The Fifth Queen · Character

Duke of Norfolk

The Earl Marshal and head of the Catholic reaction, a lean, yellow-faced old captain who hates Cromwell with a black malignancy he has never dared to proclaim openly.

supporting

Also known as Norfolk, The Duke

First appearance: part i the coming

As a supporting figure in The Fifth Queen, Duke of Norfolk is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned as having placed Cranmer's lodgings far from the King's rooms to inconvenience him.

In the storyIIOpen this moment free

Norfolk won Flodden Field and now stalks the yew walks with his furs fluttering like a crow's wings, digging his golden staff into the ground while Cromwell stands bare-headed and smiling beside the King. He is the greatest captain of his day and the leader of all who long for the old England before New Learning came in, yet in his long duel with Privy Seal he has been driven from post to post, cursing himself for not urging Cromwell's arrest when the King was angry. His feud with Cromwell gives the early court its central fault line, and his kinship to Katharine Howard makes her arrival a move in a game far larger than she knows.

See Duke of Norfolk in II Book page

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Character Web

20 connections

A slice of how Duke of Norfolk sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Family
Other

Character groups

Courtly power players
Protagonist
Peripheral and foreign agents

+15 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the reversal of Cicely Elliott’s hostility into remo…

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Relationships

Thomas Cromwell
rivalry · negative
The Duke of Norfolk is a powerful nobleman who bitterly opposes Cromwell's rise and his… How this plays out →
Katharine Howard
family · ambivalent
Thomas Cromwell
rivalry · negative
The Duke of Norfolk is a powerful nobleman who bitterly opposes Cromwell's rise and his… How this plays out →
Katharine Howard
family · ambivalent
Thomas Cromwell
rivalry · negative
The Duke of Norfolk is a powerful nobleman who bitterly opposes Cromwell's rise and his… How this plays out →

Thomas Cromwell
The Duke of Norfolk is a powerful nobleman who bitterly opposes Cromwell's rise and his leveling policies against the old aristocracy.
Katharine Howard
The Duke of Norfolk is Katharine's uncle and a political patron, though his support is conditional and driven by family ambition.
Thomas Cromwell
The Duke of Norfolk is a powerful nobleman who bitterly opposes Cromwell's rise and his leveling policies against the old aristocracy.
Katharine Howard
The Duke of Norfolk is Katharine's uncle and a political patron, though his support is conditional and driven by family ambition.
Thomas Cromwell
The Duke of Norfolk is a powerful nobleman who bitterly opposes Cromwell's rise and his leveling policies against the old aristocracy.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Duke of Norfolk in part i the coming

In the story

Duke of Norfolk appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II
Mentioned as having placed Cranmer's lodgings far from the King's rooms to inconvenience him.
III
His soldiers guard the postern gate; his niece Katharine seeks him in the palace.
IV
Earl Marshal, humiliated by the King for the riot, he is a Catholic reactionary locked in a long duel with Cromwell.
V
Furious at Katharine and Culpepper's disheveled appearance, but intervenes to protect his kin.
Part II: The House of Eyes
The Duke of Norfolk, a powerful nobleman and uncle to Katharine, who is involved in court politics and schemes against Cromwell.
I
Jaundiced against Katharine due to Culpepper's actions, but sends his astrologer and signs an order for a girl to attend her.
II
Katharine's uncle, plunged in silent and malignant gloom at the revels.
VI
Mentioned as an ill-wisher sent to put down the North; used by Cromwell to curry favor with the King.
VIII
Katharine's uncle, seen as a coward who left her to fend for herself.
IX
Referenced as Katharine's uncle, whom she can easily approach with Throckmorton's message.
II
Katharine's uncle, questions her about court affairs and the French threat.

Chapter companion notes

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See Duke of Norfolk in part i the coming

See Duke of Norfolk in II