157 - How the Queen of Castile died, and it was arranged that the king should marry the Portuguese princess

Summary

When peace had been negotiated, as you have heard, the King of Castile left Badajoz and went to the district of Toledo, where he was taken ill for several days. He then took to his bed in Madrid. While he was there, he received the news that his wife, Queen Leonor, who was in the town of Cuéllar, after giving birth to a baby girl, who only lived a few days, had died of grief herself soon afterwards, and that everyone was very sad at her tragic death and mourned her passing. The king was extremely upset by her death as she was a noble and virtuous lady, and had borne him two sons, namely Prince Enrique and Prince Fernando. He ordered her body to be taken to the city of Toledo, where she was laid to rest with all due honours in the Church of Santa María, in the chapel which King Enrique had built.

When King Fernando heard that the queen had died and the King of Castile was without a wife, he decided together with his counsellors to annul the marriage of his daughter, Princess Beatriz, who was betrothed to Prince Fernando, as had been agreed in the settlement of the Treaty of Elvas, and to marry her instead to King Juan, if such a marriage pleased him. He immediately made arrangements to send Juan Fernández, the Count of Ourém, to him to act as his ambassador. The count left, suitably equipped, and accompanied by many nobles, both squires and knights, so that he had with him a good hundred men mounted on mules. Amongst these were Martim Gonçalves de Ataíde, Gonçalo Rodrigues de Sousa, Pero Rodrigues da Fonseca, Álvaro Gonçalves de Azevedo, Vasco Peres de Camões and others. The worthiest of these served him as naperers, butlers and carvers. The Castilians said that, if the cost involved was high for the King of Castile, it was bound to be even more so for the King of Portugal.

The count arrived in Castile at a township called Pinto, near the district of Toledo, where the king was staying. After being made welcome by the king, he delivered his message, saying how much King Fernando wanted him to marry his daughter, so that there would be more friendship, peace and goodwill between them.