Peter I of Portugal
Encyclopedia
Peter I called the Just (Portuguese: o Justiceiro), was the eighth King of Portugal and the Algarve from 1357 until his death. He was the third but only surviving son of Afonso IV of Portugal
Afonso IV of Portugal
Afonso IV , called the Brave , was the seventh king of Portugal and the Algarve from 1325 until his death. He was the only legitimate son of King Denis of Portugal by his wife Elizabeth of Aragon.-Biography:...

 and his wife, princess Beatrice of Castile.

Early life

Afonso IV
Afonso IV of Portugal
Afonso IV , called the Brave , was the seventh king of Portugal and the Algarve from 1325 until his death. He was the only legitimate son of King Denis of Portugal by his wife Elizabeth of Aragon.-Biography:...

 married his daughter, Maria, to Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI was the king of Castile, León and Galicia.He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ensued over who would hold regency, which were resolved in 1313...

, 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
Inês de Castro
Inês Peres de Castro was a Galician noblewoman born of a Portuguese mother...

, 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
Fernão Lopes
Fernão Lopes was a Portuguese chronicler appointed by King Edward of Portugal. Fernão Lopes wrote the history of Portugal, but only a part of his work remained....

, 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.

"La Reine morte", a French drama was inspired by the conflict between King Afonso and Pedro and Ines.

King of Portugal

Fernão Lopes
Fernão Lopes
Fernão Lopes was a Portuguese chronicler appointed by King Edward of Portugal. Fernão Lopes wrote the history of Portugal, but only a part of his work remained....

 labels Peter as "the Just" and said that Peter loved justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...

—especially the dispensing of it, which he enjoyed doing for himself. Inês' assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...

s received his harshest punishment: the three had escaped to Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...

, but Peter arranged for them to be exchanged for Castilian fugitives residing in Portugal with his nephew, Peter of Castile. One man escaped, but the other two were brought to justice, and Lopes says that Pedro ripped their hearts out with his own hands.
It is possible that Peter I of Portugal has been confused with Peter of Castile: both have the same name, both lived at the same time, the two were closely related, and both are credited with committing violent acts towards their subjects. Despite his gruesome legacy, Peter I of Portugal did have a peaceful reign and managed to install a system of justice which was relatively fair for the times. He attempted this with his Beneplácito Régio in 1361, which forbade any Papal Bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....

s to be published without his prior consent. This was a result of the number of fake papal documents that had been entering the country. He also began the "nationalization" of the military order
Military order
A military order is a Christian society of knights that was founded for crusading, i.e. propagating or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe...

s by placing his youngest son João (an illegitimate child born after Inês' death) as the Master of the Order of Avis. He claimed that he and Inês had been married and thus that their four children were legitimate, but nothing ever came of this. Peter and Inês' children went to live in Castile.

Legend holds that Peter later had Inês' body exhumed and placed upon a throne
Throne
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...

, dressed in rich robes and jewels, requiring all of his vassals to kiss the hand of the deceased "queen". This has never been proven, but what is known is that Peter did have Inês' body removed from her resting place in Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...

 and taken to Alcobaça where her body was laid to rest in the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

. Peter had two tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...

s constructed in the monastery, one for each of them. These still exist today; they contain images of Peter and Inês facing each other, with the words "Até o fim do mundo..." or "Until the end of the world..." inscribed on the marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...

.

Peter was also the father of Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I , sometimes referred to as the Handsome or rarely as the Inconstant , was the ninth King of Portugal and the Algarve, the second son of Peter I and his wife, Constance of Castile...

 and John I of Portugal
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...

. John was the Master of the military order of Avis, and he would become the founder of the Avis dynasty
House of Aviz
The House of Aviz is a dynasty of kings of Portugal. In 1385, the Interregnum of the 1383-1385 crisis ended with the acclamation of the Master of the Order of Aviz, John, natural son of king Peter I and Dona Teresa Lourenço as king...

 in 1385, after defeating an attempt by Beatrice of Portugal
Beatrice of Portugal
Beatrice was the only surviving child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Telles de Menezes. She married King John I of Castile. In the absence of a male heir, she claimed the throne of Portugal, supported by her husband. This led to the 1383–1385 Crisis, in which the Portuguese...

 and John I of Castile
John I of Castile
John I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...

 to ascend the Portuguese throne.

Marriage and descendants

NameBirthDeathNotes
Blanca of Castile (c. 1315-1375; married in 1325; annulled in 1333)
Constance of Penafiel
Constance of Penafiel
Constance of Peñafiel or Constance Manuel of Castile was the daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena , called "el escritor" , Duke of Peñafiel, and his second wife Constance of Aragon, a daughter of James II of Aragon...

(c. 1320-1345; married in 24 August 1339)
Infante Luís (Louis) 1340 1340  
Infanta Maria
Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa
Infanta Maria of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta , first daughter of King Peter I of Portugal and his Queen consort Constance of Peñafiel....

6 April 1342 a. 1367 Marchioness Consort of Tortosa by marriage to Infante Fernando of Aragon, Marquis of Tortosa.
Infante Fernando
Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I , sometimes referred to as the Handsome or rarely as the Inconstant , was the ninth King of Portugal and the Algarve, the second son of Peter I and his wife, Constance of Castile...

 (Ferdinand)
31 October 1345 22 October 1383 Succeeded him as Ferdinand I, 9th King of Portugal.
By Inés de Castro
Inês de Castro
Inês Peres de Castro was a Galician noblewoman born of a Portuguese mother...

(c. 1325-1355; possibly married in 1354)
Afonso 1346 1346 Died shortly after his birth.
Infanta Beatriz
Infanta Beatriz, Countess of Alburquerque
Infanta Beatrice of Portugal was the daughter of Portuguese King Peter I and a Castilian noblewoman called Inês de Castro.Beatrice was born in Coimbra around the period of 1347–1351 and she became Countess of Alburquerque when she married Sancho Alfonso, 1st Count of Alburquerque...

 (Beatrice)
1347 1381 Countess Consort of Alburquerque by marriage to Sancho of Castile, Count of Alburquerque y Haro.
Infante João
Infante João, Duke of Valencia de Campos
Infante Dom John of Portugal was the son of Portuguese King Peter I and a Castilian noblewoman named Inês de Castro that had arrived in Portugal as a maid of Infanta Constance of Castile, recently married to Pedro I .-Background:Considering John an Infante of Portugal is a debatable subject...

 (John)
1349 1397 Lord of Porto de Mós, Seia and Montelongo, and also Duke of Valencia de Campos. Claimant to the throne during the 1383-1385 Crisis.
Infante Dinis, Lord of Cifuentes
Infante Dinis, Lord of Cifuentes
Infante Dinís of Portugal was the son of Portuguese King Peter I and a Castilian noblewoman named Inês de Castro who had arrived in Portugal as a maid of princess Constance of Castile, recently married to Pedro I .Considering Denis an Infante of Portugal is a debatable subject...

1354 1397 Lord of Villar-Dompardo. And later, Cifuentes, Escalona and Alvar de Tormes. Claimant to the throne during the 1383-1385 Crisis.
By Teresa Lourenço
Teresa Lourenco
Teresa Lourenco is a Trinidadian model. She was born on January 25, 1981 in Trinidad. In 1994, she moved with her mother to Hamburg, Germany, where, at the age of 14, she was discovered by a modeling scout. At 16, she won the "Les Trophees de la Mode" in Paris for Best New Face.Lourenco signed a...

(c. 1330-?)
João
John I of Portugal
John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...

 (John)
11 April 1357 14 August 1433 Natural son. Grand Master of the Order of Aviz
Order of Aviz
The Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1910 Royal Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1789 Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz , previously Knights of St. Benedict of Aviz or Friars of Santa Maria of Évora, is a Portuguese Order of Chivalry...

. Succeeded his half-brother Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I of Portugal
Ferdinand I , sometimes referred to as the Handsome or rarely as the Inconstant , was the ninth King of Portugal and the Algarve, the second son of Peter I and his wife, Constance of Castile...

 after the 1383-1385 Crisis as John I, 10th King of Portugal, the first of the House of Aviz.

Ancestors

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