George, Duke of Clarence

George, Duke of Clarence, Theon, War of the Roses June 25, 2014

Betray or Obey? The Other Side of Theon Greyjoy and George Duke of Clarence

By

Olga Hughes, editor of Nerdalicious, takes another look at the Theon and Clarence. She finds the parallels between them complex and even finds Theon oddly sympathetic. George Duke of Clarence is a serviceable villain; after all, there are not many historical figures of well-known royal houses that betrayed their own brother. Yet research on George has previously not been easily accessible, and despite a new biography being published this year, it will be some time before George Plantagenet is reassessed on…

Read More
George, Duke of Clarence, Straight History, War of the Roses May 22, 2014

The Betrayal: George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

By

Although eventually George Plantagenet (Duke of Clarence) would betray his brother (King Edward IV), originally Edward was George’s maker. Edward rapidly raised George up from irrelevant third brother to his heir. When Edward IV became king, he was single, without any children. As a result, his heir was his closest brother: the twelve-year old George. Edward soon lavished many titles on him, including the dukedom of Clarence. [This article is part of the Theon and Clarence series. See here. ]…

Read More
George, Duke of Clarence, Interviews, Interviews with Historians, Straight History, War of the Roses March 20, 2014

Interview with Historian John Ashdown-Hill about George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

By

History Behind Game of Thrones is delighted to welcome Dr. John Ashdown-Hill today. John Ashdown-Hill is a renowned historian who played a crucial role in finding Richard III’s remains. John recently released a remarkable book on George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence — The Third Plantagenet. In this fascinating book, John explores not only George’s life, but also the duke’s remarkable discovery about Edward IV’s children plus the most recent archaeological findings about George’s tomb. As the brother of Edward IV…

Read More
Characters, George, Duke of Clarence, Theon March 19, 2014

Drowned Men: Theon and George, Duke of Clarence

By

In many ways, Theon Greyjoy’s story mirrors that of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence – who betrayed his brother, King Edward IV, to align with his father-in-law, Richard Neville (Earl of Warwick). Given that historian John Ashdown-Hill recently released the first new book on George in 34 years, now is a good time to compare Theon and George. Although Game of Thrones is by no means an allegory for the Wars of the Roses or its only inspiration, George RR…

Read More
George, Duke of Clarence, War of the Roses March 12, 2014

Book Review: The Third Plantagenet

By

There is something very poignant about the image of a little boy falling into a well and finding his heart’s desires, something that reminded historian Dr. John Ashdown-Hill of a young boy’s ambitions but also of his eventual tragic demise. George Plantagenet, the Duke of Clarence, may have come from one of the most powerful families of the middle ages, but somewhere along the way, we have lost him. We know him as false fleeting perjur’d Clarence — always as…

Read More