4. Pedro I of Portugal’s Father Murdered His Pregnant Mistress Ines de Castro
In 1340, Prince Pedro of Portugal married Princess Constance of Castile to solidify the alliance between their two countries. Unfortunately, Pedro only had eyes for his wife’s lady-in-waiting, Ines de Castro. Pedro and Ines had a lengthy affair, which resulted in the birth of three children. The couple never hid their relationship, and it caused a scandal at the Portuguese court. Pedro’s father King Alfonso banished Ines to a monastery, but the lovestruck prince continued to see her in secret. When Constance died in 1345, Pedro made Ines the center of his life.
For ten years, Pedro and Ines lived together as husband and wife. King Alfonso refused to permit them to marry: he arranged other dynastic marriages for his son, who rejected every one. Realizing Pedro would never give up his mistress, Alfonso sent assassins to murder Ines. When they found her, they decapitated her in front of one of her children. The enraged Pedro declared war on his father, but neither Alfonso nor Pedro claimed victory. When Pedro ascended the throne in 1357, he exacted his revenge. He tried and executed Ines’ assassins by ripping their hearts from their bodies.