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George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (October 21, 1449 – February 18, 1478), was the much undecided brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III, the warring siblings whose dynastic struggle led to the Wars of the Roses. He changed sides not once, but twice, and in so doing, played a pivotal part in the Battle of Barnet. Having defected from his brother Edward IV to join the Lancastrian cause under his father-in-law, the Earl of Warwick, he soon realised he would gain little from the alliance and began to doubt its worth. When Edward returned from exile in Burgundy in March 1471, Clarence opened secret talks with him. Only days before the Battle of Barnet, he formally abandoned Warwick, bringing his troops over to the Yorkist camp. This defection not only weakened the Lancastrian army but also restored Clarence to favour with his brother, placing him in a position of command for the coming battle. On Easter morning, April 14, 1471, Clarence commanded a division in the Yorkist centre alongside Edward himself. The battlefield was shrouded in thick fog, and his troops soon found themselves engaged in heavy fighting against Warwick’s men. Clarence’s division held firm under pressure, helping to keep the Yorkist line from breaking during the confusion of misaligned attacks and shifting fronts. As the tide turned, his men advanced with the centre, driving into the heart of the Lancastrian position. This coordinated push contributed to the rout of Warwick’s army and the death of the earl, sealing the Yorkist victory and confirming Clarence’s renewed loyalty through his direct role in the triumph. But following the death of his wife, Clarence, an unstable character at the best of times, became even more erratic. He had his wife’s lady-in-waiting tried and executed for poisoning his wife (she was posthumously pardoned), and his retinue came under suspicion of plotting against Edward. Clarence sought to defend them and was subsequently arrested for treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Found guilty by the king, tradition has it that he was drowned in a butt of malmsey wine (a sweet grape, mostly used for Madeira wine).
