139 - How the king married off a number of damsels and ordered one of his chamberlains to be burned at the stake

Summary

With the close of the Cortes held to give support for the war and with the departure already of certain people who thereafter were discharged, the king gave thought to arranging the marriages of some of the women of his household. Moved by his goodwill and care for them, he intended not only to protect them from the unseemly fate that many fall into, through their own bad judgement and with no one to gainsay them, but also to increase their estate, even though they had not been in the queen's household very long. This was the case of Berengária Pereira, Beatriz Pereira, and other ladies. As they were extremely prudent and intelligent, he truly thought that it was unnecessary to speak to them about whom they would be content to receive as husbands. He knew that without due care in such circumstances, women sometimes choose for themselves the opposite of what is to their honour and advantage, having already committed themselves to that person. So he, who knew their fathers and mothers well, thought of a husband of equal rank for each lady and determined to give that one to her. Thus, to Berengária Pereira, [he destined] Afonso Vasques Correia, to Beatriz Pereira, Martim Vasques de Resende, and similarly to the others.

Having thus willed their marriage yet without telling anyone what he planned, he had all the ladies apprised one day, through these words: ‘The king orders you to make ready to be married tomorrow’, without saying with whom; nor did the one who brought the message know. After the ladies were told, he sent to inform the men in the same manner. So it was that women and men had much to think about that night, not knowing if the one to whom their heart had been granted would fall to their lot.

The next day, the king took the bridal couples with him to the queen's chamber and there informed each man of the lady he would receive, to which order he met with no opposition, even though only one lady chanced to marry the one she desired. Although the other damsels kept quiet, they later firmly let it be known that they were not at all pleased.