They trusted everything the
lady said because it was plain to see. Moreover several knights and barons whose affections lay with the
king of Castile on account of the
daughter of
king Fernando, and also to honour the solemn oaths they had made to the
king of Castile at the request of the
king of Portugal when he gave his
daughter in marriage to the
king of Castile, and wishing to free themselves, left the realm of
Portugal and came to
Castile, leaving their lands and inheritances to chance in the hope that they might return, and first of all
count João Afonso Telo, the
prior of São João of Portugal,
Sir Diego Alvares, his brother,
Afonso Gomez de Sylva,
João Gonçalves Teixeira, and at least twenty five others, which weakened the realm of
Portugal considerably at first, but delighted and strengthened the
king of Castile. The
king of Castile sent a special summons throughout his kingdom for all noblemen and men capable of bearing arms between fifteen and sixty years old to come to the fields before
Seville, because he wished to force his way into the kingdom of
Portugal as his own inheritance and conquer it. His summons was obeyed by his subjects, and rightly so. They came to the fields outside
Seville and gathered there, at least sixty thousand men all told."
"When
Sir João Lourenço da Cunha, the Portuguese knight who had been married, and still was, to
lady Leonor, whom
king Fernando of Portugal had taken for his wife and made
queen of Portugal, heard that his
wife had left
Portugal and was travelling to
Castile, he went to some of the
king of Castile's councillors who regarded him well, and asked for their advice,
'My lords and dear friends, what am I to do about my wife
Leonor who has left
Portugal and come to this country? I know that
king Fernando took her by force against her will, but now
king Fernando is dead, as you know. By rights then I should get my
wife back. I will reclaim her if you advise me so to do.'
They responded to what he said with the advice he had requested, saying to him, '
João, do not do anything to try to get her back, because you would harm yourself and diminish the honour of the
lady, and also the
queen of Castile, making her more than a bastard. You know that the
king of Castile wishes to recover and conquer the kingdom of
Portugal as his own inheritance, and claims this right through his
wife. You risk drawing attention to a troubling issue that no-one wishes to confront. You would be condemning yourself and signing your own death warrant by making the
queen of Castile a bastard, because this country supports the case that she was born of a legal marriage and given papal dispensation.
pb 266 r