The story that I am about to write is not one that has a happy ending and it didn’t came out of someone’s imagination. This story’s characters were real people, with real feelings and a love that was forbidden, but it was lived nonetheless! This story involves the fourteenth century Portuguese royal family, Castile ladies and noblemen.

During the medieval era most of the disputes between Portugal and the various kingdoms of Spain were resolved with wedding agreements, especially between Portugal and Castile.

And as such, it is about an arranged marriage and the unfortunate destiny of three people that this story is all about. Marriages were at the time seeing a good way to prevent wars, smooth conflicts and guarantee some important political matter. These marriages happened mainly between the royal families and nobility.

Previous to D. Pedro and Ines de Castro tragic love story there are some events that I consider important to pass on to you and thus making possible a better picture.

Portugal during this time is stable as a kingdom and the only important matter that King D. Afonso IV has to worry about is to find a suitable bride for his son, the Crown Prince Pedro. D. Afonso IV first choice had been D. Branca and resulted in total failure. Most historical accounts argue that D. Branca, with only fourteen years old, didn’t conceived and as a consequence was locked up in a convent.

By the age of sixteen Pedro refused to marry Constanca Manoel Princess of Castile, the second wife his father chosed; especially after learning that she had been also rejected by King Afonso XI of Castile. However, D. Afonso IV wish prevailed and Pedro did marry D. Constanca Manoel in 1336 and they would not see each other for another four years.

The time of this story is 1340 and the stage is Lisbon, D. Afonso IV (the Brave) is the king of Portugal and the Crown Prince Pedro is about to get united with his second wife for the first time. Pedro and Constanca married in 1336 but couldn’t be with each other due to political reasons between Portugal and Castile. Constanca has been the prisoner of the Castile king Alfonso XI (son-in-law of the Portuguese king) for about four years. King Alfonso XI refused to marry Constanca Manoel but also didn't agreed with her marriage with the Portuguese Crown Prince and thus didn't allow her travel to Portugal to be united with her husband.

Whilst the castle staff are busy preparing the banquet for the Princes’ party, the court and the population gathers at the Lisbon harbour to received with great excitement the boats arriving from Castile. In one of these boats is travelling Constanca Princess of Castile, and Prince Pedro’s wife. Amongst Constanca’s suite of nobles and ladies was a young girl name Ines de Castro she was lady-in-waiting to Constanca. Ines de Castro is the daughter of an important Castilian nobleman; she has blond hair with blue eyes and with beauty known all over the Spanish kingdoms. Ines is also depicted as a kind, lively, joyful and generous young lady.

By the time the boat docks, Pedro is already in love! As soon as it was possible to recognise features in faces, Pedro saw a beautiful blond lady who he believed could only be Constanca, the woman he married so long ago when he was only 16 years old.

However, as the party approach’s Pedro fails to comprehend why this so beautiful lady walks behind this other brunet woman. So, when King Afonso IV introduces Pedro to his wife his happy excitement dismays… from that moment his heart is rendered to Ines’ beauty for ever, the beauty that is not his!

Prince Pedro from a very early stage neglects his marriage with Constanca to pay attention to Ines. In an attempt to break this mutual interest Constanca invites Ines to be the godmother of her son, in the eyes of the Catholic Religion this would make Ines part of the family and therefore a form to stop a possible affair.

However, Constanca son’s dies few weeks after his birth and therefore Pedro and Ines are morally free to pursue their platonic love. Many other schemes were put forward to separate the couple, King Afonso IV expelled Ines from Portugal, but Pedro continued to correspond with Ines with the help of others that supported their love. 

Princess Crown Constanca died on 13^th November 1345 shortly after giving birth to her third child. Prince Pedro and Ines were now free to declare their love publicly, to the nation.

Pedro refused to marry again if not with Ines and brought her back to Portugal, to Santa Clara in Coimbra. They were closer than ever and had four children, Afonso (died in infancy), Beatriz, Joao and Dinis.With this love relationship Pedro became closer to the Castro brothers Alvaro and Fernando de Castro.

The Castro brothers were overheard mentioning to Pedro that he should claim the throne of Castile countless time. Therefore, with a mixture of time and Castro brothers, the Portuguese Crown Prince declared himself a candidate to the Leon and Castile Throne. Pedro knew that his cousin King Pedro I of Castile had a less favourable image (nicknamed “The Cruel”) and this weakness could be of Prince Pedro’s advantage.

The Portuguese king and the court itself were growing worried about the future of Portugal. Prince Pedro was indicating a will to declare war to Castile and Leon; at this time the relationships with these two Spanish kingdoms were not very stable; in addition to all of this, Afonso IV and the court lords were also worried with regards to the future of the little fragile, delicate son of Pedro and Contanca. This child was the only heir to the Portuguese throne. This child was shy and "weak" compare to the healthy sons of Pedro and Ines. The fear that one of Ines children could be the future successor to the Portuguese throne was far too big to be even consider.

Thus, social and political incompatibilities make the love between Pedro and Ines once more a disquieting situation...

What comes next is not only atrocious but it is inhumane, it is the result of fear, greediness, callous and merciless behaviour. The King and his counsellors concluded the best approach would only be to kill Ines.

The love between Pedro and Ines, the need they feel in be together and the necessity of each others' love have had never been consider,. The only thing that have been consider was the fact that Pedro's sons could usurp the throne and the kingdom fall back to one of the other Spanish kingdoms.

He had liked D. Branca but never felt love. Regarding Constanca, he did felt some love but most compassion for the unfortunate life she had. However, for Ines, Pedro feels he could die for. Ines was a beautiful blond hair lady, with kind blue eyes, always able to maintain the good-temper of a teenager, the kindness of a mother and the attraction of a lover. Ines was everything that Pedro have always dreamed for and sang on his poems.

Initially, the King was against the idea of killing Ines de Castro, he was between the responsability of being a king and make the best choices for his kingdoms but also the fact that it was his son and grandchildren involved. D. Afonso was getting back on his decision for the sake of family values; however his counsellors were able to convince him and on the 7^th January 1355 King Afonso IV authorizes the death order for Ines de Castro. They know Pedro is out in a hunting parade and will not be home for a few days. The king and his counsellors arrived at Ines de Castro house to execute her by beheading, sparing the childrens life.

The story goes and says that her children were hugging her and begging to their grandfather not to kill their mother. Ines de Castro, on her defence, she said the only crime she has ever comited in life was being so devoted to and loving so much Pedro.

The king could not bear with the emotional intensity of the plea, so he left Ines to her fate and said to his counsellors to do whatever they felt just. And the counsellors killed Ines de Castro by beheading her in the presence of her small children. Ines de de Castro was killed in the beautiful Casa das lagrimas gardens in Coimbra.

When Pedro finds about Ines death he declares war to his father. Pedro wants to caught and kill the executors of Ines. For several months, with his troops, the de Castro brothers and their men, Pedro savage half of the country. To end this situation his mother, Queen Beatriz intervened and a truce agreement was formed between father and son with the purpose of forgetting the incident!

Two years latter King Afonso IV dies and Pedro becomes King D. Pedro I of Portugal. The first thing D. Pedro I does is pursue Ines executioners and he manage to caught two out of the three counsellors. The lords that killed Ines de Castro fled the country right after the assassination due to fear of revange from Pedro. The two Lords which were caught have flee to Spanish Kingdoms whereas the other Lord fled to France and thus never seen again.

The story says the King have them tortured and whilst he was having dinner, the counsellors’ heart have been removed from their bodies while still alive. According to many historical accounts, D. Pedro I ordered that to one of the counsellors the heart should be removed from his back whilst the other counsellor should have his heart removed through his chest. Once the hearts have been removed from the bodies they were placed in a tray and taken to King. D. Pedro I, and he bit each one of them and toss them back to the tray!

In 1360 the King D. Pedro I declared that he had secretly married Ines de Castro, therefore making her the lawful Queen of Portugal; thus King Pedro I ordered the exhumation of Ines de Castro body and transfer her from Coimbra to Alcobaca Monastery. He order that two tombs should be built in the monastery facing one another and Ines should be placed in one.

The main reason for the tombs being facing each other was because D. Pedro believed that in the judgement day the first thing he would see would be Ines.

According to the legend D. Pedro I had Ines removed from her coffin and placed on a throne; at this point the King order the court to kiss the Queens hand!

King D. Pedro I, had amonst others the nickname of “the cruel” which was given by the nobles, however the people called him the “the just”! Historical documents show that D. Pedro I was a good king, respected by his people; the country was a reflex of his kind, benevolent and honest character.

Ines was the Queen of Pedro’s heart and the one he made Queen of Portugal. D. Pedro had one more lover after Ines, but he did not marry her. She was named Teresa Lourenco and she was the mother of the first Portuguese King of the second dynasty: Joao I.