_01.jpg/170px-Estatua_de_Pedro_I_el_Cruel_(M.A.N.)_01.jpg)
Parents: Alfonso XI, king of Castile, and Maria of Portugal
Date of Birth: 30 August 1334
House: Burgundy
Predecessor: Alfonso XI
Spouse: Blanche, daughter of Peter I, duke of Bourbon, and Isabella of Valois, then Juana of Castro
Reign: 1350 – 1369
Summary: Pedro did not grow up cruel. He was a happy child who loved both work and play. He was a patron of the arts, including drama, poetry, and music. Still, he came to power at the age of sixteen and was controlled by his mother for the first two years of his reign. Pedro was betrothed to Joan, the daughter of King Edward III of England, but the princess died of the black death while on her way to the Castilian court.
The intrigues of Pedro stem primarily from his mother who was domineering and dangerous. Pedro eloped with his lover, María de Padilla, in 1353. Yet only months later, his mother forced him to marry Blanche of Bourbon, whom he deserted immediately. Pedro was forced to renounce his first marriage but produced four children with her. Both María and Blanche died in 1361 and Pedro relied on mistresses from that point forward. Throughout the late 1350s to mid-1360s, Pedro was engaged in the "War of the Two Peters" with Aragón. Castile was allied with England while Aragón was allied with France in this extension of the Hundred Years' War. All turned ill for Castile in the end. In 1366, civil war broke out within Castile and Pedro was deposed by his illegitimate brother, Enrique of Trastámara. Pedro did not fight but fled to the south of Spain. He finally settled in Portugal with his uncle, Pedro I, until he moved into Galicia. There he committed the atrocities for which he is famous; namely murdered in the archbishop of Santiago and the local dean. All the while, Enrique spread anti-Pedro propaganda across Castile, labeling him a Jewish-sympathizer and forcing the conversion of hundreds of Jews. Late in 1366, Edward the Black Prince of England helped restore Pedro to the throne. Edward almost turned on his ally but was forced to return to England due to ill health before he could act. Enrique returned in 1368 and gained the recognition of the Castilian cortes. Pedro finally confronted his brother in battle in March 1369. Pedro was tricked into leaving the safety of Montiel tower and was repeatedly stabbed in the face with a knife by Enrique. The king's body was left unburied for three days and was viciously abused. Two of Pedro's daughters by María, Constance and Isabella, married sons of King Edward III of England and the cause of Pedro was continued by his son-in-law, John of Gaunt, until the latter's death in 1399.
The intrigues of Pedro stem primarily from his mother who was domineering and dangerous. Pedro eloped with his lover, María de Padilla, in 1353. Yet only months later, his mother forced him to marry Blanche of Bourbon, whom he deserted immediately. Pedro was forced to renounce his first marriage but produced four children with her. Both María and Blanche died in 1361 and Pedro relied on mistresses from that point forward. Throughout the late 1350s to mid-1360s, Pedro was engaged in the "War of the Two Peters" with Aragón. Castile was allied with England while Aragón was allied with France in this extension of the Hundred Years' War. All turned ill for Castile in the end. In 1366, civil war broke out within Castile and Pedro was deposed by his illegitimate brother, Enrique of Trastámara. Pedro did not fight but fled to the south of Spain. He finally settled in Portugal with his uncle, Pedro I, until he moved into Galicia. There he committed the atrocities for which he is famous; namely murdered in the archbishop of Santiago and the local dean. All the while, Enrique spread anti-Pedro propaganda across Castile, labeling him a Jewish-sympathizer and forcing the conversion of hundreds of Jews. Late in 1366, Edward the Black Prince of England helped restore Pedro to the throne. Edward almost turned on his ally but was forced to return to England due to ill health before he could act. Enrique returned in 1368 and gained the recognition of the Castilian cortes. Pedro finally confronted his brother in battle in March 1369. Pedro was tricked into leaving the safety of Montiel tower and was repeatedly stabbed in the face with a knife by Enrique. The king's body was left unburied for three days and was viciously abused. Two of Pedro's daughters by María, Constance and Isabella, married sons of King Edward III of England and the cause of Pedro was continued by his son-in-law, John of Gaunt, until the latter's death in 1399.
Date of Death: 23 March 1369
Successor: Enrique II
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Eudes I, duke of Burgundy (1103)
- Julius III, pope of Rome (1555)
- Gelawdewos, emperor of Ethiopia (1559)
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