Edward, Earl of Warwick (1475-1499) was the son of George, Duke of Clarence and a rival claimant to the throne during the reigns of both King Richard III of England and his successor, Henry VII of England. He was born in February, 1475, at Warwick, the family home of his mother, Isabel Neville, elder daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker. From his birth he inherited the title of Earl of Warwick through his mother, and, on her death in 1476, he also inherited the earldom of Salisbury. His claim to the throne following the disinheritance of his cousin, King Edward V of England, was overlooked because of the attainder against his father. After the death of King Richard's son, Warwick was named heir to the throne, possibly thanks to the influence of the queen, his aunt, Anne Neville, who had adopted him following his parents' deaths. However, following her own death, Richard apparently decided that it would be safer to name an adult as heir, and chose John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln.
After King Richard's death, Warwick was kept a prisoner by Henry VII because his claim, albeit tarnished, was a threat to the new king - particularly after the appearance of the pretender, Lambert Simnel, in 1487. Although, in 1490, he was confirmed in his title of Earl of Warwick, he remained in the Tower of London until the arrival of another pretender, Perkin Warbeck, in 1499. An unsuccessful escape attempt resulted in the execution for treason of both men.