George, Duke of Clarence
George, Duke of Clarence, nicknamed One-Armed Clarrie or simply Clarrie, was the brother of two Kings of England of the 15th century, namely Edward IV and Richard III. History recorded that he was executed for treason during Edward's reign though in reality he was allowed to live out his days in relative obsscurity as the landlord of the Kingmaker tavern.
Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]
Late into the reign of King Edward IV, George led a rebellion against the crown and was sentenced to death for his part. However, in 1478 Richard helped to rescue him from his fate when Edward left the execution up to him, smuggling him out and hiding him in an environment where he could quietly drink himself to death, setting him up at the Kingmaker tavern. Richard later claimed George had not been malicious in his actions, simply an idiot, with it being the family of Edward's consort Elizabeth Woodville who had forced Edward into delivering the harsh sentence.
From 1481 to 1485, Clarrie helped the Fifth Doctor communicate with his companions Peri Brown and Erimem and vice versa by keeping letters they had written for each other and giving them to their intended recipients upon their arrival. The Doctor had agreed to later rendezvous at the Kingmaker with Peri and Erimem when they visited 1485 but the TARDIS inadvertently travelled two years further back in time, stranding the two women in 1483. Peri wrote a message to the Doctor informing him of their predicament which Clarrie gave to him when he arrived for the scheduled meeting. He wrote a reply which a future incarnation, "a northern chap with big ears", eventually left with Clarrie while passing through 1481. This process was repeated for again, with the second letters each coming with strict instructions to only open after reading the first.
With his first plan to rescue Peri and Erimem having failed, the Doctor could only advise them to "keep [their] heads down and try not to get in the way of history", promising to reunite with them on 1 August 1485. To this end, Peri and Erimem got jobs at the Kingmaker, as the Doctor noted the Clarrie of his time had said they had been "the best serving wenches he'd ever had". During an uncomfortably intimate welcome hug, Clarrie's arm was broken by Erimem, earning him the nickname One-Armed Clarrie. He would later claim he had gotten the nickname following the Battle of Tewkesbury in which he purportedly fought off twenty Lancastrians with only a spoon.
Around six months later, Clarrie was forced to sack Peri and Erimem and, as a "favour", replace them with his nieces Susan and Judith. Susan and Judith were the so-called Princes in the Tower and Richard, now King Richard III, sent them to live with Clarrie when "all the murder and kidnap plots started buzzing". Meanwhile, Peri and Erimem unwillingly replaced the "Princes" in the Tower of London and were forced to impersonate Princes Edward and Richard.
By 1485, Clarrie had told his brother Richard about the Doctor's letters, a man Richard knew by reputation from various time travelling tourists, allowing him to be ready for the Doctor's arrival. On that night, the Doctor stayed in one of the Kingmaker's rooms but was alerted to Clarrie's nocturnal departure from the tavern when he conspicuously and profusely coughed outside his window. The Doctor followed Clarrie to a meeting with the King and, while Clarrie conversed with his brother, James Tyrell introduced himself to the Doctor as the Royal High Concussor and knocked him unconscious.
Later, Clarrie told Susan and Judith that Richard had detained the Doctor in the Tower. In response, they launched a rescue attempt and persuaded Clarrie to come along with them. They easily infiltrated the Tower by using a secret entrance to the dungeons which had been left unlocked. They found the Doctor, in chains, speaking to Richard. However, they swiftly learnt that their efforts had been wasted as Richard had been about to let him go, being not willing to kill without good reason. Richard also told Clarrie he was disappointed at Clarrie's involvement in the rescue, though Susan and Judith owned the blame for his participation. Suddenly, William Shakespeare entered the room armed with a Cyber-rifle. As the Doctor and Richard exchanged words with Shakespeare about the motives and likelihood of success of the latter's plans, Clarrie and the others kept quiet until they asked to leave, saying they did not understand anything of what was being discussed. Shakespeare questioned them on their identities and, although a little suspicous of their story, allowed them to leave based on the claim that Susan and Judith were wenches who brought food to prisoners and Clarrie was the chief gobber.
As Clarrie, Susan and Judith started the journey back to the Kingmaker on foot, they encountered James Tyrell, who recognised Clarrie as the traitorous and supposedly deceased Duke of Clarence and called for some guards to detain him. They attempted to make an escape but Clarrie quickly realised the guards were only after him, clearly not realising who the girls were, and so bade farewell to his neices before drawing Tyrell and his men away. Susan and Judith watched him run out of Traitors' Gate and fall into the River Thames. Despite the fact they were aware he couldn't swim, they reluctantly fled, knowing there was nothing more they could do for him with guards swarming the area. (AUDIO: The Kingmaker)
Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]
Clarence featured as a character in William Shakespeare's play Richard III, which depicted a fictionalised and unflattering account of the eponymous King's reign. In the play, Richard drowned his brother George in a vat of wine.
After Shakespeare inadvertently replaced Richard at the Battle of Bosworth and Richard took Shakespeare's place in 1597, the Doctor suggested putting George into his first Shakespearean play to give him the immortality history couldn't, an idea which Richard found appealing. The Doctor also told him he was supposed to be starting Henry IV, Part 1 around this time. Richard asked "That alright, can I put him in that one?" to which the Doctor replied "Oh, I should think so". (AUDIO: The Kingmaker)
While at sea, Shakespeare once recalled words he had put into Clarence's mouth. (PROSE: The Empire of Glass)
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
In the real world, Clarence was indeed featured in two Shakespearean plays, one of which was Richard III. However, the second was not Henry IV, Part 1, which was set well before his birth, but Henry VI, Part 3.
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