Peter I (Castile)

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posthumous alabaster statue of Peter the Cruel, 1504
Heinrich murders Peter I.

Peter I , the Cruel or the Just ( Spanish Pedro el Cruel or el Justiciero , born August 30, 1334 in the province of Burgos ; † March 23, 1369 near Montiel ) was King of Castile and León (1350-1369). He was the son of Alfonso XI. and Maria , daughter of the Portuguese King Alfonso IV.

Life

After his parents separated, he was raised by Bishop Bernabe of Osma . His father's lover, Leonor de Guzman , who had given birth to seven sons, had a great influence on the royal power. When Peter came to power in 1350, he waged war against these half-brothers. A year later, his mother had her former rival murdered.

In 1348 he was awarded Joan of England as his bride. She died of the plague on September 2, 1348 near Bordeaux / France on the way to her bridegroom at the age of 14 . In 1353 he married Blanche von Bourbon , a daughter of the Bourbon Duke Peter I ; soon after, however, he had her arrested and finally incarcerated in Medina-Sidonia in order to be able to live again with his lover María de Padilla , whom he also married. This act had far-reaching consequences, because the Pope, the clergy and high nobility turned away from him. In 1354 the bigamist married again - this time Juana de Castro, who came from the influential house of the Castros, which earned him the support of Portugal . Two years later the war with Aragón against King Peter IV ( War of the Two Peter ) finally broke out.

After his half-brother Heinrich von Trastamara had expelled him in 1366, Peter made an alliance with Edward, the "Black Prince" . With the help of the English troops, he was able to defeat Henry II's army in the battle of Nájera and drive it out. So he regained the throne for himself. On August 13, 1367, the two Peter made a peace. However, Edward's health suffered badly and he had to leave the country. Heinrich attacked again in 1369 and drove Peter back to Toledo . It came to the battle of Montiel , which Peter lost so that he had to flee. Heinrich murdered him personally in the same year.

Palace in Seville

In Seville he had a palace, the Alcázar there , built or expanded in the Moorish style by master builders from Granada as a residence. The Alcázar and the associated gardens are among the top tourist attractions.

Marriages and offspring

King Peter I on a gold coin ( Dobla ), 1360

Marriages and descendants from it:

  1. Blanche von Bourbon (1339–1361), daughter of Duke Peter I of Bourbon
  2. María de Padilla , daughter of Count Juan Garcia of Villagera (next marriage)
  3. Juana de Castro, daughter of Count Peter von Lemos
    • Johann (1355–1405) ∞ Elvira de Eril

Besides, he had the illegitimate children

  • Fernando, son of María González de Hinestrosa, he died young
  • María, daughter of Teresa de Ayala, nun
  • Sancho, son of Isabel de Sandoval, he died young
  • Diego, son of Isabel de Sandoval, ∞ Isabel de Salazar

reception

Peter's bad reputation, which led to the nickname "the cruel", can be attributed in large part to the work of Pedro de Ayala .

literature

Web links

Commons : Peter I (Castile)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Sergio Martínez Gil: La Guerra de los Dos Pedros (1356-1367). In: Historia de Aragón, historiaragon.com. May 14, 2016, Retrieved September 28, 2019 (Spanish).
predecessor Office successor
Alfonso XI King of Castile and León 1350–1369
Blason Castille Léon.svg
Henry II
personal data
SURNAME Peter I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Peter the Cruel; Peter the Just; Pedro el Cruel; Pedro el Justiciero
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Castile and León (1350-1369)
DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1334
PLACE OF BIRTH Burgos Province
DATE OF DEATH March 23, 1369
Place of death at Montiel