Castro Inezde

Castro, Inez de, whose story furnishes one of the most romantic episodes of Spanish history, was born in Galicia early in the fourteenth century, being, according to some accounts, the illegitimate daughter of Don Pedro de Castro, and a noble Portuguese lady. She was brought up at the court of the Duke of Penafiel as the companion of Costanca, the duke's daughter. Costanca, in 1341, married Don Pedro, the Infante of Portugal, and her friend went with her to Lisbon, when the Infante at once conceived for her an ungovernable passion, and made her his mistress. The unhappy Costanca died in 1345, but it was not till 1354 that Don Pedro married Inez, and even then their union was kept so secret that no proofs of it were forthcoming. The King, Alphonso, dreading the influence of Spain in case the children of Inez should succeed to his throne, and influenced by three rivals of her brother, consented to the assassination of his son's wife. In 1357 Don Pedro came to the throne. He forthwith inflicted terrible punishment on two of the murderers, though one contrived to escape, and according to a popular legend he had the corpse of his adored Inez seated beside him on his throne to share the honours of his coronation. A magnificent monument, enclosing her remains, was erected at Alobaca, and was only destroyed in 1810 by the French soldiery.