George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (1449–1478), was one of the most tragic and controversial figures of England’s Wars of the Roses. A younger brother of two kings, Clarence’s life was marked by immense privilege, restless ambition, and repeated betrayals. It ended in a peculiar death that has echoed through English history: execution by drowning in a barrel of wine.

Ingratitude and Entitlement

George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, third surviving son of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville, was born in 1449. His family stood at the center of the Wars of the Roses dynastic struggle between the Yorks and Lancasters. After his father was killed in 1460, George and his brothers became key figures in the Yorkist cause. In 1461, his elder brother Edward deposed the Lancastrian Henry VI, seized the throne, and became King Edward IV. George was created Duke of Clarence, and the following year, at age thirteen, was also made the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. As he grew up, George idolized and came under the influence of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, AKA “The Kingmaker”.

Clarence’s problems stemmed from his volatile personality and sense of entitlement. He was intelligent, charismatic, and acutely aware of his royal blood, but also deeply insecure and prone to jealousy. Those traits were magnified by George’s marriage to Isabel Neville, daughter of Warwick, the Kingmaker. Warwick had helped Edward IV gain the throne, but later fell out with the king. Clarence, encouraged by his father-in-law and motivated by ambition, joined Warwick in rebellion against Edward in the late 1460s. At one point, Clarence even allowed himself to be promoted as a potential king, claiming Edward was illegitimate. Edward IV was forced to flee England in 1470, and the deposed King Henry VI was restored to the throne.

The Limits of Royal Forbearance and Brotherly Forgiveness

Edward IV returned to England in 1471, and defeated the Lancastrians in the Battle of Barnett. The Kingmaker was killed in battle, and Edward was restored to the throne. To ensure that the twice deposed Henry VI would trouble him no more, Edward had him murdered, after having already executed his son and sole heir. Edward, who repeatedly showed remarkable leniency toward Clarence, restored him to favor despite his treachery. That mercy would not last indefinitely, and Clarence’s undoing began with the death of his wife Isabel Neville in 1476.

Clarence was devastated, grew increasingly unstable, and became obsessed with the idea that Isabel had been poisoned. He even ordered the execution of a servant woman he accused of witchcraft. His behavior grew erratic, and his paranoia deepened. At the same time, Clarence’s political position weakened as Edward IV favored other advisors. Simultaneously, tensions grew between Clarence and his youngest brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future King Richard III. The final downfall of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, came through a mixture of reckless speech and perceived conspiracy.

Clarence openly criticized the king’s policies, spread rumors that questioned Edward’s legitimacy, and allegedly consulted astrologers about the king’s death. In a medieval monarchy, such actions amounted to treason. In 1477–1478, Edward IV finally lost patience. Clarence was arrested and charged with high treason, accused of plotting against the crown and undermining royal authority. The trial was conducted before Parliament, and despite Edward’s earlier attempts to shield his brother, the evidence—combined with Clarence’s long history of disloyalty—proved overwhelming.

The Legacy of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

In January, 1478, George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, was condemned to death. It was to be done in private, to avoid the scandal of publicly executing a king’s brother. Clarence was executed in the Tower of London on February 18^th, 1478.  The manner of execution became legendary: drowning in a barrel of wine. He was dunked or had his head submerged in a barrel of Malmsey wine, and forcibly held until he drowned. Malmsey, a sweet fortified wine imported from the Mediterranean, was Clarence’s reputed favorite. Contemporary chroniclers did not all agree on the method. However, the story appears early and persisted strongly, which suggests it may well be true. Whether Clarence chose this method himself or it was imposed upon him remains unknown. However, the image of a royal duke meeting his end submerged in wine has endured for centuries.

Parliament also passed a bill of attainder against Clarence, declared his children illegitimate, and stripped them of their inheritance. His son, Edward, Earl of Warwick, grew up in and spent most of his life in the Tower of London, until eventually executed by King Henry VII in 1499. Clarence’s daughter, Margaret Pole, was executed by King Henry VIII in 1541. George Plantagenet’s life encapsulated the brutal realities of the Wars of the Roses. It was a tale of family loyalty undermined by ambition, extensive mercy finally withdrawn, and political failure ending in death. His execution remains a haunting symbol of how power, privilege, and self-destruction intertwined in England’s blood-soaked fifteenth century politics.

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Some Sources & Further Reading

Ashdown-Hill, John – The Third Plantagenet: George, Duke of Clarence, Richard III’s Brother (2014)

History Halls – The Erfurt Latrine Disaster: When Dozens of Aristocrats Were Drowned in Excrement

Jones, Dan – The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England (2014)

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