George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence 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,
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence Edward was so harsh with his brother is because he had discovered from Bishop Robert Stillington of Bath and Wells, that George had let slip the secret of Edward's pre-contract marriage with Lady Eleanor Talbot. Although legend claims Richard III had brought about his brother's death, the opposite is true—he tried to prevent it. Clarence is a principal character in two of William Shakespeare's history plays: "Henry VI, Part 3" and "The Tragedy of Richard III." Shakespeare portrays Clarence as weak-willed and changeable, his initial defection from Edward IV to Warwick is prompted by outrage at Edward IV's unwise marriage