roman Emperor in a desperate attempt to save his own skin. He regrets it almost immediately, and not just because he gets caught.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Attempts to use the favor he thought he had with Anne Boleyn to avoid imprisonment in the Tower. When that doesn't work, he writes to Katherine of Aragon. When THAT doesn't work...
• Sinister Minister: He is a truly corrupt man even by the standards of this series, and the fact that he's a priest only enhances his evil.
• Sycophantic Servant: He turns into this whenever he fails Henry. At one point, he literally gets down on his knees and begs for forgiveness.

Thomas Cromwell

Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex

Played By: James Frain

A common-born family man elevated by Cardinal Wolsey after the King Henry VII's secretary was removed.

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• And There Was Much Rejoicing: By the time he's being executed, he is so unpopular that the event is met with cheers and applause. Up until the executioner botches it, that is.
• Arc Villain: Of season 3.
• Anti-Villain: He's conniving and overly ambitious, but his loyalty to the King is genuine, and his pursuit of the Reformation, while extreme, is well-intentioned.
• Break the Haughty: His downfall is so sudden and drastic that it completely breaks him. He spends his last moments begging the king for mercy, and he's a teary mess on the executioner's block.
• Can't Get Away with Nuthin': The one time he lets his personal feelings override his Yes-Man tendencies (when he pushes Henry to marry Anne of Cleves in order to cement an alliance with the Protestant League), it ends up getting him executed.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Because of his tenuous position, he constantly has to switch his loyalties around to make sure he stays on the king's good side. His only consistent loyalty is to the Reformation, and that ends up being his fatal weakness.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is quite affectionate to his son Gregory and is clearly overjoyed when Gregory tells him he is a grandfather.
• Freak Out: When Brandon has him arrested and the king charges him with treason.
• The Friend No One Likes: Everyone in King Henry's court despises Cromwell for his past as a mercenary, his scheming nature, and his secret Lutheranism. Not that it matters: not only is Cromwell very, very good at his job, but he's good friends with the Boleyn family, who are the royal favorites... for a while, anyway.
• The Good Chancellor: He's arguably even better at his job than Wolsey was, and without all of the corruption.
• Good Cop/Bad Cop: During the efforts to find evidence against Anne Boleyn, Cromwell is definitely the bad cop to Richard Rich's good, overseeing the brutal torture of Mark Smeaton and being extremely forceful in interrogating Anne's ladies-in-waiting.
• Hated by All: With the exception of Richard Rich, who stays silent, everyone on the Privy Council denounces him immediately once he loses the king's favor.
• Hidden Depths: He was once a soldier-for-hire and is still a good archer. He's also not a particularly nasty man at heart, which is more than can be said about most of Henry's court.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: His zeal for the Reformation catapults him into the King's good graces, but it also pisses off a lot of the commoners and alienates most of the courtiers. By the time he realizes the King isn't so gung-ho about Protestantism after all, he has no friends to protect him, and all it takes is the insinuation of treason to get his head chopped off.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Even the people who hate him recognize that he is a brilliant minister to Henry, who also realises it not long after having Cromwell executed and finding his new ministers aren't as skilled at the task of managing his affairs.
• Mercy Kill: One of the guards at his execution takes pity on Cromwell after the drunken executioner (who got drunk thanks to Cromwell's enemies as a final spiteful gesture) keeps botching the job; the guard shoves the executioner aside, takes the axe and puts Cromwell out of his misery.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: He loses the support of everyone, including Richard Rich and Thomas Cranmer. He also fails to bring down the Catholic faction in King Henry VIII's court.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Gently explains the significance of the reforms to a page boy at court.
  • Tells Thomas Wyatt he has no intention of acting on reports his spies gave him of a priest in Tewksbury offering prayers for Katherine of Aragon rather than Anne Boleyn; the priest in question is near 80 and they have bigger things to deal with than a slip of the tongue by a forgetful old man.
• Shame If Something Happened: A variation on this trope in that it's meant as a warning, rather than the usual threat, but he does warn Thomas Wyatt to tread carefully at court, lest his unsavoury past comes back to haunt him.
  Thomas Cromwell: I like you, Mr. Wyatt. I enjoy your company...but you have a reputation. You gamble and you whore. You sail close to the wind: God forbid it should ever blow you onto the rocks.
• Stiff Upper Lip: He briefly alludes to the fact that his wife died of the sweating sickness. He just accepts it as a fact of life and continues living.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He has a rather ruthless ends-justify-means philosophy when it comes to imposing his view of the kingdom's best interests.
• Yes-Man: Best exemplified in a scene in which Henry presses him to explain his religious views.
  "I believe what Your Majesty believes."

Sir William Compton

Sir William Compton

Played By: Kristen Holden Ried

• Bury Your Gays: One of the first named characters in the series to be killed off.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: One of the first named characters in the show to succumb to the outbreak of sweating sickness. Soon after he is diagnosed, we are treated to a glimpse of medieval medicine.
• Fake Guest Star: Never appears in the opening credits, despite having more of a storyline than Knivert.
• Manly Gay: By all appearances, he is just another of Henry's jousting, hard-drinking, courtiers.
• Secret Relationship: With court composer Thomas Tallis.
• Those Two Guys: With Anthony Knivert.

Sir Anthony Knivert

Sir Anthony Knivert

Played By: Callum Blue

• Advertised Extra: Appears in the opening credits, despite having less of a storyline than Compton.
• Butt-Monkey: He has the unfortunate fate of giving Henry his first jousting injury. Fortunately, Henry takes it in stride. Unfortunately, he demands a rematch, in which he almost kills Knivert (accidentally).
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: disappears with neither trace nor explanation after Season 1.
• Fictional Counterpart: Of Sir Thomas Knyvett, a friend of the real-life Henry, who died at sea.
• Squick: Makes a disgusted face when Henry recites the ingredients of his anti-sweating sickness infusion, and again when he tastes it.
• Those Two Guys: With William Compton.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Brandon makes it to the end of the series, and Compton dies from the plague, but Knivert just disappears.

The Duke of Norfolk

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk

Played By: Henry Czerny

• Archenemy: With Thomas Cromwell. This is mostly replaced in the show with Charles Brandon.
• Childhood Friends: With Thomas More. This is not shown that much in the show.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears after Season 1. The Duke of Suffolk ends up doing a lot of things in Season 3 which the historical Norfolk did.
• Co-Dragons: With Charles Brandon to King Henry VIII. He is later this with Bishop Gardiner to Queen Mary Tudor. The latter is not shown because the Tudors ends with the death of King Henry VIII and the former is downplayed because Thomas Howard is not shown after season 1.
• Composite Character: A mix of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and his son, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk.
• Dragon Ascendant: Starts Season 1 as The Dragon to the Duke of Buckingham (who plots to overthrow Henry), but ends it as co-president of the King's Privy Council.
• Enemy Mine: He does everything he can to undermine the policies of Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer. This is not shown in the show however.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be ruthless towards his enemies, but he also loves his family and makes a good team with Mary Tudor and Bishop Gardiner.
• Manipulative Bastard
• My God, What Have I Done?: He later regrets allying with the Boleyns. This is not shown onscreen.
• My Greatest Failure: Not being able to save Thomas More and John Fisher. It's not shown in the show.
• Papa Wolf: He greatly loves his family and tries to do what is best for them.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With the Boleyns.

The Earl of Wiltshire

Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormonde

Played By: Nick Dunning

• Ambition Is Evil: The depths to which he'll go to advance his family's standing can be truly staggering.
• Democracy Is Bad: He has a pretty dim view of the King sharing power with the Parliament. It's doubtful he actually believes this; he just wants the king to exercise absolute power for his own benefit.
  Kings had no need for Parliament in the old days!
• Dramatically Missing the Point:
  • Thrilled when Anne's sweating sickness abates — not because his daughter has survived an illness that has killed thousands, but because she can now return to the business of seducing the King. Anne's expression here suggests she now knows how little her father cares for her as a person.
  • In his final episode, he is informed of Anne's impending execution. His response? To ask whether he can keep his earldom. Even Charles Brandon, who had no love for Anne, is outraged.
• Every Man Has His Price: Repeatedly resorts to bribery to get what he wants.
• Historical Villain Upgrade: In real life Thomas Boleyn is not a pimp waiting to whore his daughters for power. He was actually appalled and horrified after finding out that Mary had become the King of France's mistress, having Mary be returned to England to have a more respectable marriage. And when Henry first started to pursue Anne, Thomas took a great risk to his career to have his family return back to Hever, with hopes that Henry's ardour would cool down, just to save his daughter from harassment. And after Anne and George was executed, Thomas kept his daughter's letters and saved them from Henry's attempts to completely Un-person her. In the series (and many adaptations) he's but a pimp with a title and doesn't give a damn about his children's well-being, so long as they bring him power.
• It's All About Me: The guy is willing to do just about anything for power, like whoring his two daughters out to the King.
• Karma Houdini: Subverted if you know your history, as he would die just two years after the events of his final episode, having been made bankrupt and lost everything he and his daughters had fought for throughout the series.
  Charles Brandon: I understand Thomas Boleyn died recently.
  Eustace Chapuys: Yes...and the only mourners were the ghosts of his children.
• Manipulative Bastard: Appreciates his daughters entirely for their ability to get into the King's bed, and only once thinks to ask whether Anne enjoys being made to do this.
• Men Act, Women Are: Believes Anne's rise is entirely due to the machinations of men, especially himself. She disagrees.
  Boleyn: Anne, I did not bring you up to have opinions, or to express them, or to quarrel with those closest to the Crown.
  Anne: But I am closest to the Crown. I am the King's wife.
  Boleyn: And you should remember how you got there!
  Anne: I know how I got there. And it was not all you. It was not all you, or Norfolk, or George, or any other man you want to name! It was also me. He fell in love with me. He respected me... and my opinions.
• Tampering with Food and Drink: Pays a cook to poison a pot of soup to be eaten by some bishops who have been getting in his family's way.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: A flashback to her childhood Anne has before her execution of her and her brother playing with their father as children would imply he was a nicer man when they were young.

Viscount Rochford

George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford

Played By: Padraic Delaney

• Brother–Sister Team: With Anne, although she laments that the ambition he shares with their father makes him less likely to keep her secrets than he used to be.
• Bury Your Gays: Or possibly bisexuals. What's particularly ironic is how he was executed after being falsely accused of a heterosexual act.
• Depraved Bisexual / Depraved Homosexual: One or the other. It's never made clear whether he genuinely is attracted to women in addition to men or whether he simply marries because it is the expected norm, but either way, he's one sick bastard.
• Historical Villain Upgrade: There's no historical basis for him being portrayed as a rapist, but he is none the less.
• Like Father, Like Son: Shares his father's motivation to advance the family.
• Pet the Dog: His only redeeming quality is the concern he has for his sister, Anne Boleyn.
• Removing the Rival: Does this on Anne's behalf when Henry begins sleeping with one of her ladies, by warning her that he will falsely accuse her of a jewel theft if she doesn't leave court.

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury

Played By: Hans Mathieson

• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: To everyone involved, he seems like little more than a goofy backwater priest. Even the Pope regards him as completely non-threatening, despite rumors that he's secretly a Protestant. Cromwell, however, recognizes him as the foremost theological advocate of the King's divorce and sponsors his ascent to Archbishop because of it.
• Cloudcuckoolander: He seems a bit...silly to be such a high ranking cleric.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears without a trace after Season 2. Following history, he was pivotal in Katherine Howard's fall, and thus should have been an important character in Season 4.
• The Dragon: He is this towards King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in Season 2.
• The Friend No One Likes: He is not well liked by most people due to his fanatical Protestantism. His friendship with Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell does not help him win much friends either, and he ultimately abandons both.
• The Fundamentalist: Played with. He's portrayed as having rather liberal attitudes towards the Church in general, but is every bit as fanatical in promoting Lutheran ideas as More was in prosecuting heretics. It mostly shows in the first half of Season 3, when he is placed against the Pilgrimage of Grace.
• It's All About Me: He displays this attitude with his wife, and to a lesser extent to Anne Boleyn, who he allows to take the fall to save his own skin. He also abandoned Thomas Cromwell. That is not shown.
• Karma Houdini: He stabs Anne and Cromwell in the back for his own sake and is responsible for the deaths of More and Bishop Fisher, neither of which results in any consequences for him. This is averted in history, as Mary Tudor's ascension to the throne led to him being on the fast track for execution for the role he played in the Reformation.
• Offstage Villainy: Took part in the downfall of Katherine Howard, although this is not shown in the series.
• Pet the Dog: His vow to the imprisoned and doomed Anne Boleyn that he will do everything in his power to protect her (newly declared bastard) daughter and keep her on Henry's good side appears to be entirely without ulterior motive. He is also clearly struggling to hold back his tears when Anne makes her final confession to him and is truly heartbroken by her death. The historical Cranmer was found weeping uncontrollably after Anne's execution, saying she was now a queen in Heaven, so this genuine care for her is likely to be true.
• Sinister Minister: From the perspective of Queen Catherine, the Church, and the Catholics of England, he's little more than the mastermind behind the King's apostasy.
• Yes-Man: Part of the reason he gets to such a high position in the first place is that he's all too eager to do the King's bidding in the Church. His position as Archbishop of Canterbury practically enforces this: the King is the actual Head of the Church, and Cranmer only has as much power as the king lets him.

The Earl of Hertford

Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford

Played By: Max Brown

• Cool Uncle: The only moments of genuine warmth he shows are with his nephew, Prince Edward. But still, he's a pretty evil guy.
• Enemy Mine: With the Duke of Suffolk. They end up collaborating with each other more and more, and neither backstabs the other.
• Evil Chancellor: Played with. Evil without a doubt, but an effective administrator regardless.
  • The historical Edward Seymour was am incompetent administrator in Real Life.
• Nouveau Riche: Surrey thinks he's this.
• Pet the Dog: Lets Anne of Cleves down quite gently about Henry's wish to divorce her and assures her she will be well looked after in England.

• Torture Technician: He appears to have taken the unofficial role of torture specialist during Season 4.

Sir Francis Bryan

Sir Francis Bryan

Played By: Alan Van Sprang

• Blasphemous Boast: At one point, he declares himself to be "the Black Pope." (The real Bryan's reputation was such that he was actually nicknamed "the Vicar of Hell.")
• The Casanova: He has a well-earned reputation for "boarding other mens' boats"
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears after the end of Season 3.
• Cultured Badass: You wouldn't expect someone who's basically a glorified hitman to dress better than most of the Royal Court.
• Dark Is Evil: He seems to always dress in black.
• Eyepatch of Power: Despite his fine clothes and courtly manners, you know he can kick some ass once he shows up with a covered eye.
• Faux Affably Evil: He can go from chatting amiably to threatening to crack open a teenage girl's skull without skipping a beat.

• Karma Houdini: He kicks a lot of dogs during Season 3, and then just disappears. This is an accurate reflection of history, as the real Sir Francis stayed in the king's esteem until he died.
• Kick the Dog: His treatment of Princess Mary and his sabotage of Cromwell's execution.
• Overt Operative: While on assignment to abduct or assassinate Cardinal Pole.
• Remember the New Guy?: The real Bryan was actually a major player in Henry's court throughout his reign, but the character never appeared in the first two seasons. When he finally shows up in Season 3 as Henry's closest aide, everyone just acts like he was always there.

• Those Two Guys: He and Thomas Seymour travel across Europe trying to kill Cardinal Pole.
• You Can't Thwart Stage One: No, Sir Francis, you will never manage to kill Reginald Pole.

Thomas Culpeper

Thomas Culpeper

Played By: Torrance Coombs

• Beauty Is Bad: He's one of the prettiest men in Henry's employ, but is the worst among them by far.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He romances the queen by being a comfort in her difficult relationship with Henry. But not only is he incapable of genuine compassion, but he turns on her as soon as their affair is discovered.
• Dirty Coward: When confronted by Edward Seymour, he instantly confesses everything (but blames his actions on the Queen).
• Establishing Character Moment: Leading the gang-rape of a peasant, then murdering her outraged husband.
• Karmic Death: Subverted. He gets executed, but he receives a much more humane death than the far less deserving Dereham.
• Pet the Dog: About his sole redeeming aspect is his willingness to tend to and treat Henry's infected leg ulcer, and his skill in doing so. It's implied this is what causes Henry to have Culpepper's execution changed to a beheading from having him hanged, drawn and quartered.
• The Sociopath: He treats rape and murder like Henry treats his hunting expeditions.
• Stalker with a Crush: How he pursues Queen Katherine. It actually works.

Sir Richard Rich

Sir Richard Rich

Played By: Rod Hallett

• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He always knows which way the wind is blowing.
• Dirty Coward: He rats out Thomas More about a conversation they had in confidence, and then refuses to defend Cromwell from false charges of treason when its clear he's on his own.
• The Dragon: To Cromwell in Seasons 2 and 3 and to Bishop Gardiner in Season 4.
• Karma Houdini: In both the show and real life (he went on to hold high positions of authority during the reigns of both Mary and Elizabeth).
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Reveals himself to be a raging misogynist while torturing Anne Askew.
• The Stool Pigeon: Snitches on Thomas More to curry favor with Cromwell.

• Yes-Man: To whomever he needs to be to stay on the good side.

Bishop Stephen Gardiner

Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester

Played By: Simon Ward

• Arc Villain: For the second half of Season 4.
• Ascended Extra: The historical Bishop Gardiner was nowhere near as involved in the events of the Tudors in Real Life.
• Burn the Witch!: Much like Thomas More before him.
• Childhood Friends: With Cardinal Wosely. This is downplayed in the show.
• Church Police: Takes it upon himself to lead an informal inquisition against Lutherans and other "heretics" in Season 4.
• Creator's Pest: He seems to be this for the directors/writers/producers of the Tudors alongside Katherine Howard. See "historical villain upgrade" below.
• The Dragon: To Mary Tudor. This would continue after the series ends; when Mary becomes queen, he becomes her Lord Chancellor.
• Enemy Mine: To Katherine Parr.
• Evil Mentor: To Mary Tudor.
• Evil Old Folks: One of the older main characters, and also effin' terrifying.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is genuinely sad at the death of queen Katherine Howard and even Lady Rochford, despite the latter being a Protestant. He is also sad at the death of the Pilgrims of Grace.
• Even Evil Has Standards: He does not like being lied to, cheated/stolen from and/or being betrayed, is loyal and kind to king Henry VIII as well as Mary Tudor and likes all of Henry VIII's wives except for Anne Boleyn and Katherine Parr.
• Extreme Doormat: Towards king Henry VIII and Mary Tudor.
• Fake Guest Star: He appears in most episodes in Season 3 and every episode in Season 4, but never makes it into the opening credits.
• Faux Affably Evil: He seems nice enough, as long as you're not a Protestant.
• Full-Circle Revolution: Under his leadership, the Reformation in England grinds to a halt and the reformers that enjoyed widespread patronage under the Boleyns and Cromwell found themselves targeted for investigation, torture, and execution.
• The Artifact: The directors/writers/producers would have gladly killed him given the chance, but they cannot due to the fact that he survived in Real Life. See Creator's Pest above.
• The Fundamentalist: He's the most fanatical Catholic the series has to offer, outshining both More and Cromwell in the religious zeal department. In Real Life, the historical Bishop Gardiner was not as fanatical as he is typically potrayed. See Historical Villain Upgrade below.
• Historical Villain Upgrade: The historical Bishop Gardiner was not as villainous as he is potrayed in the Tudors. While he did play an important role in the downfall of Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer, he was not even the most fanatical Catholic bishop in the United Kingdom at the time. His villaionus acts were exagerrated by Protestant/Puritan and anti-Catholic sources and propaganda. Which is most likely where most of the writers/directors/producers got their sources on him.
• Karma Houdini: Not only does he not get his comeuppance on the show, but history buffs know that he eventually became Lord Chancellor to Queen Mary.
• Knight Templar: His persecution of heretics goes so far that he's even got the Queen in his crosshairs.
• My Greatest Failure: Failing to save Katherine Howard weighs heavily on him. His Yes-Man tendencies towards King Henry VIII got in the way and he did not want to lose his place in the royal court.
• Odd Friendship: With Sir Francis Bryan and Sir Richard Rich, both who are Protestants.
• Pet the Dog: He is one of the only characters who gives Katherine Howard and her maids any sort of love, loyalty, kindness, respect, dignity, etc.
• Self-Made Man: Not as much as some of the other characters, but he does come from a blue-collar background and climbed his way up the ranks of the Tudor Court.
• Sinister Minister: He's not corrupt like Wolsey was, but his time as Bishop of Winchester is almost entirely occupied with burning people at the stake.
• Straw Hypocrite: As revealed by Lady Hertford in the series finale.
• Take That!: He is successful in taking down his three main hated foes: Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer. Though his takedown of Anne Boleyn is downplayed and his defeat of Thomas Cranmer is not shown.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Edward Seymore.
• Torture Technician: He's scarily good at it too.
• The Dreaded: He is definitly this for the Protestants.
• The Rival: To Thomas Cranmer. It's downplayed in the series, however.
• True Companions: With Mary Tudor. Also with Thomas Howard, although this is not shown in the show.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: In Real Life, Bishop Gardiner was surprisingly affectionate, helpful, kind and caring as a young man. He also took his religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience rather seriously and was callously teased for it. Which possibly made him more bitter and resentful as he grew up.
• Undying Loyalty: To Henry VIII and Mary Tudor.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: His hatred of Protestantism is extreme, but not unfounded. He is also right not to trust Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer.
• Yes-Man: Towards king Henry VIII and Mary Tudor.

The Earl of Surrey

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

Played By: David O'Hara

• Age Lift: The real Earl of Surrey was in his late twenties during the events of Season 4. David O'Hara was 44 at the time of filming.
• Anti-Villain: He's entirely right about Hertford, Gardiner, and Richard Rich being schemers, and his friendship with Suffolk shows he's not a bad guy. But after he tried to kidnap Prince Edward, there was only one way it could end.
• Big Bad Wannabe: Much like the Duke of Buckingham in Season 1.
• Blood Knight: He relishes combat a little too much.
• Fatal Flaw: Pride. He most likely would have avoided being executed if he didn't think he was just so much better than everyone else around him, including the King himself.
• General Failure: Surrey's actually a fine soldier, but he's way too hot-headed to be put in command of troops. Losing 600 men in one fell swoop should be enough evidence of that.
• Hypocrite: He's extremely dismissive of the "new men" populating Henry's court, but his only friend at court is Suffolk, who was made Duke without an ancient or celebrated lineage. Charles looks uncomfortable every time Surrey rants about the importance of lineage, and tries to gently remind him of the worthwhile service people like the Seymours have rendered the King, Blue Blood or not.
• Jerkass: A walking talking superiority complex, not only an elitist snob, but eventually a pretender to the throne.
• Never My Fault: He makes a mess of the situation in Calais as soon as the King returns to England, and then blames the Privy Council for not sending him good enough soldiers.
• Oop North: He sounds the part, which is strange, considering he's supposedly from Norfolk and reigns over Surrey.
• The Resenter: Of everyone at court without noble blood. There aren't many scenes in which he doesn't find an excuse to bring this up.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: His daddy is the Duke of Norfolk and his niece is (at least temporarily) Queen of England, so he can do what he likes...right?
• Slumming It: After being knighted into the Order of the Garter, he celebrates by going into a lower-class tavern in full regalia. To be fair, he seems to enjoy himself a lot more than at the ceremony.
• Small Name, Big Ego: His noble lineage is admittedly quite impressive, but he himself has no real accomplishments to speak of.
• Smug Snake: It's ironic that he holds people like Cromwell in contempt; Cromwell, despite his origins, practically ran the kingdom on his own, while Howard has nothing going for him except who his daddy is.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Despite being a raging elitist, his trial reveals that he is acclaimed as a hero by the people.
• Warrior Poet: Literally. And admittedly, his poetry is actually pretty good.

Ladies of the Royal Court

Lady Rochford

Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford

Played By: Joanne King

• Awful Wedded Life: Possibly the worst. Her Arranged Marriage to George Boleyn begins with her nearly becoming a Runaway Bride within sight of the altar; ends with her falsely accusing him of Brother–Sister Incest; and in between includes his invocation of Marital Rape License, her realization that he's been keeping company with men, and their complete mutual hatred.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Her hair is pale blond when she is introduced. Like her character, it becomes progressively darker.
• Frame-Up:
  • Out of anger at George Boleyn, she testifies that he and Anne have had incestuous relations.
  • Claims she wanted nothing to do with Katherine Howard and Thomas Culpeper's affair.
• Heteronormative Crusader: That George has been cheating on her with men is much more offensive to her than that he has been cheating on her at all.
  It's disgusting! It's a sin! It's a sin against God! It's a sin against nature! All those who practice it are condemned by the Gospels to live forever in purgatory!
• Hidden Agenda Villain: It's never clear why she facilitates the affair between Katherine Howard and Thomas Culpeper, though it's implied that she was hoping they'd get caught and Katherine would be executed for it.
• Historical Villain Upgrade: There's no proof historically that she had any hand in Anne and George's downfall, nor that she bore any ill will towards Katherine. This goes along with George's villain upgrade too - the real Jane and George did not seem to have the Awful Wedded Life that the show portrays.
• Insult Backfire: She is the first to use the phrase "sweet little fool" to describe Katherine Howard. Thomas Culpeper reappropriates the phrase as a term of endearment.
• Lady-In-Waiting: To Jane Seymour and Katherine Howard.
• Off with Her Head!: Zig-zagged. She nearly misses being executed on account of going mad in the Tower of London, but Henry orders the execution of an insane person for treason to be legalized.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: There are scenes in which the Dublin-born Joanne King's natural Irish accent reveals itself.
• The Peeping Tom: She's supposed to watch for passersby during Katherine Howard's meetings with Thomas Culpeper, but she spends most of her time watching them.
• Psycho Smirk: She gives one to Thomas Cromwell while indicating she's willing to provide him false testimony to condemn George and Anne Boleyn.
• Recruited from the Gutter: After being "utterly abandoned" after George's execution, Jane Seymour asks her to serve as her principal lady-in-waiting.
• Sanity Slippage: Goes mad soon after her arrest for her involvement in Katherine Howard's infidelity.
• Sex Starts, Story Stops: She has a random, inexplicable tryst with Thomas Culpeper.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Introduced in Season 2 as a woobie. She remains so throughout Season 3, although she becomes something of a gossipy hen. She spends Season 4 as a Manipulative Bitch and exits the series as an Asshole Victim.

The Countess of Hertford

Anne Seymour, Countess of Hertford

Played By: Emma Hamilton

• Awful Wedded Life: While she and Edward are on the same page when it comes their political interests, they have strong contempt for one another in every other respect.
• Beta Bitch: To Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Parr.
• The Dragon: She shares this role with Lady Rochford to Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleaves. Played more strait with Katherine Parr.
• Don't Make Me Destroy You:
  • Threatens the wife and children of a musician who has been arrested for heresy if the musician implicates her and Edward.
  • Bishop Gardiner, who is determined to do away with reformists like the Hertfords, tells the Countess he is investigating her for associating with heretics. She calmly informs him that she knows of his embezzlements from the Crown, and he will tear up his warrant unless he wants her to tell the King.
• Hates Being Nicknamed:
  I will be called a "she-wolf" by no man.
• Kick the Dog: She shows no kindness, empathy, sympathy, compassion etc. to any of the Catholic characters that are executed. She is also willing to throw Protestants under the bus to save her own skin.
• Lady Macbeth: Encourages Edward to "arrange for some misfortune to befall" the Earl of Surrey after he publicly insults them.
• Making Love in All the Wrong Places: Behind a tapestry with Sir Francis Bryan, with Edward mere yards away.
• Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Believes the son she bears in Season 4 is actually Thomas Seymour's son. Edward does not catch on, even though she names the boy Thomas.
• Mercy Kill: Provides her friend, The Heretic Anne Askew, with a sack of gunpowder to place around her neck during her burning at the stake, which will make her death much quicker. It works.
• Questionable Consent: In between flirting with Thomas Seymour and eventually inviting him into her bed, there is a moment where she appears uncomfortable with his advances and tries to slap him. It is unclear if she is genuinely afraid or if this is a Slap-Slap-Kiss moment.
• Slut-Shaming: Against Katherine Howard, whom she calls "a frivolous and stupid girl."
  You met her! You saw the look in her eyes. She was never innocent.
  • Too add insult to ingury, Katherine Howard was nothing but kind to her.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Asserts her right to cheat on Edward on the ground that he shows her no affection, despite her having given him many children.
• The Tease: Edward encourages her to return Surrey's flirtations, as Surrey is in the King's favor. This backfires after she turns down Surrey's offer to become his mistress.
• Truth in Television: The real-life Anne Seymour was known to be highly intelligent, proud, cold, manipulative, snobbish, and ambitious.

The Duchess of Suffolk

Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk

Played By: Rebekah Wainwright

• Age Lift: In Real Life the person Catherine was based on was only 14 years old when she married Brandon. In the series she's 17.
• Artistic License – History: In the show, her maiden name is "Brooke"; in real life, it was "Willoughby."
• The Bus Came Back: The final episode.
• The Conscience: To her husband.
• Dysfunctional Family: Her marriage to Charles breaks down over the course of the series, to the point that they are completely estranged by Season 4.
• Irony: What drives her away isn't her husband's cheating, but his Undying Loyalty to Henry.
• Put on a Bus: She leaves Charles between Seasons 3 and 4.

Bessie Blount

Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount

Played By: Ruta Gedmintas

• Artistic License – History:
  • In the show, Bessie's husband is given an earldom and estates as a reward for her pregnancy with the king's child. In real life, she married for the first time three years after the birth of her son.
  • In the show, Henry Fitzroy dies as a toddler from the sweating sickness. In real life, he died at age 17, likely from consumption.
  • In the show, Bessie leaves court for good after her son's death. In real life, she briefly returned to court as a lady in waiting to Anne of Cleves, but left due to health problems.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She disappears from the series entirely after the death of her son.
• Clean, Pretty Childbirth: Her and the newborn Henry Fitzroy.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: One of several of Katherine of Aragon's blond ladies to catch Henry's eye.
• Lady-In-Waiting: To Katherine of Aragon.
• Love Confession: Asks Cardinal Wolsey to tell Henry of her love for him. Wolsey ignores her.
• Missing Mom: Henry Fitzroy is removed from her care after receiving his titles, leading to an adorable, tear-filled goodbye between the two.
• The Mistress: To Henry.
• My Secret Pregnancy: Wolsey arranges for Bessie to be "removed to a private place" as soon as she becomes unable to hide her pregnancy.
• Regretful Traitor: Visibly feels guilty about her pregnancy, especially after Katherine pours out her heart to her about her inability to bear the king a living son.
• Screaming Birth
• Taking the Veil: Says her jealous husband has been threatening to do this. She fears he will renew this threat after her pregnancy is revealed, but he does not.
• Widow's Weeds: Upon learning of her son's death.

Mary Boleyn

Mary Boleyn

Played By: Perdita Weeks

• Defiled Forever: While royal mistresses were certainly not uncommon in the French, Spanish or English courts, Mary's reputation is particularly scandalous as she managed to sleep with two kings.
• Embarrassing Nickname:
  Anne Boleyn: My sister is called the Great Prostitute by everyone!
  King Francis I: I call her my English mare, because I ride her so often.
  • In real life, Francis also called her his "hackney" and "una grandissima ribalda, infame sopra tutte" (a very great whore, the most infamous of all).
• Ethical Slut: She may sleep around, but she is nowhere as corrupt, evil, scheming and petty as the rest of her family.
• The Exile: Banished from court after revealing her secret marriage and pregnancy. In real life, Henry was the one who exiled Mary for her secret marriage and Anne simply sided with him. Anne and Mary never saw each other again, save for a small gift of money and a gold cup when Mary pleaded a desperate financial situation.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Mary is the first of the two Boleyn sisters to catch Henry's eye, but Anne manages to keep it, at least for a while.
  • Later reversed. Mary secretly gets married to a man of little standing who adores her, while Anne... well, you know. In this rare case, being the foolish sibling was actually quite responsible, as Mary was able to survive the fall of her family due to her disownment while her brother and sister who were ambitious and (foolishly) wanted more than they had were both executed.
• In the Hood: Wears a hooded cloak for her first visit to Henry's bedchamber.
• Marry for Love: To William Stafford, a man of little standing and income.
• The Mistress: To King Francis and Henry.
• Parental Marriage Veto: Thomas Boleyn is most displeased that not only did Mary wed without his consent, she wed someone whom he would have been very unlikely to accept. Also, a sibling marriage veto as Mary required Anne's permission as well.

Eleanor Luke

Eleanor Luke

Played By: Andrea Lowe

• Framing the Guilty Party: To get her out of Anne's service, George Boleyn threatens to accuse her of a jewel theft. She takes the hint.
• Lady-In-Waiting: To Anne Boleyn.
• The Mistress: To Henry.
• Shaking Her Hair Loose: Henry expertly removes some pins from her hair before pressing her down on the bed.
• Toplessness from the Back: She is on her stomach during her first sex scene with Henry.
• Very Loosely Based on a True Story: There is no record of anyone named Eleanor Luke ever existing. Her character is based on a rumor of a "very handsome lady" catching Henry's eye while Anne was pregnant.

Madge Shelton

Margaret "Madge" Shelton

Played By: Laura Jane Laughlin

• Annoying Laugh: Anne is very annoyed to hear Madge and a couple of her other ladies laughing over Sir Thomas Wyatt's poetry.
• Artistic License – History: In the show, Madge is one of the ladies to give evidence against Anne. In real life, she was not.
• Bearer of Bad News: She very nervously tells Anne of Henry's life-threatening injury in a joust.
• Good Adultery, Bad Adultery: Thomas Boleyn convinces Anne that Henry should be permitted to cheat on account of Anne's No Pregger Sex rule, as long as he cheats with someone who does not pose a political threat to her. As Anne's somewhat dimwitted cousin, Madge fits the bill nicely.
• Lady-In-Waiting: To Anne Boleyn.
• The Mistress: To Henry.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Henry finds it very funny that everyone calls her Madge instead of Margaret.
• Very Loosely Based on a True Story: In real life, according to letters by Eustace Chapuys, Henry had a six-month affair with "Mistress Shelton." This may have been Madge or her sister, Mary Shelton, although some historians believe they were the same person.
• Will They or Won't They?: Many expect her and Henry's groom, Henry Norris, to become engaged.

Ursula Misseldon

Ursula Misseldon

Played By: Charlotte Salt

• Comforting The Widower: Jane asks Ursula to "be a comfort to His Majesty" if she dies in childbirth. Despite her evident guilt, she does have one more night of sex with Henry before leaving court.
• Diamonds in the Buff: Shown naked except for a necklace given to her by Sir Francis Bryan.
• Hospital Hottie: Spends some time nursing Henry's leg injury.
• Lady-In-Waiting: To Jane Seymour.
• The Mistress: To Sir Francis and Henry.
• The Muse: Sir Francis recites a poem about her after, presumably, they sleep together.
• Public Exposure: Poses nude for a painting commissioned to Hans Holbein by Henry.
• Really Gets Around: With Sir Francis and Henry.
• Sex for Services: The necklace Sir Francis gives her seems to assist her decision to sleep with him.
• Unwanted Spouse: Has absolutely no trouble sleeping with other men despite being engaged to Sir Robert Tavistock.
• The Vamp: Has a sensuous nature that is evident from her very first appearance.

Joan Bulmer

Joan Bulmer

Played By: Catherine Steadman

• Artistic License – History: In the show, Joan divulges the details of Katherine's sexual history while being interrogated. In real life, although she was called to testify, two other ladies were the main sources of this information.
• Beleaguered Childhood Friend: Begs Katherine to make her one of her ladies, lest she "persist in [her] wretchedness" otherwise.
• Cannot Keep a Secret: Fills in Lady Rochford on everything that took place in the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk's household, despite promising Katherine that she would not tell anyone.
• Ho Yay: There is a hint that she and Katherine used to engage in some girl-on-girl touching.
• Lady-In-Waiting: To Katherine Howard.

Foreign Dignitaries

Eustace Chapuys

Eustace Chapuys

Played By: Anthony Brophy

• Agony of the Feet: He suffers increasingly from gout during Season 4.
• As Long as It Sounds Foreign: Anthony Brophy plays Chapuys with a Spanish accent. Chapuys grew up in the Duchy of Savoy, which covered an area that now includes parts of France, Italy and Switzerland, so of all the accents he could have had, Spanish is not one of them.
• "Ass" in Ambassador: In Season 2, he briefly plots the assassination of Anne Boleyn. His relationship to the English crown is always a little shaky due to strained relations with the Empire, but this is considered a bridge too far.
• Big Brother Mentor: To Mary.
• Bus Crash: Dies shortly after leaving the English court and returning to Spain.
  • In real life, he relocated to what is now Belgium, living there long enough to set up a college and a grammar school and to act as an adviser to Charles V.
• Cool Old Guy: He fits the description to a capital T.
• Cry into Chest: Allows Mary to do this after her argument with Katherine Howard.
• Determinator: Nothing will stop him trying to help Katherine of Aragon, and later Mary.
• Fake Guest Star: One of only three characters/actors who appears in all four seasons, yet he never made it to the opening credits.
• Friendship Trinket: Before leaving England for good, he gives Mary a ring that had been given to him by Charles V, who had received it from Mary's mother, Katherine of Aragon. Mary strokes the ring fondly when she receives the news that Chapuys has died.
• Gossipy Hens: Often visits Mary to fill her in on the latest rumors at court.
• Odd Friendship: With Thomas Cromwell. Their mutal respect seems to transcend their opposing religious and political views.
• The Mentor: To Mary.
• The Matchmaker: Proposes Dom Luis of Portugal as a husband for Mary.
• Nice Guy: One of the most tolerant Catholics in the Tudors alongside Katherine Howard and Cardinal Wosley. He is one of the only major characters who shows those two any empathy/sympathy as well.
• Parental Substitute: To Mary, especially after Catherine dies.
• Sick Episode: In the Season 4 episode "You Have My Permission," Chapuys allows Suffolk to speak with him about a military treaty while he is bedridden with gout.
• Time-Passage Beard: Clean-shaven at the beginning of the series, fully bearded by the end.
• Voiceover Letter: Writes one to Charles V in the opening scene of Season 4.
  • History remembers Chapuys as a prolific and talented letter-writer, whose correspondence offers detailed if unreliable insight into the machinations of the English court.

King Francis I

Francis I of France

Played By: Emmanuel Lecomte

• "Ass" in Ambassador: He spends the entire Field of the Cloth of Gold conference denigrating the English to their king's face.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: As with Henry and Charles, any treaty he signs isn't worth the paper it's written on.
• Everyone Has Standards: He refuses a betrothal of Elizabeth to his youngest son as she is considered a bastard by the pope.
• The Good King: He has his flaws, but he and Charles V are still potrayed as being better monarchs then Henry VIII. Granted, this isn't saying much.
• Good Shepherd: Dresses as one on a visit to Pope Paul III, much to his delight.
• He Who Must Not Be Seen: For the last two seasons, he communicates with Henry entirely through letters and intermediaries.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Played By: Sebastian Armesto

• Adaptational Attractiveness: Actor Sebastian Armesto has a fairly prominent chin, but not nearly to Charles V's Habsburgian proportions.
• Big Brother Instinct: He interferes in Henry's divorce from Katherine of Aragon because he doesn't want to see his favorite aunt jilted.
• The Chessmaster: Repeatedly manages to outfox Henry, particularly in Seasons 1 and 4.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: As with Henry and Francis, his word is never to be trusted.
• The Emperor: The Holy Roman Emperor, no less.
• The Good King: He has his flaws, but he and Francis I are still portrayed as being better monarchs then Henry VIII. Granted, this isn't saying much.
• This Is Unforgivable!: He is furious at the deaths of Cardinal Wosley, Katherine of Aragon, Thomas More and John Fisher, among other Catholics that die in England. This is only mentioned.
• He Who Must Not Be Seen: He only appears in person once, and thereafter communicates solely through Chapuys and other emissaries.
• May–December Romance: Betrothed to Mary when he is 25 and she is six. He later jilts her for Isabella of Portugal, which almost permanently strains relations with England.
• Younger Than They Look: Despite looking older than both Francis and Henry, he's actually the youngest man among the three of them.

Pope Paul III

Pope Paul III

Played By: Peter O'Toole

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Apparently, they couldn't get Peter O'Toole back for Season 3, so the Pope never quite shows up and relays all his orders to his minions via a Suspiciously Similar Substitute, Cardinal von Waldburg.
• Cool Old Guy: He's charismatic, witty, and far more responsive to King Henry's concerns than his predecessor.
• Deadpan Snarker: Peter O'Toole is brilliant at this.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Paul makes Fisher a cardinal, thinking that Henry would think twice before executing one. This just antagonizes Henry, who was already resentful of the Pope's influnce over the Church in England, and practically ensures that Fisher won't get out of his predicament alive.
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent: To be fair, they were most likely going for a Translation Convention from Latin, rather than English spoken with an Italian accent.
• One-Scene Wonder: Often shows up for one or two scenes in an episode, to show of some of O'Toole's trademark wit.
• Sinister Minister: Downplayed, but definitely there, as when he not-so-subtly encourages the assassination attempts against Anne Boleyn.
• The Spymaster: He founds the Jesuits to act as his operatives abroad.
• Tempting Fate: He allows Henry's appointment of Thomas Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury because, as he puts it, "What harm could a nobody do to our Holy Church?"
• This Means War!: Since nothing else worked to get Henry to drop his efforts to break with Rome, the Pope decides invading England is the only option. He asks the visibly uncomfortable king of France to lead the charge.

Charles de Marillac

Charles de Marillac

Played By: Lothaire Bluteau

• Advertised Extra: He gets billing in the opening titles of Season 4, despite only appearing in five out of ten episodes and only appearing for a scene or two in each. (This is probably because the show was an Irish/Canadian co-production, and Lothaire Bluteau is a fairly big star in Canada.)
• "Ass" in Ambassador: Played with. He is scrupulously polite and servile to Henry, but the claws come out whenever he and Chapuys are alone together.
• The Generic Guy: Doesn't really get enough screentime to develop a personality of his own.
• The Matchmaker: Proposes the Duke of Orléans as a husband for Mary.

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