Earl of Salisbury later by Richard Neville "the Kingmaker", upon whose death the title went into abeyance because multiple individuals were entitled to inherit it. Then, in 1472, it was granted to George, Duke of Clarence, who was married to Warwick's eldest daughter. When the Duke of Clarence was executed in 1478 for treason (supposedly by being drowned in a vat of Malmsey wine), the title was forfeit. It was then granted to Edward of Middleham (who was his nephew via the Duke's brother Richard), who died in 1484 at the age of 11. It was restored to two of George of Clarence's
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence the order of execution and then intercepting Edward IV's pardon when he changes his mind. In Act One Scene Four, Clarence recounts a terrifying nightmare, in which he has been pushed (accidentally) into the ocean by Gloucester and drowns, then finds himself in hell, accused of perjury by the ghosts of Warwick and Prince Edward. When he is attacked by assassins sent by Gloucester, he pleads eloquently and nobly but is stabbed and drowned in a butt of wine. It is Clarence's death that sends Edward IV into a fatal attack of guilt. Clarence is the first character to die