Video: The worst coronation in history, or the Portuguese legend of love that conquered death
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
King Pedro I and his beloved Ines de Castro often called the Portuguese Romeo and Juliet. But the king went much further: the death of the bride did not become a reason to refuse to marry her … Historical characters became the heroes of this plot, but over time it was overgrown with so many myths that it is now quite difficult to separate truth from fiction.
This happened in Portugal in the XIV century. In 1339, the heir to the throne, the son of King Afonso IV, at the insistence of his father, married Princess Constance of Castile. The marriage was dictated by political motives and dynastic goals, the infant did not feel tender feelings for his wife. Together with her, a large retinue arrived in Lisbon, and among the maids of honor was the noble Castilian lady Ines de Castro. The future king of Portugal fell in love with her at first sight, and the girl reciprocated.
7 years after the wedding, Pedro's wife died in childbirth. Since then, he no longer considered it necessary to hide his relationship with Inesh. Pedro took her to the palace and announced his decision to marry her. King Afonso could not allow this - Ines came from a Castilian noble family, whose members were supporters of the return of Portugal to the rule of Castile. The Ines brothers were involved in the political intrigues of the Castilian court, and the Portuguese nobility feared their influence on Pedro. This could lead to another war with a neighboring state. They tried to eliminate Inesh by any means - either they gave expensive gifts, then they sent them away from the yard, then they threatened, but the feelings of the lovers for each other over time only became stronger.
Inesh gave birth to four children to the Infanta, and the king's advisers were afraid that sooner or later they would claim the throne, which could lead to a civil war in the country. The advisers managed to convince the king that the only way out was to kill Inesh. He sent his son on a military campaign and sent hired killers to the woman.
There are several versions regarding the execution of Inesh. According to one of them, upon learning of her fate, Inesh, along with the children, threw herself at the feet of the king, and he was so moved by this scene that he did not dare to carry out the sentence. Unfortunately, this is just a legend, and the reality was much more severe. But it was this version that formed the basis for the plot of the painting by Karl Bryullov "The Death of Inessa de Castro". Many visitors to the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg are familiar with this picture, although not everyone knows what historical plot inspired the artist.
In fact, in 1355, Ines de Castro was still killed, but the circumstances of her death are not exactly known - either she was stabbed to death by three hired killers, or beheaded on charges of high treason. Upon learning of the death of his beloved, Pedro vowed to avenge her. He rebelled against his father, and the civil war in the country nevertheless began. Afonso died soon after, and his son became king of Portugal in 1357.
Pedro I first of all found the killers and dealt with them with his own hands, ripping out their hearts. And soon he announced his decision to marry … Inesh! On June 25, 1361, the body of the deceased was removed from the crypt (6 years after death!), Dressed in a wedding dress and seated on the throne. Pedro placed the crown on Inesh's head, posthumously crowning her. And then the king forced all the courtiers to bow over the dead body of Inesh and kiss her hand - thus they swore allegiance to the queen. After that, the body was placed in a sarcophagus in the monastery of the city of Alcobas. There is a version that this terrible ceremony was needed by Pedro only so that he had a legal basis to bury Inesh in the royal tomb.
In 1367 Pedro I died and, according to his will, was buried next to the sarcophagus of his now legal wife Ines. Their tombs were placed one opposite the other, so that on the day of the Last Judgment they could rise to meet each other. The inscription on the sarcophagus reads: "Ate o fim do mundo …", which means "until the end of the world …".
However, documents confirming the coronation of the dead Ines de Castro have not survived, and many skeptics claim that this is just a legend. But the Portuguese themselves see no reason to doubt this story, which has long acquired the status of a national myth.
This plot has repeatedly formed the basis of theatrical performances, and in 2009 in France, the feature film "The Dead Queen" was shot about Ines and Pedro.
Not only in the Middle Ages, but even in the 19th century. the dead were sometimes in no hurry to bury: 15 creepy posthumous photographs of Victorian people
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