A royal family feud ended in the dark depths of a massive wine barrel inside the Tower of London.
George Plantagenet, the Duke of Clarence, was the younger brother of King Edward IV. Driven by greed and ambition during the War of the Roses, George repeatedly plotted to overthrow his brother, spreading rumors about the King’s legitimacy and scheming with rival factions. Finally pushed to his absolute limit, the King had his brother arrested and convicted of high treason by Parliament.
The Horror
The execution was so medieval that it completely broke traditional royal protocol. Because of his royal blood, a standard, humiliating public hanging was out of the question, and a public beheading threatened to spark further political unrest. Legend states that George was given a bizarre choice for his private execution inside the Bowyer Tower.
An immense, 105-gallon wooden cask (known as a butt) of Malmsey wine—his absolute favorite sweet import—was brought into his cell. The executioners forced the Duke headfirst into the massive barrel, drowning him in the very luxury liquid he loved in life. It was a dark, poetic message from the King: a greedy man drowned in his own excess.
The Modern Relic
You can visit the exact stone fortress where this dark royal execution took place by exploring the Tower of London in England. Specifically, the Bowyer Tower is open to visitors, and it is the precise location where the Duke of Clarence met his wine-soaked end. Walking through the cold, damp stone vaulted room and listening to the echo of your footsteps gives you a chillingly close perspective on the private, claustrophobic realities of medieval royal justice.
