Wolf Hall Characters

Morgan Williams is Kat’s husband. He comes from a well-to-do Welsh family and is a distant relation of King Henry. He is concerned for Thomas Cromwell when his father beats him up, but he is too afraid of Walter to stand up to him.

Bet is Thomas Cromwell’s sister. Cromwell takes care of her children Christopher, Will, and Alice after Bet and her husband die of the sweating sickness.

Thomas Winter is Cardinal Wolsey’s illegitimate son.

Dorothea is Cardinal Wolsey’s illegitimate daughter.

Henry Wykys is Thomas Cromwell’s father-in-law and a trader of broadcloth.

Gascoigne is Cardinal Wolsey’s treasurer.

King Francois is the king of France. He promises to speak to Pope Clement about Henry’s marriage to Katherine and also succeeds in convincing the Pope not to excommunicate Henry for his marriage to Anne Boleyn.

Norris is King Henry’s close friend and a gentleman of the privy chamber. Cromwell feels a deep dislike for him because Norris is “a subtle crook” who has the king’s ear and exercises a huge influence over him.

Arthur was King Henry’s older brother, who was married to Queen Katherine. He died four months after his wedding, and Henry had inherited the throne and married Katherine after Arthur’s death.

Henry Fitzroy is King Henry’s illegitimate son. Anne Boleyn is worried that he might marry a powerful princess and then ascend to the throne after Henry’s death. To prevent this, she arranges his marriage to her cousin Mary Howard.

Mary Talbot is Harry Percy’s wife.

King Edward was King Henry VIII’s grandfather.

Anne Cromwell is Thomas Cromwell’s favorite child. She is a tough and smart little girl who ends up dying in the sweating sickness.

Grace Cromwell is Thomas Cromwell’s youngest child. She is a beautiful little girl who succumbs to the sweating sickness.

John Williamson is Johane’s husband.

Jo is Johane’s daughter. Cromwell cares for her as if she were one of his own children.

Alice is Bet’s daughter. Her parents die, after which Alice and her two brothers move into the Cromwell household.

Henry Sadler is Rafe Sadler’s father. He sends Rafe to study under Thomas Cromwell so that Rafe can learn everything Cromwell knows.

George is Anne Boleyn’s brother, who gets the title Lord Rochford because of his sister’s relationship with King Henry. He is married—unhappily—to Jane Rochford, who tells Cromwell all kinds of rumors about George’s ruthless ways.

Campeggio is the papal envoy who is sent to England to determine if Henry and Katherine’s marriage should be annulled. He advises Katherine to accept Henry’s claim, but Katherine refuses.

Henry Carey is Mary Boleyn’s illegitimate son who was fathered by King Henry.

Thomas Lord Darcy is a member of the king’s council.

Mercy is Liz Wykys’s mother.

Walter is the son of Kat and Morgan Williams. He lives in the Cromwell household after his parents die.

Thurston is Cromwell’s cook at Austin Friars.

Christophe is a young boy whom Cromwell meets in Calais. He tells Cromwell he wants to leave Calais because he is in trouble with the law. The boy reminds Cromwell of himself when he was younger, so Cromwell takes him on as a servant.

Meg Roper is Thomas More’s favorite child.

Will Roper is Thomas More’s son-in-law, and husband to his favorite child, Meg Roper.

Henry Pattinson is Thomas More’s fool.

Anne Cresacre is Thomas More’s wealthy ward who is married to his son, John. More takes pleasure in humiliating Anne before his dinner guests, which contrasts him with Cromwell, who is kind and solicitous to all the young people in his household.

Alice More is Thomas More’s wife. He mocks her cruelly in public, which contrasts with the care and concern that Cromwell has for Liz.

Warham is the old Archbishop of Canterbury who was faithful to the Pope in Rome. After Warham dies, Cranmer becomes the new archbishop, at Cromwell’s suggestion.

Joan is Cranmer’s first wife, who died in childbirth.

Kingston is the Constable of the Tower of London who shows up to arrest Wolsey.

Brereton is one of King Henry’s gentlemen of the privy chamber.

Audley is Speaker of the House and one of Cromwell’s friends. After Thomas More is forced to resign his position as Lord Chancellor, Cromwell suggests that Audley be given the post, and King Henry agrees.

Catherine Fillol is Edward Seymour’s wife. She had an affair with her father-in-law, John Seymour.

Edward Seymour is Jane Seymour’s brother and John Seymour’s son. His wife, Catherine, had an affair with his father.

Hitton is a priest who is accused of heresy by Bishop Fisher and is burned.

Lucy Petyt is John Petyt’s wife.

John Petyt is a merchant and Cromwell’s friend. He is imprisoned by Thomas More on suspicion of heresy.

Avery is one of Cromwell’s clerks.

Vaughan is Cromwell’s contact in Antwerp who helps him communicate secretly with Tyndale, who is in exile.

Henry Wyatt is an elderly courtier and Thomas Wyatt’s father. He considers Cromwell to be a very capable and intelligent man and respects him for rising so quickly in court. He asks him to be a guardian to his son.

Richard Plantagenet was King Richard III, who was defeated by Henry Tudor.

Weston is one of King Henry’s gentleman attendants.

Bryan is one of King Henry’s gentleman attendants.

Latimer is a priest whom Anne Boleyn favors since he disagrees with the Pope.

Bocking is a corrupt priest who is Eliza Barton’s spiritual director.

Berners is the Governor of Calais.

Helen Barre is a young woman whom Cromwell employs after her husband abandons her. She ends up marrying Cromwell’s clerk, Rafe Sadler.

Lady Exeter is Lord Exeter’s wife.

Lord Exeter is King Henry’s cousin and boyhood friend, and he has a claim to the throne of England.

Margarete is Cranmer’s wife.

Riche is a young lawyer who manages to find evidence to indict Thomas More for treason.

Dr. Butts is a physician who is Cromwell’s friend.

Rotherham is Cromwell’s ward who marries his niece, Alice Wellyfed.

Mary Howard is the Duke of Norfolk’s daughter. She marries Henry Fitzroy.

Margaret Pole is Mary Tudor’s aunt. She appeals to Cromwell not to move her niece from her residence in order to make her serve Princess Elizabeth.

Holbein is a famous painter who makes portraits of Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, and King Henry. In the portraits, these characters look like idealized versions of themselves that are quite different from their true selves.

Lee is a priest who is friends with Anne Boleyn.

Lady Bryan is in charge of the care of the baby Princess Elizabeth.

Frances is Richard Cromwell’s wife.

Rice is Jo’s husband.

John More is Thomas More’s father. Like his son, John More is disrespectful toward women. Thomas More is heartbroken and weeps inconsolably after his father’s death.

Liz Seymour is Jane Seymour’s “bold” and “eloquent” older sister.

After Pope Clement’s death, Cardinal Farnese is appointed the new pope. Since England no longer recognizes the authority of the pope by the time Farnese comes to power, he is called the “Bishop of Rome” in Henry’s court.