OS LUSÍADAS

Inês de Castro: the queen who was crowned

after death

WHO IS INÊS?

Inês de Castro, daughter of Pedro F. de Castro, an

illegitimate grandson of King Sancho IV of Castile

arrived in Portugal in 1340 as a chaperon to her

cousin, Constança of Castile, who came to marry the

heir to the Portuguese throne, Dom Pedro, son of

King Dom Afonso IV.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

As soon as the prince Dom

Pedro set his eyes on Inês, he fell

in love with her. Pedro was madly

in love and legend says that he

sent love letters through a pipe

that carried water from the

“Quinta (estate) do Pombal” to

the Santa Clara’s Monastery,

where Inês was settled.

Santa Clara’s Monastery

HOW TO STOP A ROMANCE?

Constança invited Inês to be the godmother of her

newly born son, so her love affair with Dom Pedro

would be considered incestuous.

Dom Afonso attempted to separate the lovers by

banishing Inês from Court and sending her back to

Castile in 1344.

CONSTANÇA IS DEAD AND NOW?

Constança died on

November 13th 1345.

Dom Pedro went after Inês.

He brought her back to

Portugal and settled in

Coimbra, where they would

live together freely.

INÊS’ DEATH IS THE SOLUTION!

The Portuguese King and the

aristocracy thought that the Castro

clan could end up dragging the future

king and the kingdom into dynastic

fights with their neighbours.

To free Dom Pedro from the

dangerous influence of the Castro

family, Dom Afonso, after the meeting

in the Castle of Montemor-o-Velho,

decided that the death of Inês was the

solution!

Castle of Montemor-o-Velho

IT ’S TOO LATE: INÊS IS DEAD

As soon as the King and their courtiers

arrived at Coimbra, Inês appeared with

her children and appealed to the King

Dom Afonso, who was struggling

between the state’s needs and his

feelings, against her capital sentence.

As soon as the King turned his back the

sentence was carried out : Inês was

executed.

MYTH OR REALITY?

The Inês’ capital punishment

took place at Santa Clara-a-

Nova, where she was living with

Dom Pedro since Constança’s

death.

The myth associates this

tragedy with Quinta das

Lágrimas (Estate of Tears)

FOREVER

People believes that Inês’

blood stains the spring’s

stone keeping it forever red

in the Estate of the Tears

where she cried one’s heart

out for the last time, when

she was being pierced by the

daggers of her executioners.

QUEEN AFTER DEATH

When the Prince heard the terrible news about Inês’

assassination, he became furious and staged a revolt

against his father, the main responsible for this fatal end.

King Dom Pedro tortured and executed two Inês’

executioners.

On 12th June 1360, he announced that he had secretly

married Inês in the Bragança town and declared her

legitimate wife Queen of Portugal.