Henry VI, Pt. 2 characters

Appears from the start

The pious but politically uncertain king of England. He welcomes Margaret as his queen and hopes marriage will bring peace, while stronger personalities compete to direct the crown and the realm around him.

Also known as Queen Margaret

Appears from the start

Henry's new French queen. Intelligent, forceful, and frustrated by her husband's weakness, she quickly recognizes the rivalries at court and forms a close political partnership with Suffolk.

Also known as William de la Pole

Appears from the start

The ambitious nobleman who negotiated Henry's marriage and escorts Margaret to England. His influence over the new queen gives him a path to power despite public anger over the costly terms of the French settlement.

Also known as Humphrey of Gloucester, Lord Protector

Appears from the start

The king's uncle and Protector of England, widely respected by ordinary people. He objects to surrendering French territories for Henry's marriage and becomes the chief obstacle to the court faction gathering around Margaret and Suffolk.

Also known as Eleanor Cobham

Appears from the start

Gloucester's proud and ambitious wife. She resents yielding precedence to Queen Margaret and is tempted by predictions that her husband might rise above his present station.

Also known as Cardinal Beaufort

Appears from the start

The powerful churchman who is King Henry's great-uncle and Gloucester's bitter rival. He joins other nobles seeking to end the Protector's authority.

Also known as Richard Plantagenet

Appears from the start

A powerful duke with a concealed claim to the English crown through the Mortimer line. He studies the divisions at court, gathers allies, and waits for a favorable moment to advance his family's cause.

Appears from the start

A leading noble aligned with the queen's faction and a rival of York. Disputes over his conduct in France and his closeness to the Lancastrian court make him a focus of Yorkist hostility.

Appears from the start

A politically adaptable nobleman aligned with the court faction that distrusts Gloucester. He watches the rivalry around the Protector and is ready to turn information about Gloucester's household to political use.

Appears from the start

An experienced nobleman linked to York and opposed to the Suffolk-Somerset interest at court. He and his son Warwick are important members of a faction whose strength extends beyond personal argument.

Also known as Richard Neville

Appears from the start

Salisbury's influential son and a partisan of York's side in the court's disputes. His status and military following make his allegiance important as the nobles divide over policy in France and power at home.

Appears from the start

An armorer accused by his apprentice Peter of saying that York is the rightful king. He must defend himself in a formal combat whose result will be treated as divine judgment on the accusation.

First appears in chapter 2

A man who claims that a miracle at Saint Albans has restored his sight. Gloucester's practical questioning soon tests whether the supposed cure and the disability that preceded it are genuine.

First appears in chapter 3

A Kentish rebel whom York identifies as a useful instrument for testing popular resistance while York is sent to Ireland. Cade claims noble ancestry and promises his followers a radically altered social order.