This list contains the biographies of historical figures who appear in the plays of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

. (Note that it does not contain articles for characters; see instead :Category:Shakespearean characters.) It should be possible to cross-reference historical characters to their dramatic counterpart at List of Shakespearean characters (A–K) and (L–Z).
In the following list, figures are listed by the name of the character, as it appears in Shakespeare's plays, and includes a narrative of the role of the character in the play: which may, or may not, reflect the role of the figure in history. The list contains duplicates: for example, Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland will be found listed under N and P. To avoid unnecessary duplication of entries, various names will all redirect to one source, usually the most common name used in the actual texts, with links that direct to the proper initial.

A

• Lord Abergavenny
  George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny
  George Nevill, 5th and de jure 3rd Baron Bergavenny KG, PC was an English courtier. He held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.-Life:...
  
  is Buckingham's son-in-law in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  .

For Aenobarbus (or AEnobarbus or Ænobarbus) see Enobarbus.

• Agrippa
  Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
  Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman statesman and general. He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defense minister to Octavian, the future Emperor Caesar Augustus...
  
  is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra who proposes that the widowed Antony should marry Octavia.
• Alcibiades
  Alcibiades (fictional character)
  The prominent Athenian statesman Alcibiades has been criticized by ancient comic writers and appears in several Socratic dialogues. He enjoys an important afterlife, in literature and art, having acquired symbolic status as the personification of ambition and sexual profligacy...
  
  is a soldier who turns renegade when one of his junior officers is sentenced to death; he is a true friend to the title character in Timon of Athens
  Timon of Athens
  The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
  
  .
• The Duke of Alençon is one of the French leaders in Henry VI, Part 1
  Henry VI, part 1
  Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .

For Alexander Iden see Iden.

• Anne:
  • Anne Bullen
    Anne Boleyn
    Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
    
    is a maid of Honour to Katherine who later becomes King Henry's second wife in Henry VIII
    Henry VIII (play)
    The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
    
    .
  • Lady Anne
    Anne Neville
    Lady Anne Neville was Princess of Wales as the wife of Edward of Westminster and Queen of England as the consort of King Richard III. She held the latter title for less than two years, from 26 June 1483 until her death in March 1485...
    
    is the widow of Prince Edward, wooed by Richard over the corpse of her late father-in-law (Henry VI) in Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    .
• Mark Antony
  Mark Antony
  Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
  
  (often just Antony, and sometimes Marcus Antonius) turns the mob against Caesar's killers and becomes a Triumvir in Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar (play)
  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
  
  . His romance with Cleopatra drives the action of Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .

For Sir Anthony Denny see Denny.

• Archbishop:
  • Archbishop of Canterbury:
    • The Archbishop of Canterbury
      Henry Chichele
      Henry Chichele , English archbishop, founder of All Souls College, Oxford, was born at Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, in 1363 or 1364...
      
      is an important character in the first act of Henry V
      Henry V (play)
      Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
      
      . He expounds Henry's claim to the French throne.
    • Thomas Cranmer
      Thomas Cranmer
      Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
      
      , Archbishop of Canterbury is a major character in the last act of Henry VIII, hauled before the privy council
      Privy council
      A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
      
       by his enemies and threatened with imprisonment, but protected by the king.
    • See also Cardinal Bourchier, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time dramatised in Richard III.
  • Archbishop of York:
    • The Archbishop of York (1)
      Richard le Scrope
      Richard le Scrope was Bishop of Lichfield then Archbishop of York.Scrope earned a Doctorate in canon law. He was provided to the see of Coventry and Lichfield on 18 August 1386, and consecrated on 19 August 1386. He was given the temporalities of the see on 15 November 1386. He was consecrated at...
      
      is one of the rebel leaders in Henry IV, Part 1
      Henry IV, Part 1
      Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
      
       and Henry IV, Part 2
      Henry IV, Part 2
      Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
      
      .
    • The Archbishop of York (2)
      Thomas Rotherham
      Thomas Rotherham , also known as Thomas de Rotherham, was an English cleric and statesman. He served as bishop of several dioceses, most notably as Archbishop of York and, on two occasions as Lord Chancellor...
      
      assists Queen Elizabeth and the little Duke of York to obtain sanctuary in Richard III.
• Arthur
  Arthur I, Duke of Brittany
  Arthur I was Duke of Brittany between 1194 and 1202. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Constance, Duchess of Brittany...
  
  is a child, the nephew of the king in King John. He persuades Hubert not to put out his eyes, but dies in an attempt to escape captivity.
• Aumerle
  Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York
  Sir Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, 2nd Earl of Cambridge, Earl of Rutland, Earl of Cork, Duke of Aumale KG was a member of the English royal family who died at the Battle of Agincourt....
  
  is a companion and cousin of Richard in Richard II
  Richard II (play)
  King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
  
  .

For Duke of Austria see Limoges.

• The Countess of Auvergne (Jacquette du Peschin) receives Talbot after his capture in Henry VI, Part 1
  Henry VI, part 1
  Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .

B

• Bagot
  William Bagot (politician)
  Sir William Bagot was a politician and administrator under Richard II.William Bagot was a Warwickshire man who began his career in politics in Warwickshire under the Earl of Warwick. In addition, he also served both John of Gaunt and his son Henry Bolingbroke, as well as Thomas de Mowbray, 1st...
  
  is a favourite of Richard in Richard II
  Richard II (play)
  King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
  
  .
• Lord Bardolph
  Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf
  Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf was a baron in the Peerage of England, Lord of Wormegay, Norfolk, of Shelford and Stoke Bardolph in Nottinghamshire, Hallaton , Leicestershire, and others, and was "a person of especial eminence in his time"...
  
  is a nobleman, one of the Percy faction, in Henry IV, Part 2
  Henry IV, Part 2
  Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
  
  .
• The Bastard of Orleans
  Jean de Dunois
  John of Orléans, Count of Dunois was the illegitimate son of Louis d'Orléans by Mariette d'Enghien.The term "Bastard of Orléans" John of Orléans, Count of Dunois (French born "Jean Levieux Valois des Orléans" better known as Jean d'Orléans, comte de Dunois, also known as John of Orléans and...
  
  is one of the French leaders in Henry VI, Part 1
  Henry VI, part 1
  Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .

For Beaufort see Bishop of Winchester.

For Bedford see Prince John of Lancaster, who was the Duke of Bedford.

• Lord Berkeley
  Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley
  Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley the Magnificent was an English peer born in the Berkeley Castle, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England to Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley and Elizabeth le Despencer....
  
  acts as messenger from York to Bolingbroke in Richard II
  Richard II (play)
  King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
  
  .
• The Duke of Berry
  John, Duke of Berry
  John of Valois or John the Magnificent was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg; his brothers were King Charles V of France, Duke Louis I of Anjou and Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy...
  
  is a French leader in Henry V
  Henry V (play)
  Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
  
  .
• Bishop:
  • The Bishop of Carlisle
    Thomas Merke
    Thomas Merke was an English priest and Bishop of Carlisle from 1397 to 1400. Educated at Oxford University, be became a Benedictine monk at Westminster Abbey. He was consecrated bishop about 23 April 1397...
    
    supports Richard in Richard II.
  • Bishop of Ely:
    • The Bishop of Ely (1)
      John Fordham
      John Fordham was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely.Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June of 1377. He held that office until December of 1381....
      
      conspires with the Archbishop of Canterbury in the opening scene of Henry V.
    • The Bishop of Ely (2) ultimately shows his opposition to Richard in Richard III.
  • Bishop of Winchester:
    • The Bishop of Winchester (later "the Cardinal") is the uncle and chief enemy of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 1
      Henry VI, part 1
      Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
      
       and Henry VI, Part 2
      Henry VI, part 2
      Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
      
      .
    • For The Bishop of Winchester in Henry VIII, see Gardiner.

For The Bishop of Lincoln see Bishop of Lincoln.

• Blanche
  Blanche of Castile
  Blanche of Castile , was a Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX....
  
  is King John's niece, married (by arrangement among the kings, to seal an alliance) to the Dauphin.
• Blunt:
  • Sir James Blunt is a supporter of Richmond in Richard III.
  • Sir John Blunt is a supporter of the king in Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    .
  • Sir Walter Blunt is a soldier and messenger to the king in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
    . He is killed by Douglas while wearing the king's armour.
• Roger Bolingbroke
  Roger Bolingbroke
  Roger Bolingbroke was a 15th-century English cleric, astronomer, astrologer, magister and alleged necromancer. He flourished in the first half of the 15th century. He was tried, convicted and executed for treasonable witchcraft on the person of Henry VI of England.Bolingbroke was a person of great...
  
   is chaplain to the Duchess of Gloucester and orchestrates the demon-summoning in Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
  • For Bolingbroke see also King Henry IV.
• Lady Bona
  Bona of Savoy
  Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan was a the second spouse of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan and a member of the noble Italian House of Savoy. She served as regent of Milan during the minority of her son 1476–1481....
  
  is King Lewis's sister-in-law, whose hopes to marry Edward are thwarted in Henry VI, Part 3
  Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• The Duke of Bourbon
  John I, Duke of Bourbon
  Jean de Bourbon was Duke of Bourbon, from 1410 to his death and Duke of Auvergne since 1416. He was the eldest son of Louis II and Anna d'Auvergne...
  
  fights on the French side in Henry V.

For Cardinal Bourchier see Cardinal.

• Boy
  Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick
  Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick was the son of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and a potential claimant to the English throne during the reigns of both Richard III and his successor, Henry VII...
  
  in Richard III is the young son of the murdered Clarence
  George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
  George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
  
   (described in one speech as little Ned Plantagenet).
• Brackenbury
  Robert Brackenbury
  Sir Robert Brackenbury was an English nobleman and courtier. He was a close associate of Richard III of England.-Early life:...
  
  is the Lieutenant of the Tower of London in Richard III.
• The Duke of Britain
  John VI, Duke of Brittany
  John VI the Wise , was duke of Brittany, count of Montfort, and titular earl of Richmond, from 1399 to his death...
  
  is a French leader in Henry V.
• Brutus:
  • Marcus Brutus (usually just Brutus) is a central character of Julius Caesar, who conspires against Caesar's life and stabs him.
  • See also Decius Brutus.
• Buckingham:
  • The Duke of Buckingham (1)
    Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
    Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG , an English nobleman, great grandson of King Edward III on his mother's side, was best known as a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and in the Wars of the Roses....
    
    is a Lancastrian in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    . His death is reported in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • The Duke of Buckingham (2)
    Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
    Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, KG played a major role in Richard III of England's rise and fall. He is also one of the primary suspects in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower...
    
    is a Yorkist in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , and is a co-conspirator with Richard—although he is eventually rejected, then murdered on Richard's orders&mdsah;in |Richard III.
  • The Duke of Buckingham (3)
    Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
    Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and the former Lady Catherine Woodville, daughter of the 1st Earl Rivers and sister-in-law of King Edward IV.-Early life:Stafford was born at Brecknock Castle in Wales...
    
    , an enemy of Wolsey, falls from grace and is executed by Henry in Henry VIII.

For Anne Bullen see Anne.

• Burgundy:
  • The Duke of Burgundy (1) brokers the peace treaty between the kings of France and England in the last act of Henry V.
  • The Duke of Burgundy (2) fights firstly in alliance with the English, and later in alliance with the French, in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Bushy
  John Bussy
  Sir John Bussy of Hougham in Lincolnshire was a Member of Parliament representing Lincolnshire or Rutland eleven times from 1383 to 1398 as a Knight of the Shire and was also Speaker of the House of Commons at the three Parliaments between 1393 and 1398...
  
  is a favourite of Richard in Richard II.
• Doctor Butts
  William Butts
  Sir William Butts was a member of King Henry VIII of England's court and served as the King's physician.He had his portrait painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1543, and was knighted the following year...
  
  is the king's physician in Henry VIII. He alerts the king to Cranmer's humiliation in refused admittance to the council chamber.

C

• Caesar:
  • Julius Caesar
    Julius Caesar
    Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
    
    is the title character of Julius Caesar
    Julius Caesar (play)
    The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
    
    , an Emperor of Rome who is stabbed in the Capitol, on the Ides of March.
  • Octavius Caesar
    Augustus
    Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
    
    is one of the Triumvirs, the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra
    Antony and Cleopatra
    Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
    
    .
• Caius:
  • Doctor Caius
    John Caius
    John Caius , also known as Johannes Caius, was an English physician, and second founder of the present Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.-Early years:...
    
    is a French doctor in The Merry Wives of Windsor
    The Merry Wives of Windsor
    The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...
    
    . He challenges Parson Hugh to a duel.
  • See also (Caius) Cassius, Caius Martius Coriolanus and Caius Ligarius.
• Calphurnia
  Calpurnia Pisonis
  Calpurnia Pisonis , daughter of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, sister of Lucius Calpurnius Piso, "the Pontifex", was a Roman woman and the third and last wife of Julius Caesar. Calpurnia was the great-granddaughter of a lieutenant of Lucius Cassius Longinus, whose name was Lucius Piso...
  
  is the wife of Caesar, whose dream predicts her husband's death, in Julius Caesar.
• The Earl of Cambridge
  Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge
  Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge was the younger son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York and Isabella of Castile....
  
  is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Scroop and Grey) in Henry V
  Henry V (play)
  Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
  
  .

For Cardinal Campeius see Cardinal.

• Canidius
  Publius Canidius Crassus
  Publius Canidius Crassus was a Roman general and Mark Antony's lieutenant. He served under Lepidus in southern Gallia in 43 BC, and was henceforth allied with Antony. He became suffect consul in 40 BC and then served as a commander in Armenia whence he invaded, in 36 BC, Iberia , and forced its...
  
  is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .

For Canterbury see Archbishop of Canterbury.

• Lord Caputius
  Eustace Chapuys
  Eustace Chapuys was a Savoyard diplomat who served as the Imperial ambassador to England from 1529 until 1545 and is best known for his extensive and detailed correspondence.-Life:...
  
  is an ambassador from the Holy Roman Emperor
  Holy Roman Empire
  The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
  
   in Henry VIII.
• Cardinal:
  • Cardinal Bourchier
    Thomas Bourchier
    Thomas Bourchier was an English archbishop, Lord Chancellor and cardinal.-Life:Bourchier was a younger son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu , and through his mother, Anne of Gloucester, a daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, was a grandson of King Edward III of England. One of his brothers was...
    
    delivers the little Duke of York from sanctuary, and into the hands of Richard and Buckingham, in Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    .
  • Cardinal Campeius is the papal legate at the trial of Katherine in Henry VIII
    Henry VIII (play)
    The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
    
    .
  • Cardinal Wolsey orchestrates the fall from grace of Buckingham and Katherine, but himself falls from grace and dies, in Henry VIII.
  • See also the Bishop of Winchester, who becomes a Cardinal in the course of Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .

For The Bishop of Carlisle see Bishop.

• Casca
  Servilius Casca
  Publius Servilius Casca Longus was one of the assassins of Gaius Julius Caesar, who was murdered on 15 March, 44 BC....
  
  is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar. He has an important role in the early parts of the play, reporting offstage events.
• Caius Cassius
  Gaius Cassius Longinus
  Gaius Cassius Longinus was a Roman senator, a leading instigator of the plot to kill Julius Caesar, and the brother in-law of Marcus Junius Brutus.-Early life:...
  
  , usually known just as Cassius, is a central character in Julius Caesar. He incites the conspiracy against Caesar, and recruits Brutus to the conspirators' ranks.
• Catesby
  William Catesby
  William Catesby, esq. was one of Richard III of England's principal councillors. He also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Speaker of the House of Commons during Richard's reign....
  
  is a double agent—seemingly loyal to Lord Hastings but actually reporting to Buckingham and Richard—in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .

For Lord Chamberlain and Lord Chancellor see Lord Chamberlain and Lord Chancellor.

• King Charles VI of France
  Charles VI of France
  Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
  
  is Henry's hated enemy in Henry V
  Henry V (play)
  Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
  
  .

For King Charles VII of France see Dauphin.

For The Lord Chief Justice see Lord Chief Justice.

• Christopher Urswick
  Christopher Urswick
  Christopher Urswick was a priest and confessor of Margaret Beaufort. He was Rector of Puttenham, Hampshire, and later Dean of Windsor...
  
  is a minor character: a priest acting as messenger for Lord Stanley in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .
• Cinna:
  • Cinna is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar.
  • Cinna
    Helvius Cinna
    Gaius Helvius Cinna was an influential neoteric poet of the late Roman Republic, a little older than the generation of Catullus and Calvus.His magnum opus Zmyrna established his literary fame; a mythological epic poem focused on the incestuous love of Smyrna for her father Cinyras, treated after...
    
    is a poet, mistaken for the conspirator Cinna in Julius Caesar. Realising they have the wrong man, the mob "kill him for his bad verses".
• Clarence:
  • George, Duke of Clarence
    George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
    George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
    
    is the younger brother of Edward and the elder brother of Richard in Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
     and Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    . He is often known as "perjured Clarence", having broken his oath to Warwick and fighting instead for his brother's faction. He is eventually drowned in a butt of malmesy wine.
  • Thomas, Duke of Clarence
    Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence
    Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, KG , also known as Thomas Plantagenet, was the second son of King Henry IV of England and his first wife, Mary de Bohun. He was born before 25 November 1387 as on that date his father's accounts note a payment made to a woman described as his nurse...
    
    is Hal's younger brother, who appears in Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
     and Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    .
• Cleopatra is the lover of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  . She commits suicide using a poisonous asp.
• Clifford:
  • Clifford
    John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford
    John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, also 9th Lord of Skipton was a Lancastrian military leader during the Wars of the Roses...
    
    (sometimes called Young Clifford) is a staunch Lancastrian, and is the Yorkists' most hated enemies—as the killer of Rutland
    Edmund, Earl of Rutland
    Edmund, Earl of Rutland was the fifth child and second surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville...
    
    —in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
     and Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • Old Clifford, father of Clifford, is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• The Constable of France
  Charles d'Albret
  Charles d'Albret was Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the co-commander of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt where he was killed by the English forces led by King Henry V....
  
  leads the French forces in Henry V.
• Constance
  Constance, Duchess of Brittany
  Constance of Penthièvre was hereditary Duchess of Brittany between 1171 and 1196...
  
  is Arthur's mother in King John and a fierce advocate for her son's right to the English throne.
• Caius Martius Coriolanus, usually known just as Coriolanus, is the central character of Coriolanus
  Coriolanus (play)
  Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.-Characters:*Caius Martius, later surnamed Coriolanus...
  
  , who earns the tile "Coriolanus" in recognition of his skill at smiting Volscians in Coriolai.

For Thomas Cranmer see Archbishop of Canterbury.

• Thomas Cromwell
  Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
  Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
  
  is secretary to Wolsey, and later to the Privy Council, in Henry VIII.
• Cymbeline
  Cunobelinus
  Cunobeline or Cunobelinus was a historical king in pre-Roman Britain, known from passing mentions by classical historians Suetonius and Dio Cassius, and from his many inscribed coins...
  
  , the title character of Cymbeline
  Cymbeline
  Cymbeline , also known as Cymbeline, King of Britain or The Tragedy of Cymbeline, is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance...
  
  , is king of the Britons, and father to Imogen, Guiderus and Arviragus.

D

• Dauphin (sometimes Dolphin in older texts):
  • The Dauphin is Henry's chief enemy in Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    .
  • The Dauphin, later King Charles VII of France
    Charles VII of France
    Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
    
    leads the French forces, with Joan, in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • See also Lewis.
  • Decius Brutus
    Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus
    Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus was a Roman politician and general of the 1st century BC and one of the leading instigators of Julius Caesar's assassination...
    
    is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar
    Julius Caesar (play)
    The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
    
    .
• Sir Anthony Denny
  Anthony Denny
  Sir Anthony Denny was a confidant of Henry VIII of England. Denny was the most prominent member of the Privy chamber in Henry's last years having, together with his brother-in-law John Gates, charge of the "dry stamp" of Henry's signature, and attended Henry on his deathbed. He also served as...
  
  is a minor character in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  , who brings Cranmer to the King.
• Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby
  Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby
  Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG was titular King of Mann, an English nobleman and stepfather to King Henry VII of England...
  
  is a military leader who ultimately reveals his loyalty to the Richmond faction, in spite of his son being a hostage to Richard, in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .

For Doctor (title) see William Butts or John Caius.

• Dorset
  Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset
  Thomas Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and 1st Marquess of Dorset, KG , was an English nobleman, courtier and a man of mediocre abilities pushed into prominence by his mother Elizabeth Woodville's second marriage to the king, Edward IV.-Family:Thomas was born about 1455,...
  
  and Grey
  Richard Grey
  Sir Richard Grey was an English knight and the half-brother of King Edward V of England.Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby and Elizabeth Woodville, later Queen Consort of King Edward IV...
  
   are the two sons of Queen Elizabeth (wife of Edward IV) from her first marriage, who are arrested and executed on the orders of Buckingham and Richard in Richard III.
• Duchess:
  • Duchess of Gloucester:
    • The Duchess of Gloucester (1)
      Eleanor de Bohun
      Eleanor de Bohun was the elder daughter and co-heiress with her sister Mary de Bohun, of their father Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford. Her mother was Lady Joan Fitzalan, daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and his second wife Eleanor of Lancaster.-Marriage:In 1376 she...
      
      is the widow of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. His murder (before the play opens) drives much of the action of Richard II
      Richard II (play)
      King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
      
      .
    • The Duchess of Gloucester (2)
      Eleanor Cobham
      Eleanor [née Eleanor Cobham], Duchess of Gloucester , was a mistress and the second wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. A convicted sorceress, her imprisonment for treasonable necromancy in 1441 was a cause célèbre.-Family:...
      
      is the wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2
      Henry VI, part 2
      Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
      
      , in which she dabbles in witchcraft with disastrous results.
  • Duchess of York:
    • The Duchess of York (1) (unnamed) character in Richard II
      Richard II (play)
      King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
      
      , a composite of Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York
      Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York
      Infanta Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York was a daughter ofKing Peter of Castile and María de Padilla. She was a younger sister of Constance, Duchess of Lancaster....
      
      , died 1392, the mother of Aumerle, and Joan Holland
      Joan Holland
      Joan Holland was the third daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, and Alice FitzAlan. She married four times. Her first husband was a duke, and the following three were barons...
      
      , who bore no children
    • The Duchess of York (2) is the wife of Richard, Duke of York (1) in Henry VI, Part 3
      Henry VI, part 3
      Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
      
      . She outlives him to mourn the death of two of their sons in Richard III
      Richard III (play)
      Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
      
      .

For Duke see Duke of Austria (under Limoges), Duke of Bedford (under Prince John of Lancaster), Duke of Berry, Duke of Bourbon, Duke of Britain (or Brittany), Duke of Buckingham, Duke of Burgundy, Duke of Clarence, Duke of Exeter, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Norfolk, Duke of Orleans, Duke of Somerset, Duke of Suffolk, Duke of Surrey or Duke of York.

E

For Earl see Earl of Cambridge, Earl of Derby, Earl of Essex, Earl of Huntingdon, Earl of Northumberland, Earl of Oxford, Earl of Pembroke, Earl of Richmond (under King Henry VII), Earl Rivers, Earl of Salisbury, Earl of Surrey, Earl of Warwick, Earl of Westmoreland or Earl of Worcester.

For Edmund Mortimer see Mortimer.

• Edward:
  • Edward later King Edward IV
    Edward IV of England
    Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
    
    is the eldest son of Richard, Duke of York (1) in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
     and Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , in the latter of which he becomes king. He dies in Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    .
  • Prince Edward:
    • Prince Edward is the son of Henry VI, who joins his mother Queen Margaret as a leader of the Lancastrian forces in Henry VI, Part 3
      Henry VI, part 3
      Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
      
      . He is killed by the three Yorks (Edward, George and Richard).
    • Prince Edward of York later King Edward V
      Edward V of England
      Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
      
      is the eldest son of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth. He appears in Henry VI, Part 3
      Henry VI, part 3
      Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
      
      , and is the elder of the two princes in the tower
      Princes in the Tower
      The Princes in the Tower is a term which refers to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville alive at the time of their father's death...
      
       in Richard III.
• Eleanor:
  • Queen Eleanor
    Eleanor of Aquitaine
    Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
    
    is the mother of the title character in King John. She takes a liking to Philip the Bastard, and recruits him to John's court.
  • See also Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester.
• Queen Elizabeth
  Elizabeth Woodville
  Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
  
  is a suitor to, and then queen to, Edward IV in Henry VI, Part 3
  Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
   and Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  . She is a major character in the later play, and a foil
  Foil (literature)
  In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
  
   to Richard.
• Ely:
  • The Bishop of Ely (1)
    John Fordham
    John Fordham was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely.Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June of 1377. He held that office until December of 1381....
    
    conspires with the Archbishop of Canterbury in the opening scene of Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    .
  • The Bishop of Ely (2) ultimately shows his opposition to Richard in Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    .
• Enobarbus
  Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 32 BC)
  Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was a general and politician of ancient Rome in the 1st century BC.-Life:Ahenobarbus was captured with his father, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, at Corfinium in 49 BC, and was present at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, but did not take any further part in the war...
  
  is a major character in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  , a follower of Antony who later abandons him to join Caesar.
• Sir Thomas Erpingham is the commander of the longbowmen at Agincourt in Henry V.
• The Earl of Essex
  Geoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex
  Geoffrey Fitz Peter, Earl of Essex was a prominent member of the government of England during the reigns of Richard I and John. The patronymic is sometimes rendered Fitz Piers, for he was the son of Piers de Lutegareshale, forester of Ludgershall.-Life:He was from a modest landowning family that...
  
  is a minor character at John's court in King John.
• Exeter:
  • The Duke of Exeter (1)
    Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter
    Thomas Beaufort, 1st Duke of Exeter, KG was an English military commander during the Hundred Years' War, and briefly Chancellor of England. He was the third of four children; the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford...
    
    is an uncle of Henry V. He acts as emissary to the French King in Henry V. He has a more choric role in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • The Duke of Exeter (2)
    Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter
    Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter was a Lancastrian leader during the English Wars of the Roses. He was the only son of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter and his first wife Lady Anne Stafford. His maternal grandparents were Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford and Anne of Gloucester.He inherited...
    
    is a Lancastrian leader in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .

F

• Sir John Falstaff
  Falstaff
  Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. In the two Henry IV plays, he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vain, boastful, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, and is...
  
  (based on both Sir John Oldcastle
  John Oldcastle
  Sir John Oldcastle , English Lollard leader, was son of Sir Richard Oldcastle of Almeley in northwest Herefordshire and grandson of another Sir John Oldcastle....
  
   and Sir John Fastolfe
  John Fastolf
  Sir John Fastolf KG was an English knight during the Hundred Years War, who has enjoyed a more lasting reputation as in some part being the prototype of Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff...
  
  ) is a central character of Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
  
  , Henry IV, Part 2
  Henry IV, Part 2
  Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
  
  , and The Merry Wives of Windsor
  The Merry Wives of Windsor
  The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...
  
  . In the Henry plays, he is "bad angel" to prince Hal, and is eventually rejected by him. He is the lecherous gull of the title characters in Merry Wives. His death is reported in Henry V
  Henry V (play)
  Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
  
  , although he is not a character in that play. He is (with Hamlet) one of the two most significant roles in Shakespeare.
• Sir John Fastolfe (John Fastolf
  John Fastolf
  Sir John Fastolf KG was an English knight during the Hundred Years War, who has enjoyed a more lasting reputation as in some part being the prototype of Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff...
  
  ) is a coward, stripped of his garter in Henry VI, Part 1
  Henry VI, part 1
  Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Lord Fitzwalter (Walter FitzWalter, 5th Baron FitzWalter) is among those who challenges Aumerle in Richard II
  Richard II (play)
  King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
  
  .

For France see King Charles VI, King Charles VII, The Constable of France, King Lewis XI, King Philip II

G

• Gallus
  Cornelius Gallus
  Gaius Cornelius Gallus , Roman poet, orator and politician, was born of humble parents at Forum Livii in Italy.At an early age he moved to Rome, where he was taught by the same master as Virgil and Varius Rufus. Virgil, who dedicated one of his eclogues to him, was in great measure indebted to...
  
  is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .
• Gardiner
  Stephen Gardiner
  Stephen Gardiner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I of England.-Early life:...
  
  is the King's secretary, and later Bishop of Winchester. He is Cranmer's chief enemy in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  .
• Garter King of Arms
  Thomas Wriothesley
  Sir Thomas Wriothesley was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Garter King of Arms, John Writhe, and he succeeded his father in this office.-Personal life:...
  
  officiates at Anne Bullen's coronation and the christening of Princess Elizabeth in Henry VIII.

For Gaunt see John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

For George see George, Duke of Clarence.

• Girl in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
   is the young daughter of the murdered Clarence.
• Owen Glendower
  Owain Glyndwr
  Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
  
  , a warrior and magician who tries the patience of Hotspur, leads the Welsh forces in the rebellion in Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
  
  .
• Gloucester:
  • Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester appears as a brother of Hal in Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
     and Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    . He is a much more important character as the protector in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
     and Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , in which he is murdered by his rivals.
  • For Richard, Duke of Gloucester see King Richard III.
  • See also Duchess of Gloucester.
• Matthew Gough is an enemy of Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Governor:
  • The Governor of Harfleur surrenders to the English king in Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    .
  • The Governor of Paris has an oath of allegiance administered to him by Gloucester (but has no lines of his own) in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• John Gower
  John Gower
  John Gower was an English poet, a contemporary of William Langland and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer. He is remembered primarily for three major works, the Mirroir de l'Omme, Vox Clamantis, and Confessio Amantis, three long poems written in French, Latin, and English respectively, which...
  
  is the "Presenter", a narrator, of Pericles, Prince of Tyre
  Pericles, Prince of Tyre
  Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio...
  
  .
• Green is a favourite of Richard in Richard II
  Richard II (play)
  King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
  
  .
• Grey:
  • Grey
    Richard Grey
    Sir Richard Grey was an English knight and the half-brother of King Edward V of England.Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby and Elizabeth Woodville, later Queen Consort of King Edward IV...
    
    and Dorset are the two sons of Queen Elizabeth from her first marriage, who are arrested and executed on the orders of Buckingham and Richard in Richard III.
  • Sir Thomas Grey is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Cambridge and Scroop) in Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    .
  • For Lady Grey see Queen Elizabeth.
• Sir Henry Guildford
  Henry Guildford
  Sir Henry Guildford was an English courtier of the reign of Henry VIII, master of the horse and comptroller of the royal household.-Life:...
  
  welcomes guests to Cardinal Wolsey's party in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  .

H

• Hal, later King Henry V
  Henry V of England
  Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
  
  (sometimes called The Prince of Wales, Prince Henry or just Harry) is a central character in Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
  
   and Henry IV, Part 2
  Henry IV, Part 2
  Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
  
   and is the title character of Henry V
  Henry V (play)
  Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
  
  . He has a closer relationship with Falstaff than with his father (Henry IV), but he eventually ascends the throne, rejects Falstaff, and leads the English to victory at Agincourt.

For Harfleur see Governor of Harfleur.

For Harry see Hotspur, Bolingbroke or Henry.

• Lord Hastings
  William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
  William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings KG was an English nobleman. A follower of the House of York, he became a close friend and the most important courtier of King Edward IV, whom he served as Lord Chamberlain...
  
  is the prime minister, beheaded on Richard's orders in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .
• Henry:
  • Bolingbroke, later King Henry IV
    Henry IV of England
    Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
    
    leads a revolt against King Richard in Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    . He is the title character of Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
     and Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
     which chart the rebellions against him by the Percy faction, and his difficult relationship with his eldest son, Hal.
  • King Henry VI
    Henry VI of England
    Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
    
    , the title character of Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , and Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , is a weak and ineffectual king, and the plays chart the rebellions against him, leading to his overthrow and murder.
  • The Earl of Richmond, later King Henry VII
    Henry VII of England
    Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
    
    leads the rebellion against the cruel rule of King Richard III in the play of that name
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    , and eventually succeeds him as king.
  • King Henry VIII
    Henry VIII of England
    Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
    
    is the central character of the play Henry VIII
    Henry VIII (play)
    The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
    
    , portrayed as a wise and strong ruler.
  • Prince Henry
    Henry III of England
    Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
    
    appears towards the end of King John, as successor to the title character.
  • See also Sir Henry Guildford.
• Sir Walter Herbert is a follower of Richmond in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .
• Hotspur or Harry Percy, brave and chivalrous but hot-headed and sometimes comical, is an important foil to Hal, and leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
  
  .
• Hubert
  Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent
  Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III.-Birth and family:...
  
  is a henchman in King John. He resolves to put out Arthur's eyes, on John's orders, but eventually relents.

For Sir Hugh Mortimer see Mortimer.

For Humphrey see Gloucester.

• The Earl of Huntingdon
  John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter
  John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.-Family:...
  
  is a non-speaking follower of the king in Henry V
  Henry V (play)
  Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
  
  .

I

• Alexander Iden kills Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Queen Isabel of France
  Isabeau of Bavaria
  Isabeau of Bavaria was Queen consort of France as spouse of King Charles VI of France, a member of the Valois Dynasty...
  
  appears in the last act of Henry V
  Henry V (play)
  Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
  
  .

J

• Jack Cade
  Jack Cade
  Jack Cade was the leader of a popular revolt in the 1450 Kent rebellion during the reign of King Henry VI in England. He died on the 12th July 1450 near Lewes. In response to grievances, Cade led an army of as many as 5,000 against London, causing the King to flee to Warwickshire. After taking and...
  
  leads a proletarian rebellion in Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Joan la Pucelle (Joan of Arc
  Joan of Arc
  Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
  
  ) leads the Dauphin's forces against Talbot and the English in Henry VI, Part 1
  Henry VI, part 1
  Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• John:
  • John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
    John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
    John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
    
    , uncle to King Richard and father to Bolingbroke, dies in Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    , having delivered his famous "This sceptred isle..." speech.
  • King John
    John of England
    John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
    
    is the title character of King John: a king whose throne is under threat from the claim of his young nephew, Arthur.
  • Prince John of Lancaster
    John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford
    John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, KG , also known as John Plantagenet, was the third surviving son of King Henry IV of England by Mary de Bohun, and acted as Regent of France for his nephew, King Henry VI....
    
    , the younger brother of Hal, would be a fairly minor character in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
    , Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    , and Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    , were it not for his central, unscrupulous, role in the Gaultree Forest episode of Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    . He is also the Duke of Bedford who is Regent of France in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • See also Sir John Blunt, Sir John Falstaff, Sir John Fastolfe, John Gower, Sir John Montgomery, Sir John Mortimer, Sir John Stanley, Sir John Talbot or John Talbot.
• Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar
  Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
  
  is the title character of Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar (play)
  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
  
  , an Emperor of Rome who is stabbed in the Capitol, on the Ides of March.

K

For Kate see Lady Percy.

• Katharine/Katherine:
  • Katharine
    Catherine of Valois
    Catherine of France was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...
    
    is the French princess who marries Henry in Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    .
  • Queen Katherine of Aragon
    Catherine of Aragon
    Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
    
    is the first wife of King Henry in Henry VIII
    Henry VIII (play)
    The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
    
    . She falls from grace, is divorced and dies.

For King see King Charles of France, King Edward, King Henry, King John, King Lewis of France, King Philip of France or King Richard.

L

• Lady:
  • Lady Mortimer
    Catrin ferch Owain Glyndwr
    Catrin ferch Owain Glyndŵr was one of the daughters of Margaret Hanmer and Owain Glyndŵr.- Lineage :Glyndŵr, a prince of the old Welsh royal house of Powys Fadog of the Mathrafal line, led a major revolt in Wales between 1400 and c.1416, taking the title of "Prince of Wales".Little is known about...
    
    , daughter of Glendower and wife of Edmund Mortimer, sings in Welsh in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
    .
  • Lady Northumberland is the Earl of Northumberland's wife, who dissuades him from joining the rebels at Gaultree Forest in Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    .
  • Lady Percy (sometimes called Kate) is Hotspur's wife in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
    , and returns (as his widow) in Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    .
  • See also Lady Anne and Lady Bona.

For Lancaster see John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, Prince John of Lancaster or King Henry IV (aka Bolingbroke). Other members of the House of Lancaster include King Henry V, King Henry VI, Queen Margaret, Prince Edward and Lady Anne.

• Lepidus
  Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir)
  Marcus Aemilius Lepidus , was a Roman patrician who rose to become a member of the Second Triumvirate and Pontifex Maximus. His father, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, had been involved in a rebellion against the Roman Republic.Lepidus was among Julius Caesar's greatest supporters...
  
  is one of the Triumvirs, the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar (play)
  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
  
   and Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .
• Lewis:
  • King Lewis XI of France
    Louis XI of France
    Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
    
    , insulted by Edward IV's marriage to Lady Grey, allies himself with Warwick and Margaret in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • Lewis
    Louis VIII of France
    Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
    
    is the Dauphin in King John. He marries John's niece, Blanche, to cement an alliance with England. Later he leads forces against John.
• Caius Ligarius
  Quintus Ligarius
  Quintus Ligarius was a Roman soldier, circa 50 BC. He was accused of treason for having opposed Julius Caesar in a war in Africa, but was defended so eloquently by Cicero that he was pardoned and allowed to return to Rome. He later conspired with Brutus in the assassination of Julius Caesar.-In...
  
  is one of the conspirators against Caesar in Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar (play)
  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
  
  .
• Limoges
  Leopold V, Duke of Austria
  Leopold V , the Virtuous, was a Babenberg duke of Austria from 1177 and of Styria from 1192 until his death...
  
  is the Duke of Austria in King John. He is intimidated—and eventually beheaded in battle—by the Bastard.
• The Bishop of Lincoln
  John Longland
  John Longland was the English Dean of Salisbury from 1514 to 1521 and bishop of Lincoln from 1521 to his death in 1547.He was King Henry VIII's confessor and was said to have been one of those who first persuaded the King that he should annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon.During the English...
  
  speaks in favour of Henry's divorce in the trial scene of Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  .
• The Lord Mayor of London (historically Edmund Shaa
  Edmund Shaa
  Sir Edmund Shaa was a goldsmith, Sheriff of London in 1475 and Lord Mayor of London in 1482. Shaa lent money to Edward IV and, as mayor , was extensively involved in the coronation of Edward IV’s brother Richard III...
  
  , although not identified as such in the play) is fooled by Richard and Buckingham, and supports Richard's succession, in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .
• The Lord Chamberlain in Henry VIII is a conflation of two historical Lords Chamberlain, one of them Lord Sandys
  William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne
  William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne was an English Tudor diplomat, Lord Chamberlain and favourite of King Henry VIII....
  
  , who is also a character in the play. (The other is the Earl of Worcester
  Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
  Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester was the legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill.-Biography:He was born around 1460 to Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill...
  
  .)
• The Lord Chancellor (historically Sir Thomas More
  Thomas More
  Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
  
  , although not identified as such in the play) is among the Privy Counsellors
  Privy council
  A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
  
   who accuse Cranmer in Henry VIII.
• The Lord Chief Justice
  William Gascoigne
  Sir William Gascoigne Kt. was Chief Justice of England during the reign of King Henry IV. Sir William Gascoigne was born in Gawthorpe W-Riding, Yorks. In 1369, William married Elizabeth de Mowbray...
  
  is a dramatic foil
  Foil (literature)
  In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
  
   to Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2
  Henry IV, Part 2
  Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
  
  .
• Sir Thomas Lovell
  Thomas Lovell
  Sir Thomas Lovell was an English soldier and administrator, Speaker of the House of Commons and Secretary to the Treasury.-Early life:...
  
  is a courtier of King Henry in Henry VIII.

For Louis see Lewis.

M

• Maecenas
  Gaius Maecenas
  Gaius Cilnius Maecenas was a confidant and political advisor to Octavian as well as an important patron for the new generation of Augustan poets...
  
  is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .

For Marcus see (Marcus) Brutus, (Marcus Aurelius) Lepidus, and Mark, which is often interchangeable with Marcus.

• Queen Margaret
  Margaret of Anjou
  Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
  
  is a fairly epic character, one of the greatest in that respect in Shakespeare. She appears as a naive girl in Henry VI, Part 1
  Henry VI, part 1
  Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
   and as an embittered old woman in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  . She is a central character of the two intervening plays, Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
   and Henry VI, Part 3
  Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  , in which she is the wife of Henry VI and a leader of his armies. In her most notable scene she supervises the murder/execution of Richard Duke of York.

For Mark Antony see Mark Antony.

For Marquess see Marquess of Dorset, Marquess of Montagu and Marquess of Suffolk (under Duke of Suffolk).

• Matthew Gough is an enemy of Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• The Mayor of York reluctantly supports the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 3
  Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Menas, a follower of Pompey, suggests cutting loose the boat where the triumvirs are feasting in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .
• Menecrates is a follower of Pompey in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .
• Metellus Cimber
  Tillius Cimber
  Lucius Tillius Cimber was a Roman senator, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar and the one to give the signal for the attack on him.-Assassin:...
  
  is one of the conspirators in Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar (play)
  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
  
  .
• Sir John Montgomery (historically Thomas Montgomery) is a minor Yorkist character in Henry VI, Part 3
  Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Mortimer:
  • Edmund Mortimer is a claimant to the English throne, and a leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
     and explains the Yorkist claim to the crown to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    . He is a composite of two figures, a child claimaint and his adult uncle
    Edmund Mortimer, son of the 3rd Earl
    Edmund Mortimer , was the second son of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March by his wife Philippa Plantagenet, and is the best-known of the various Edmund Mortimers because of his role in the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr...
    
    , both named Edmund Mortimer.
  • Lady Mortimer, daughter of Glendower and wife of Edmund Mortimer, sings in Welsh in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
    .
  • Sir Hugh Mortimer is an uncle of Richard Duke of York in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • Sir John Mortimer is an uncle of Richard Duke of York in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • See also Jack Cade, who falsely claims to be one John Mortimer, a claimant to the throne.
• Mowbray:
  • Lord Mowbray
    Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk
    Thomas de Mowbray, 4th Earl of Norfolk, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 8th Baron Segrave, 7th Baron Mowbray , English nobleman and rebel, was the son of Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk and Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan....
    
    is a rebel leader in Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    .
  • Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk
    Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk
    Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, KG, Lord Marshal and Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.-Life:...
    
    is Bolingbroke's enemy, exiled by Richard, in Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    .

N

• Sir Nicholas Vaux
  Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden
  Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden was a soldier and courtier in England and an early member of the House of Commons...
  
  is a minor character in the scene leading to Buckingham's execution in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  .
• Norfolk:
  • The Duke of Norfolk (1)
    John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
    Sir John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk KG, Earl Marshal was an important player in the Wars of the Roses.He was the son of John Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and Lady Katherine Neville...
    
    is a supporter of the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • The Duke of Norfolk (2)
    John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk
    John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman, soldier, and the first Howard Duke of Norfolk...
    
    is a supporter of Richard in Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    .
  • The Duke of Norfolk (3) is an associate of Buckingham in Henry VIII
    Henry VIII (play)
    The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
    
    . He is associated with both the second
    Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
    Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal , styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1514, was the only son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Katherine Moleyns...
    
     and third
    Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
    Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
    
     dukes.
  • See also Mowbray.
• Northumberland:
  • Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
    Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
    Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and...
    
    is Bolingbroke's chief ally in Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    ; in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
     and Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
     he leads the rebellion against his former ally, who is now king.
  • The Earl of Northumberland
    Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland
    Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland was the son of Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland and Lady Eleanor Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and his second wife Joan Beaufort.-Family:...
    
    fights for the Lancastrians in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • See also Lady Northumberland.

O

• Octavia, sister of Octavius, marries Mark Antony when he is widowed in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  . Their marriage causes great distress to Antony's lover, Cleopatra.
• Octavius Caesar
  Augustus
  Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
  
  is one of the Triumvirs, the three rulers of Rome after Caesar's death, in Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar (play)
  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
  
   and Antony and Cleopatra.

For Old Clifford see Clifford.

• The Duke of Orleans fights on the French side in Henry V
  Henry V (play)
  Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
  
  .

For Owen Glendower see Glendower.

• The Earl of Oxford
  John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford
  John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford , the second son of John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth Howard, was one of the principal Lancastrian commanders during the English Wars of the Roses...
  
  is a staunch Lancastrian, supporting Henry in Henry VI, Part 3
  Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  , and Richmond in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .

P

• Pembroke:
  • The Earl of Pembroke
    William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
    Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
    
    , together with Salisbury and Bigot, fear for the life of young Arthur, and later discover his body, in King John.
  • The Earl of Pembroke is a non-speaking Yorkist in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .

For Percy see Northumberland, Lady Percy, Worcester or Lady Northumberland.

• King Philip of France
  Philip II of France
  Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
  
  allies himself with Constance in support of Arthur's claim, but later makes peace with King John.
• The Duke of Suffolk (William de la Pole)
  William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk
  William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, KG , nicknamed Jack Napes , was an important English soldier and commander in the Hundred Years' War, and later Lord Chamberlain of England.He also appears prominently in William Shakespeare's Henry VI, part 1 and Henry VI, part 2 and other...
  
  is a manipulative
  Psychological manipulation
  Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at the other's expense, such methods could be considered exploitative,...
  
   character, lover of Queen Margaret, in Henry VI, Part 1
  Henry VI, part 1
  Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
   and Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Pompey or Sextus Pompeius is the enemy of the Triumvirate in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .
• Portia
  Porcia Catonis
  Porcia Catonis, also known simply as Porcia was a Roman woman who lived in the 1st century BC. She was the daughter of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis and his first wife Atilia...
  
  is the wife of Brutus in Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar (play)
  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
  
  .

For Prince see Edward, Henry and John of Lancaster.

• Proculeius is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra.

Q

For Queen see Queen Eleanor, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Isabel(la), Queen Katherine or Queen Margaret.

• The Queen in Richard II
  Richard II (play)
  King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
  
   is unnamed and seems to be a conglomerate of Isabella of Valois, Richard's child bride, and his previous (deceased but adult) wife Anne of Bohemia
  Anne of Bohemia
  Anne of Bohemia was Queen of England as the first wife of King Richard II. A member of the House of Luxembourg, she was the eldest daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and Elizabeth of Pomerania....
  
  .

R

• Sir Richard Ratcliffe
  Richard Ratcliffe
  Sir Richard Ratcliffe was a close confidant of Richard III of England. He came from a gentry family in the Lake District, and became a companion of Richard when the latter was still Duke of Gloucester. He was one of Richard's trustees in the lordship of Richmond, and was named steward of Barnard...
  
  is a confidante of Richard in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .
• René
  René I of Naples
  René of Anjou , also known as René I of Naples and Good King René , was Duke of Anjou, Count of Provence , Count of Piedmont, Duke of Bar , Duke of Lorraine , King of Naples , titular King of Jerusalem...
  
  or Regnier is the impoverished king of Naples and Jerusalem, and father to Queen Margaret, in Henry VI, Part 1
  Henry VI, part 1
  Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Richard:
  • King Richard II
    Richard II of England
    Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
    
    is the title character of Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    : a king who is deposed and eventually murdered.
  • Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III
    Richard III of England
    Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
    
    , brave but evil, is the third son of Richard, Duke of York (1). He is a fairly minor character in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , is more prominent in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , and is the title character—and murderer of many other characters—in Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    .
  • Richard Plantagenet
    Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
    Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
    
    , later Richard Duke of York, is a central character in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
     and Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    . He is the Yorkist claimant to the throne of England, in opposition to Henry VI, and he is eventually killed on the orders of Queen Margaret.
  • See also Richard Duke of York.
  • Sir Richard Vernon is a follower of the rebel forces in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
    .
• The Earl of Richmond, later King Henry VII
  Henry VII of England
  Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
  
  , leads the rebellion against the cruel rule of Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  , and eventually succeeds him as king.
• Earl Rivers
  Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers
  Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers was an English nobleman, courtier, and writer.He was the eldest son of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Like his father, he was originally a Lancastrian, fighting on that side at the Battle of Towton, but later became a Yorkist...
  
  is the brother to Queen Elizabeth in Henry VI, Part 3
  Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
   and Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  . He is arrested and executed on the orders of Richard and Buckingham.
• Lord Ross
  William de Ros, 7th Baron de Ros
  William de Ros, 7th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG was Lord Treasurer of England.He was a son of Thomas de Ros, 5th Baron de Ros and Beatrice Stafford, daughter of Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford. He was also a younger brother of John de Ros, 6th Baron de Ros.-Career:His older brother died...
  
  is a supporter of Bolingbroke in Richard II
  Richard II (play)
  King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
  
  .
• Rutland
  Edmund, Earl of Rutland
  Edmund, Earl of Rutland was the fifth child and second surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville...
  
  is the youngest son of Richard Duke of York (1), killed in battle while still a boy, by Clifford, in Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, part 3
  Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  . (Historically, Rutland was not the youngest of the four York brothers depicted in the plays. Shakespeare made him so using dramatic licence.)

S

• Salisbury:
  • The Earl of Salisbury (1) delivers bad news to Constance in King John.
  • The Earl of Salisbury (2)
    John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
    `John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury and 5th and 2nd Baron Montacute, KG was an English nobleman, one of the few who remained loyal to Richard II after Henry IV became king.-Early life:...
    
    remains loyal to King Richard in Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    .
  • The Earl of Salisbury (3)
    Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
    Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury, 6th and 3rd Baron Montacute, 5th Baron Monthermer, and Count of Perche, KG was an English nobleman...
    
    fights for the king in Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    . He is killed by the Master Gunner's Boy in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • The Earl of Salisbury (4)
    Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
    Richard Neville, jure uxoris 5th Earl of Salisbury and 7th and 4th Baron Montacute, KG, PC was a Yorkist leader during the early parts of the Wars of the Roses.-Background:...
    
    supports the Yorkists in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Lord Sandys is a courtier in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  .
• Lord Saye
  James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele
  James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele was an English soldier and politician, son of Sir William Fiennes and wife Elizabeth Batisford ....
  
  is an enemy of Jack Cade, killed by the rebels, in Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Lord Scales is an enemy of Jack Cade's rebels in Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Scroop:
  • Lord Scroop
    Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham
    Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham KG was a favourite of King Henry V of England but he was executed for his involvedment in the Southampton Plot.-Biography:...
    
    is one of the three conspirators against the king's life (with Cambridge and Grey) in Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    .
  • Sir Stephen Scroop supports Richard in Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    .
  • See also Archbishop of York.
• Seleucus is Cleopatra's treasurer in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .

For Sextus Pompey see Pompey.

• Seyward or Siward:
  • Seyward
    Siward, Earl of Northumbria
    Siward or Sigurd was an important earl of 11th-century northern England. The Old Norse nickname Digri and its Latin translation Grossus are given to him by near-contemporary texts...
    
    is the Earl of Northumberland in Macbeth
    Macbeth
    The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
    
    .
  • Young Seyward
    Osbeorn Bulax
    Osbeorn , given the nickname Bulax, was the son of Siward, Earl of Northumbria . He is one of two known sons — probably the older — of Siward. While it is normally assumed he was the son of Siward's Bamburgh wife Ælfflæd, it has been suggested by William Kapelle that Osbeorn's mother was not Ælfflæd...
    
    is the son of the Earl of Northumberland in Macbeth
    Macbeth
    The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
    
    .
• Somerset:
  • The Duke of Somerset (1)
    John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset
    John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, KG was an English noble and military commander.-Family:Baptised on 25 March 1404, he was the second son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland, and succeeded his elder brother Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset to become the 3rd Earl of...
    
    is a follower of King Henry in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • The Duke of Somerset (2)
    Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset
    Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG , sometimes styled 1st Duke of Somerset, was an English nobleman and an important figure in the Wars of the Roses and in the Hundred Years' War...
    
    appears among the Lancastrian faction in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    . His head is carried onstage by Richard (later Richard III) in the opening scene of Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • The Duke of Somerset (3) is a conflation by Shakespeare of two historical Dukes of Somerset (Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset
    Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset
    Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was an important Lancastrian military commander during the English Wars of the Roses. He is sometimes numbered the 2nd Duke of Somerset, since the title was re-created for his father after his uncle died...
    
     and Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset
    Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset
    Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, 6th Earl of Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, 3rd Earl of Dorset was an English nobleman and military commander during the Wars of the Roses....
    
    ). He supports both factions at different stages of Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Southwell, with Hume, Jourdain and Bolingbroke, are the supernatural conspirators with Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2
  Henry VI, part 2
  Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
  
  .
• Stafford:
  • Lord Stafford is a non-speaking Yorkist in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • Sir Humphrey Stafford is an enemy of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • Stafford's Brother is an enemy of Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Stanley:
  • Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby
    Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby
    Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG was titular King of Mann, an English nobleman and stepfather to King Henry VII of England...
    
    is a military leader who ultimately reveals his loyalty to the Richmond faction, in spite of his son being a hostage to Richard, in Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    .
  • Sir John Stanley supervises Eleanor's penance in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • Sir William Stanley
    William Stanley (Battle of Bosworth)
    Sir William Stanley was an English soldier and the younger brother of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. Stanley fought with his troops in several battles of the Wars of the Roses.-Private life:...
    
    , the historical brother of Lord Stanley from Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    , is a minor character of the Yorkist faction in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Suffolk:
  • William de la Pole, Marquis of Suffolk
    William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk
    William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, KG , nicknamed Jack Napes , was an important English soldier and commander in the Hundred Years' War, and later Lord Chamberlain of England.He also appears prominently in William Shakespeare's Henry VI, part 1 and Henry VI, part 2 and other...
    
    , later Duke of Suffolk, is a manipulative character, loved by Queen Margaret, in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
     and Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • The Duke of Suffolk
    Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
    Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
    
    is a courtier, cynical about the King's relationship with Anne Bullen in Henry VIII
    Henry VIII (play)
    The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
    
    .
• Surrey:
  • The Duke of Surrey
    Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey
    Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, 3rd Earl of Kent, 4th Baron Holland, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.-Early life and family:...
    
    accuses Aumerle of plotting Woodstock's death in Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    .
  • The Earl of Surrey is a supporter of the king in Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    .
  • The Earl of Surrey
    Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
    Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
    
    is a son-in-law of Buckingham in Henry VIII
    Henry VIII (play)
    The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
    
    .
• A Surveyor to the Duke of Buckingham gives evidence of his (alleged) treachery, in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  .

T

• Talbot:
  • Sir John Talbot
    John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
    John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of Waterford KG , known as "Old Talbot" was an important English military commander during the Hundred Years' War, as well as the only Lancastrian Constable of France.-Origins:He was descended from Richard Talbot, a tenant in 1086 of Walter Giffard...
    
    is the leader of the English forces in France, and therefore the chief enemy of Joan, in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • John Talbot
    John Talbot, 1st Viscount Lisle
    John Talbot, 1st Baron Lisle and 1st Viscount Lisle , English nobleman and medieval soldier, was the son of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, and his second wife Margaret Beauchamp.-Titles:...
    
    is the son of Sir John Talbot. They die together bravely in battle in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Tamora is the evil queen of the Goths who marries Saturninus in Titus Andronicus
  Titus Andronicus
  Titus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and possibly George Peele, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were...
  
  .
• Taurus
  Titus Statilius Taurus
  Titus Statilius Taurus was the name of a line of Roman senators. The first known and most important of these was a Roman general and two-time consul prominent during the Triumviral and Augustan periods...
  
  is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .
• Thidias is a follower of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  , sent with messages to Cleopatra and to Antony.
• Thomas More
  Thomas More
  Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
  
  was Chancellor under Henry VIII (though historically had been allowed to resign before the birth of Elizabeth depicted in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  ).
• Timon
  Timon of Athens (person)
  Timon of Athens was a citizen of Athens whose reputation for misanthropy grew to legendary status. According to the historian Plutarch, Timon lived during the era of the Peloponnesian War .-Overview:...
  
  is the central character of Timon of Athens
  Timon of Athens
  The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
  
  . His over-generosity leads him into poverty, and his friends abandon him.
• Trebonius
  Trebonius
  Gaius Trebonius was a military commander and politician of the late Roman Republic, a trusted associate of Julius Caesar who was later among those instigating the plot to assassinate the Dictator.-Biography:...
  
  is one of the conspirators against Julius Caesar
  Julius Caesar (play)
  The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
  
  .
• Sir James Tyrrell
  James Tyrrell
  Sir James Tyrell was an English knight, a trusted servant of King Richard III of England. He is known for 'confessing' to the murders of the Princes in the Tower under Richard's orders. However, his statement may have been taken under torture, so the confession might not be genuine...
  
  is employed to murder the Princes in the Tower
  Princes in the Tower
  The Princes in the Tower is a term which refers to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville alive at the time of their father's death...
  
   in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .

V

• Sir Thomas Vaughan
  Thomas Vaughan (soldier)
  Sir Thomas Vaughan was a Welsh medieval soldier and diplomat, an adherent of Jasper Tudor and King Henry VI of England. Despite this, he was a Yorkist by inclination, as were so many Welshmen of the time, and became ambassador to the courts of Burgundy and France on behalf of the Yorkist King...
  
  is executed, alongside Rivers and Grey, in Richard III
  Richard III (play)
  Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
  
  .
• Vaux:
  • Sir Nicholas Vaux
    Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden
    Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden was a soldier and courtier in England and an early member of the House of Commons...
    
    is a minor character in the scene leading to Buckingham's execution in Henry VIII
    Henry VIII (play)
    The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
    
    .
  • Vaux is a minor character of the Lancastrian party in Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Ventidius
  Publius Ventidius Bassus
  Publius Ventidius Bassus, or in full, Publius Ventidius Publii filius Bassus, "Publius Ventidius, Publius's son, Bassus" was a Roman general and one of Julius Caesar's protégés...
  
  is a follower of Antony in Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra
  Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
  
  .
• Sir Richard Vernon is a follower of the rebel forces in Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
  
  .
• Virgilia
  Virgilia
  Virgilia is the wife of Coriolanus in William Shakespeare's play Coriolanus , in which same play Volumnia is his mother. With respect to the legendary figure Gaius Marcius Coriolanus, some accounts say that his wife's name was actually Volumnia, probably following the Roman historian Livy...
  
  is the title character's wife in Coriolanus
  Coriolanus (play)
  Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.-Characters:*Caius Martius, later surnamed Coriolanus...
  
  .
• Volumnia is the title character's mother in Coriolanus. She persuades her son not to attack Rome, leading to his destruction.

W

• Earl of Warwick:
  • The Earl of Warwick (1)
    Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick
    Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, Count of Aumale, KG was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.-Early Life:...
    
    is a supporter of King Henry in Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    .
  • The Earl of Warwick (2)
    Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
    Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
    
    is an important player in the Wars of the Roses, firstly for the Yorkist party, and then for the Lancastrians. He appears in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , Henry VI, Part 2
    Henry VI, part 2
    Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    , and Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Earl of Westmoreland:
  • The Earl of Westmoreland (1) is one of the leaders of the royal forces in Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1
    Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
    
    , Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2
    Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
    
    , and Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    .
  • The Earl of Westmoreland (2)
    Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland
    Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland was an English peer.The eldest son of John Neville, Lord Neville, he became heir apparent to his grandfather Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland upon his father's death in 1420...
    
    fights for King Henry in Henry VI, Part 3
    Henry VI, part 3
    Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
• Willoughby is a supporter of Bolingbroke in Richard II
  Richard II (play)
  King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
  
  .

For Winchester see Bishop of Winchester.

• Cardinal Wolsey orchestrates the fall from grace of Buckingham and Katherine, but himself falls from grace and dies, in Henry VIII
  Henry VIII (play)
  The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
  
  .
• Woodville:
  • Woodville is Lieutenant of the Tower of London in Henry VI, Part 1
    Henry VI, part 1
    Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
    
    .
  • See also Queen Elizabeth, Rivers, Dorset and Grey, all of whom are of the Woodville clan.
• The Earl of Worcester
  Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester
  Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester, KG was an English medieval nobleman best known for taking part in the rebellion with his nephew Henry Percy, known as 'Harry Hotspur', and brother Northumberland .-Lineage:...
  
  is the brother of the Earl of Northumberland, and a leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1
  Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
  
  .
• Thomas Wriothesley
  Thomas Wriothesley
  Sir Thomas Wriothesley was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Garter King of Arms, John Writhe, and he succeeded his father in this office.-Personal life:...
  
  appears as Garter King of Arms in Henry VIII.

Y

• York:
  • The Duke of York (1)
    Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York
    Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, 1st Earl of Cambridge, KG was a younger son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, the fourth of the five sons who lived to adulthood, of this Royal couple. Like so many medieval princes, Edmund gained his identifying nickname from his...
    
    is the uncle of both Richard and Bolingbroke, and the father of Aumerle, in Richard II
    Richard II (play)
    King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
    
    .
  • The Duke of York (2)
    Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York
    Sir Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, 2nd Earl of Cambridge, Earl of Rutland, Earl of Cork, Duke of Aumale KG was a member of the English royal family who died at the Battle of Agincourt....
    
    is a minor character, the leader of the "vaward" in Henry V
    Henry V (play)
    Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
    
    . (Historically this character is one and the same person as Aumerle.)
  • Richard, Duke of York
    Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York
    Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, 1st Duke of Norfolk, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Earl Marshal was the sixth child and second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. He was born in Shrewsbury....
    
    is the younger of the two Princes in the Tower
    Princes in the Tower
    The Princes in the Tower is a term which refers to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville alive at the time of their father's death...
    
    , murdered on the orders of Richard in Richard III
    Richard III (play)
    Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
    
    .
    • See also Richard Duke of York.
  • For Duchess of York see Duchess of York.
  • For Archbishop of York see Archbishop of York.
  • For Mayor of York see Mayor of York.
  • See also King Edward V, Edmund Mortimer, Aumerle, Queen Elizabeth and Lady Anne, all of whom are "of the House of York" directly or through marriage.

See also

• List of Shakespearean characters (A–K)
• List of Shakespearean characters (L–Z)
• Shakespearean history
  Shakespearean history
  In the First Folio, the plays of William Shakespeare were grouped into three categories: comedies, histories, and tragedies. This categorisation has become established, although some critics have argued for other categories such as romances and problem plays. The histories were those plays based on...