George, Duke of Clarence
| George Plantagenet | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Clarence | |
 |
|
| Born |
21 October 1449 Dublin Castle, Ireland |
| Died | 18 February 1478 (aged 28) Tower of London, London |
| Spouse | Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence |
| Issue | Anne of York Lady Margaret, Countess of Salisbury Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick Richard of York |
| House | York/Lancaster |
| Father | Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York |
| Mother | Cecily Neville, Duchess of York |
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick KG (21 October 1449 – 18 February 1478) was the third surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English 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 a member of the House of York, he switched sides to support the Lancastrians, before reverting to the Yorkists. He was later convicted of treason against his brother, Edward IV, 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.
George was born on 21 October 1449 in Dublin at a time when his father, the Duke of York, had begun to challenge Henry VI for the crown. His godfather was James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond. He was the third of the four sons of Richard and Cecily who survived to adulthood. His father died in 1460. In 1461 his elder brother, Edward, became King of England as Edward IV. In that year George was made Duke of Clarence and invested as a Knight of the Garter, and in 1462 Clarence received the Honour of Richmond, a lifetime grant, but without the peerage title of Earl of Richmond. Despite his youth, he was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the same year.
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