# Colonel Burke — The Master of Ballantrae character guide

> Colonel Burke in The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Francis Burke, Frank, Francis, the Chevalier de Burke, Chevalier Burke

**First appearance:** 0005-iii-the-master-s-wanderings

## Snapshot

An Irish Jacobite adventurer and self-styled Chevalier, whose swaggering memoirs and fierce loyalty to the Master carry the reader through the wilds of exile.

## Who they are

Francis Burke is a soldier of fortune who never turned his back on a friend, and his manuscript — vain, gallant, and full of complaint — provides a second window onto the Master's wanderings after Culloden. He meets the Master by chance on a desolate hill and is drawn into his orbit, sharing dangers and secrets he later regrets. His garrulous, self-justifying voice is both comic relief and a warning about the company the Master keeps.

## Relationships

### [The Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/the_master)

_friendship_

A fellow Jacobite adventurer and drinking companion who shares the Master's reckless escapades.

### [Mr. Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/mr_henry)

_rivalry_

Burke despises Mr. Henry as the timid brother who stayed home while the Master fought for the Jacobite cause.

### [The Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/the_master)

_friendship_

A fellow Jacobite adventurer and drinking companion who shares the Master's reckless escapades.

### [The Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/the_master)

_friendship_

A fellow Jacobite adventurer and drinking companion who shares the Master's reckless escapades.

### [Mr. Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/mr_henry)

_rivalry_

Burke despises Mr. Henry as the timid brother who stayed home while the Master fought for the Jacobite cause.

### [Mr. Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/mr_henry)

_rivalry_

Burke despises Mr. Henry as the timid brother who stayed home while the Master fought for the Jacobite cause.

## In the story

### [The Master's Wanderings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/iii-the-master-s-wanderings)

Narrator of the chapter; recounts his flight, his pact with the Master, and his reluctant life as a pirate.

### [VII: Adventure of Chevalier Burke in India](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/vii-adventure-of-chevalier-burke-in-india)

Narrates his own adventure: destitute and barefoot in an Indian city, he encounters the Master and is humiliated by his denial of recognition.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/colonel_burke
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters