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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2024
The king left the monastery [of Alcobaça] and arrived at Santarém, which lay 10 leagues away, and found the town rid of such Castilians as could cause him trouble, though many others still remained there. The Master of the Order of Christ, the prior [Álvaro Gonçalves] and Rodrigo Álvares [Pereira], as well as all the other people of the town came out to welcome him with immense pleasure and joy, and they all gave profuse thanks to Almighty God for granting him such a blessed victory, by which He had delivered them from the power of their enemies.
On his arrival, the king lodged in the castle. He found out that all the churches and monasteries were full of troops from Castile and that they dared not emerge for fear they would be killed. That was in addition to many who were taken prisoner, over 1,000 people, and whose thirst they could not quench, since the water supply came from a distant and rocky source. Instead, chained and roped together like dogs, these captives were taken down to drink from the Tagus. One day, when a numerous gang of them, in chains, was coming up the street, returning from having a drink of water, they encountered Fernando Álvares, a comptroller of finances in the royal household, whose name we have mentioned from time to time. One of them, who was a knight, addressed him, ‘My lord, we’ve been told that you’re an honourable man with a respected position in the household of the king, your liege lord. We beg you to persuade him either to have us put to death or fed, because we’re all starving.’
On hearing of this, the king sent for the town's officials, whose concern this was, and told them that at the very least they should be given bread (for they could not be given anything else), lest they starve. It was found, however, that this could not be done owing to the scarcity of [food] supplies, brought about by the lengthy duration of the war. ‘As for me’, said the king, ‘neither could I willingly agree to see them all die of hunger. I’d rather send them back to their own country.’
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