List of Temeraire characters

Humans

• Captain William Laurence: Former captain of HMS Reliant while in the Royal Navy. Served aboard HMS Belize, HMS Orient, and others prior to receiving his post on the Reliant. Now Captain in the Aerial Corps and captain to Temeraire. Primary figure in the series. He comes from a wealthy family distantly related to the king. Although he serves in the Aerial Corps (the least respected military branch of England), he is a gentleman and the son of Lord Allendale.
• Arthur Hammond: British diplomat attending Laurence's mission to China whose primary goal is to preserve or to improve British standing with the Chinese Empire, even if it comes at the expense of giving Temeraire to the Chinese. He is generally disliked by the crew of the Allegiance and Temeraire's crew. He was adopted by Churki, and he has become the object of her affections, though he has no desire whatsoever to belong to a dragon.
• Admiral Jane Roland: Captain to Excidium. Mother of Emily Roland, a member of Laurence's crew. Becomes Laurence's paramour after Laurence breaks off his engagement. Later promoted to Admiral.
• Admiral Lenton: Admiral in charge of the covert at Dover. Obversaria was his dragon, until the third book in the series.
• Captain Berkley: Stationed at Dover. Captain to the Regal Copper, Maximus.
• Captain Catherine Harcourt: Stationed at Dover. First female dragon-captain Laurence meets. Twenty years old when promoted to Captain. Captain to the Longwing Lily. Captain Harcourt has a brief liaison with Captain Thomas Riley which leads to pregnancy. Catherine is later pressured to marry him for legal and social reasons as Captain Riley's estate is entailed and his mother and female relations will have no source of income if he dies before producing a son.
• Captain Langford James: Courier. Captain to Volatilus. First dragon-captain to meet Laurence. Gives him a basic introduction to how the Aerial Corps works.
• Captain Rankin: Abusive Captain to Levitas. Becomes Captain to Caesar in Tongues of Serpents.
• Captain Thomas Riley: Lieutenant under Captain Laurence on HMS Reliant in His Majesty's Dragon. In Throne of Jade is promoted to captain of HMS Allegiance, a dragon-transport. Family owns slaves in the Caribbean. Is married to, and has a son with, Captain Catherine Harcourt.
• Demane: A native of the Xhosa tribe, he leads Laurence to the cure for the draconic flu. He was later assigned to fly with Arkady and his feral dragons as he was fluent in both English and Durzagh languages (in addition to his native Xhosa). He later becomes the unofficial captain of Kulingile, a very large heavyweight dragon.
• Emily Roland: A member of Captain William Laurence's crew, she was in the first book mistaken for a boy. Daughter of Captain Jane Roland.
• Hannah Erasmus: Wife of Reverend Erasmus. A former slave, she is a member of the Tswana tribe and returns to Africa with her husband and children. After her husband is slain in an encounter with her native tribe, she is recognized and freed and ultimately elects to stay in Africa.
• Lieutenant John Granby: Laurence's second-in-command. Served under Captain Portland on Laetificat. Becomes Iskierka's Captain.
• Prince Yongxing: Son to the Jiaqing Emperor of China. Anti-Western and seeks to bring Temeraire back to China. Schemes to ultimately supplant his younger brother's claim to the Imperial Throne. Companion to the white Celestial Lien.
• Reverend Josia Erasmus: A former slave in Jamaica. Joins Temeraire and Laurence in their expedition to Africa to find a cure for the draconic flu.
• Tenzing Tharkay: A guide hired by a banker in Constantinople to bring Captain Laurence and his crew to the Turkish capital. While duplicitous in appearance, this is an air cultivated purposefully by Tharkay due to his mixed heritage.

Dragons

• Temeraire: A Chinese Celestial dragon (mistaken for an Imperial dragon in the first book) and the titular character of the series. Named after Téméraire, a French vessel captured during the Napoleonic wars, his name means "bold". His Chinese name is Lung Tien Xiang. Captain William Laurence is his companion. Possesses an extremely practical, inquisitive, and sometimes too blunt personality, although he sometimes can be overly sensitive about the differences between his appearance and that of western dragons. He is also quite possessive and protective of Laurence.
• Arkady: A feral dragon from Turkestan who allies his pack with Temeraire and Britain. He became leader of his pack due to a powerful and overbearing personality.
• Iskierka: A Kazilik in service to Britain. Hatches en route to Britain while Temeraire and the crew are fleeing following the rout of the Prussian army. High-tempered and ready to fight from birth (iskierka means sparkle in Polish). John Granby becomes her companion, although notably she names herself. She frequently argues with Temeraire, especially over the fact she isn't allowed into battles yet. Becomes a main figure in protecting the English coast, seizing many ships as prizes. Follows Temeraire to Australia (or is trying to) after Laurence and Temeraire are sentenced to transportation, taking Granby with her.
• Kefentse: A dragon in the Tswana tribe, he is Hannah Erasmus' reincarnated ancestor and is called "Grandfather". An unidentified red-brown breed, he is the first dragon seen to be wearing piercings (elephant tusks and other jewelry).
• Levitas: A Winchester serving as courier at the Dover covert. Captain Rankin is his abusive and negligent companion. Levitas was killed after wounds inflicted during a reconnaissance mission over France, though he died at peace after finally receiving praise, albeit through Laurence's physical coercion of Rankin.
• Lien: An albino Chinese Celestial, ostracized in China due to superstition (white is a color of mourning and death in China). Her companion was Prince Yongxing. Upon his death, she vows to exact vengeance upon Temeraire and all of his friends and allies. She allies herself with Napoleon I in order to bring ruin to the British. She is granted an unknown rank and commands the dragons of Napoleon's Armee de l'Air.
• Lily: A Longwing in service to Britain. She leads a formation of other dragons due to her ability to spit acid despite her relative youth. Captain Harcourt is her companion. She is quite proper, when going bathing she only wants to wash.
• Maximus: A Regal Copper in service at the Dover covert. Captain Berkley is his companion. Like Lily, Maximus has been in training with Temeraire since the Celestial arrived in Scotland, and is one of his closer friends. Even if he is big, Maximus is quite lazy. Temeraire, Lily and he are the youngest dragons of the base. When they go to bathe, he and Temeraire play together. When he was sick, he went with all the formation to Africa, but it was known that if the cure was not to be found that he would likely be the first to die, or furthermore that he cannot make it back to Britain.
• Nitidus: A Pascal's Blue in service, part of Lily's formation with Temeraire, Maximus, Messoria, Immortalis and Dulcia. His captain is Micah Warren. He has been placed there to be a support for the three youngest dragons. He is a nervous creature and doesn't like to be left alone in a place he doesn't know. After battle he tends to be quite excited.
• Dulcia: A Grey Copper in service, part of Lily's formation with Temeraire, Maximus, Messoria, Immortalis and Nitidus. Her captain is Chenery. She is there to balance the inexperience of Lily, Maximus and Temeraire. During the dragon flu epidemic, she is the first to receive the cure and be healed. She entered the village where captains Chenery, Harcourt and Laurence and all their crew were prisoners in order to pass a message. She seems to know well about breeding grounds since she said to Temeraire when leaving for China that he was not interesting except for breeding purposes.
• Messoria: A Yellow Reaper in service, part of Lily's formation with Temeraire, Maximus, Immortalis and Nitidus. Her captain is Sutton. She is 40 years old and wily. She is there to balance the inexperience of Lily, Maximus and Temeraire.
• Immortalis: A Yellow Reaper in service, part of Lily's formation with Temeraire, Maximus, Messoria and Nitidus. His captain is Little.
• Mokhachane: The dragon-king of the Tswana people, she is the reincarnation of a human king (despite being a female dragon). Leads an alliance of African tribes in kicking out all Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa, destroying the Cape Coast, Louana, Benguela, and Cape Colony along with other unnamed European outposts. Establishes the Tswana-Sotho kingdom which rules virtually all of sub-Saharan Africa.
• Volatilus (or Volly): A Greyling in service to Britain and the first dragon Temeraire meets. Captain Langford James is his companion. Not considerably intelligent, but quite fast in flight. While simple, he is able to express his preference for cows, but as he is a Greyling, his diet consists more of goats and sheep. He is unable to correctly pronounce Temeraire's name, calling him "Temrer". Wherever they meet he butts him on shoulder as a friendly gesture. When asked where he came from, he cheerfully says "I was hatched! From an egg!"
• Perscitia, a British middle-weight experimental cross between a Pascal's Blue and a Malachite Reaper, sent to the breeding grounds over her reluctance for fighting. She is exceptionally intelligent, as Temeraire discovered, almost everything she knows about advanced mathematics is self-taught. After helping to repel Napoleon's invasion, she takes the initiative to force through more rights for dragons, and use her acquired capital to build pavilions, almost causing an uproar.
• Kulingile, a golden scaled and very large heavyweight dragon, possibly becoming the largest dragon ever, that was cross-bred from a Parnassian and Chequerd Nettle. He appears much less serpentine than what is considered typical of dragons, looking almost "roly poly" in stature.
• Churki, a heavyweight feathered dragon from Inca. Twenty years old and about the same size as Maximus, Churki served in the Inca army before returning to Curicuillor, her mother, to learn how to manage her own ayllu. She has forcibly adopted Hammond into her "establishment", and has only allowed him to leave South America on the basis that he either marries, or brings his entire family from Britain to her.
• Lady Kiyomizu, a Sui Riu water dragon, and one of the noble guardians of Japan. Several hundred years old, she sheltered Laurence and Junichiro who were on the run from the law. She loves drinking sake and reading poetry. She became enamored with the works and playwright of William Shakespeare that Laurence taught her. She became so fond of the Englishman she told him to dispense with all formalities and simply address her as "Kiyo". Though shocked, no one in Japan dared to challenge her actions. While boozy, she is no fool, and has initiated the construction of Japan's own Naval fleet.
• John Wampanoag, an American lightweight dragon from Salem, Massachusetts. He is an entrepreneur, willing to invest in any trading ventures that promise a profit, and joint owner of the Devereaux, Pickman & Wampanoag trading company.

Humans

Dragons

Major roles

• Sir George Staunton: Representative of the British East India Company in Canton, China. Aids Laurence and Temeraire while on their mission to Peking.
• Chrétien-Louis-Joseph de Guignes: Son of Joseph de Guignes. Ambassador for Napoleon to the Chinese. Accompanies Lien to France. Later rescues the main characters from shipwreck before stranding them and meeting them later in the Inca Empire.
• Louis Ferdinand: A Prince of Prussia. Commander of the advance regiments of the Prussian Army. Defeated and killed at the Battle of the Saalfeld.
• Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen: Prussian General. Defeated at the Battle of Jena. Routed at successive battles.
• King Frederick William of Prussia: King of Prussia. Forced to flee to Russia after defeat of armies by Napoleon. Transported by Temeraire to Pozen.
• Napoleon I of France: Emperor of the French.
• François Joseph Lefebvre: French Marshal. Seeks the surrender of Danzig and the British dragons.
• Horatio Nelson: British Admiral of the Navy. Hero of the Battle of Trafalgar. Unlike real life, he survives the decisive battle, although burned severely, and is created Duke of Nelson. Leads the political forces against abolition. Is killed in action, along with a good portion of the Royal Navy by Lien's Tidal Wave.
• Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz: Queen of Prussia. Forced to flee to Russia after defeat of armies by Napoleon. Transported by Temeraire to Pozen.
• Friedrich Adolf Graf von Kalckreuth: Commander of Danzig. Successfully airlifted from the city by the British and feral dragons when besieged by Lefebvre.
• Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet: Commander of the expedition that successfully captures Cape Town from the Dutch. Assists Laurence and HMS Allegiance crew when they stop for supplies on their mission to China.
• William Wilberforce: One of the leading voices of abolition in Britain. He enlists the aid of Laurence and Temeraire in exchange for promoting Temeraire's draconic-rights movement. In this alternate history, his efforts largely fail due to the survival of Nelson.
• Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington: Appointed to lead the battle against the successful invasion of England by Napoleon. Sends Lawrence and Temeraire and their formation out to be irregulars who defend the countryside against French foragers without offering quarter. Wins the successful end battle against Napoleonic forces with the assistance of the Royal Navy, who are nearly completely wiped out by Lien's use of the Divine Wind. Ennobled as a result of the battle, and rewards Laurence by getting his sentence commuted to transportation to Australia, along with Temeraire.
• Moshueshue: King of the Tswana tribe and leader of the Tswana-Sotho alliance of sub-Saharan African tribes. After destroying several European outposts, slave-trading stations and colonies, establishes the Tswana-Sotho kingdom which rules over southern Africa. Sought intelligence from Laurence about Europe and England and the aims of Europe in Africa.

Minor roles

• Admiral James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier.
• Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham: First Lord of the Admiralty.
• Thomas Grenville: First Lord of the Admiralty.
• Francis II of Austria: Last Holy Roman Emperor, first Emperor of Austria.
• George III of the United Kingdom the mentally ill King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• General Brunswick: Prussian General.
• General Gerhard von Scharnhorst: Prussian General. Brunswick's chief-of-staff.
• General Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron: French General who served for Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. Defeated at the Battle of Austerlitz.
• General Tauentzein: Prussian General.
• General Von Holtzendorf: Prussian General.
• General von Ruchel: Prussian General.
• General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher: Prussian Field Marshal.
• Jiaqing Emperor: Chinese Emperor and younger brother to Prince Yongxing.
• Prince Mianning: Son and heir of the Jiaqing Emperor.
• Lieutenant-General Grey: Governor of Cape Colony. Soldier who served in Spain. As Governor, lost control of all British assets in southern Africa after the uprising of the Tswana-Sotho tribes.
• Lord Palmerston: One of the Lords of the Admiralty (and future Prime Minister)
• Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult: French Marshal.
• Marshal Bernadotte: French Marshal.
• Marshal Louis Nicolas Davout: French Marshal.
• Marshal Jean Lannes: French Marshal.
• Marshal Joachim Murat: French Marshal. Captured early in the French invasion of Russia.
• Marshal Michel Ney: French Marshal. Conquers Stettin.
• Mokhachane I: Father of Moshueshue and king of the Tswana. Reincarnated as a dragon-king.
• Selim III: Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
• Charles Arbuthnot: British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
• Tsar (or Czar) Alexander I of Russia
• William Pitt the Younger: British Prime Minister.
• Tecumseh: Mentioned as President of the United States in 1812.
• Alexander Hamilton: Mentioned as United States presidential candidate in 1812.