Early Life
Afonso IV married his daughter, Maria, to Alfonso XI of Castile, but quickly learned that she was being mistreated by her husband. Alfonso's cousin, Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, had also been rebuffed by the king when his daughter Constanza was rejected in favor of the Portuguese princess. Feeling as though his daughter was being dishonored, Afonso was glad to enter into an alliance with Juan Manuel and married his son and heir, Peter, to Constance.
When Constanza arrived in Portugal, Inês de Castro, the daughter of an aristocratic Castilian land-owner, accompanied her as her lady-in-waiting. Peter fell in love with Inês very quickly, and the two conducted an affair that lasted until Constance's death in 1345. The scandal of this affair caused Afonso to banish Inês from court, but this did not end the relationship, and the two began living together in secret.
According to the chronicle of Fernão Lopes, during this period, Peter began giving Inês's brothers important positions at court. This behavior alarmed Afonso and made him believe that upon his death, the Portuguese throne would fall to the Castilians. This is the official motive behind Afonso's next action: he sent three men to find Inês and murder her in 1355. Pedro's rage at the murder of his love is what allegedly sparked his revolt against his father. This revolt began in 1355 and lasted into 1356, when Afonso finally defeated his son. One year later Afonso died, and Peter succeeded to the throne.
Henry de Montherlant's French drama La Reine morte was inspired by the conflict between King Afonso and Pedro and Inês.
Read more about this topic: Peter I Of Portugal
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