The beautiful but tragic love story between D. Pedro and D. Inês de Castro has left an indelible mark on Portugal’s history and heritage.
D. Pedro I, son of King D. Afonso IV and heir to the Portuguese throne, fell deeply in love with Inês de Castro, a Galician noblewoman who arrived in Portugal in 1340, as lady-in-waiting of D. Constança, his wife. The love that united D. Pedro and Inês grew uncontrollably, and the “Quinta das Lágrimas” Gardens, far from the eyes of the court, became the scene of their secret meetings. D. Afonso IV, who disapproved of his son’s forbidden love, expelled Inês de Castro from the court and ordered her exile.
After the death of D. Constança, his wife, and defying his father’s authority, D. Pedro ordered D. Inês to return and, for years, they lived together at “Paços de Santa Clara”, where they raised their three children and for some time, they believed that nothing could threaten the love that united them. D. Afonso IV, who feared the consequences of his son’s relationship for the Kingdom of Portugal, ordered the death of D. Inês. Legend has it that the blood she spilled, when she was pierced by the knifes of the three murderers, still stains the stone bottom of the “Fonte das Lágrimas”, the fountain that was born from her tears and where she was executed.
D. Pedro, unable to forgive his Father’s betrayal, in 1357, upon assuming the Throne, killed two of his beloved’s murderers, claiming their hearts hearts. A few years later, swearing that he had secretly married D. Inês de Castro, he ordered her body transported, buried in the Monastery of Santa Clara a Velha, in Coimbra, to Alcobaça, where she was posthumously crowned Queen. The grandiose tombs of D. Pedro and D. Inês, located in the Alcobaça Monastery, are opposite each other. As D. Pedro wished, they rest side by side for eternity.
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