George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence

Who was George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence?

George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle between rival factions of the Plantagenets known as the Wars of the Roses.

Though brother to Edward IV, he later switched sides to support the Lancastrians, before reverting once more to the Yorkists. He was later convicted of treason against his brother and was executed, allegedly by being drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine. He appears as a character in William Shakespeare's plays Henry VI, part 3 and Richard III, in which his death is attributed to the machinations of Richard.