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Pedro was The only legitimate son of Alfonso XI and his wife,
Maria of Portugal, Pedro struggled for power during much of his
rule with illegitimate siblings born through his father's
long-lasting union with his mistress, Leonor de Guzman. In one
important respect, Pedro's life mirrored that of his father: he,
too, preferred the company of a mistress (Maria of Padilla) to
that of his wife. But while Alfonso's relationship with his
mistress did little, if any, harm to his kingly image (indeed,
Leonor was seen positively as an influential and well-respected
advisor; her presence on the battlefield with Alfonso during the
siege of Gibraltar is of particular note), Pedro's neglect of
his wife, Blanche of Bourbon, did him irreparable personal
damage. Years of civil war, the depletion of the royal treasury,
a series of unfavorable and ultimately useless pacts with
foreigners (e.g., Edward, Prince of Wales [the Black Prince]),
and the increasing success of his half brother, Enrique of
Trastamara also contributed to Pedro's demise. His rule came to
an end when he was killed by Enrique, who replaced him on the
throne. The details of this final encounter, immortalized in
ballad and chronicle, are riveting.
Clara Estow's account of Pedro I's reign captures the drama,
suspense, and historical detail of the ruler's story. Moving
from a carefully-researched description of Alfonso XI's final
moments as he strove for victory against the Muslims in
Gibraltar-a victory he had hoped would allow him to fulfill his
reconquest dream of invading Morocco-to the early years of his
far less formidable son's rule, Estow traces the events and
conflicts that would ultimately lead to Pedro's overthrow by his
illegitimate half-brother. During the course of her account of
Pedro's middle and later years, she highlights a number of
salient but not-so-dramatic issues-often given less attention
than the king's more captivating personal dealings-painting a
complex picture of the workings of Castile's economy and its
important effect on the successes and failures of its rulers.
Two excellent chapters (Royal Finances, The Mercenaries) are
dedicated to exploring sources of royal revenue and the critical
role of finance in carrying out military operations on the
Peninsula.
Estow also gives particular weight to the involvement of women
in Castilian politics and economics (Castile, 1351; Of Wives and
Lovers). Throughout, she notes decisions and events affecting
Castilian women's everyday lives (e.g., a petition sent to
Alfonso XI in the wake of the Black Death asking him to grant
widows permission to remarry without penalty before the
prescribed year of obligatory mourning). Estow is especially
concerned to broker differences among historians regarding
Pedro's treatment of Jews (and, to a somewhat lesser extent,
Muslims). In a separate chapter (Ennobler of Jews and Moors),
she analyzes the king's involvement with members of this group
both at Court (e.g., Pedro's treasurer, Samuel Halevi, who built
the famous Toledan synagogue known as el Transito, and dedicated
it to the king) and in various Castilian cities. As she points
out, anti-Pedro propaganda insisted on the ruler's deep sympathy
with this group (Froissart, building on the propaganda, reports
in his chronicle that Enrique called Pedro a "Jewish son of a
whore" before killing him).
Many historians agree that Pedro treated Jews more favorably
than did other medieval Castilian rulers, but Estow thinks
otherwise. Constructing her argument largely around Pedro's
concern to keep the coffers of the royal treasury filled, she
concludes that Jews' essential economic role in Castile and
their utility to the Crown were the sole motivation for Pedro's
refusal to agree to a number of anti-Jewish petitions that came
before him. Yet Estow's own description of, for example, Pedro's
brother Enrique's zeal for robbing Jewish quarters and killing
or auctioning the inhabitants (e.g., the sack of Alcana so
vividly detailed by the chronicler, Pedro L6pez de Ayala; the
public auction of Toledan Jews and their property to pay his
mercenary troops) suggests that there may be legitimate grounds
on which to favorably contrast Pedro's behavior towards Jews
with that of other rulers. (While it is true that Pedro
eventually had his Jewish treasurer Halevi killed, it is not at
all clear that this was an anti-Jewish act; Pedro, like other
rulers surrounded by hostile groups, came to distrust-and as a
result put to death-many of his advisors who were Christian).
Although Estow's book may not resolve this and several other
similarly polarizing debates concerning Pedro the Cruel (e.g.,
whether or not he merited his epithet), it does provide an
extremely useful and often gripping narrative of his reign. It
also offers a highly-readable synthesis in English of primary
and secondary historical materials. For those who study the
fascinating literature produced during Pedro's reign (including
of course the ballads of the Romancero del rey don Pedro), it
offers an important context for critical analysis.
Copyright University of Pennsylvania, Romance Languages
Department Autumn 1997
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All
rights Reserved.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3670/is_199710/ai_n87
66570
Alphonse XI le Justicier (1311-1350), roi de Castille et de León
(1312-1350).
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Mother: Evelyn L BREWER |
_John M. ALVIS ______+
| (1814 - 1860) m 1835
_William N. ALVIS C.S.A._|
| (1844 - 1899) m 1865 |
| |_Naomi HART _________
| (1821 - 1900) m 1835
_Robert Blevens ALVIS _|
| (1881 - 1945) m 1905 |
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| |_Mary Ann LIPE __________|
| (1845 - ....) m 1865 |
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|--Burt ALVIS
| (1907 - 1965)
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|_Evelyn L BREWER ______|
(1880 - 1945) m 1905 |
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John or Roger Dixon?
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Mother: Mary TINSLEY |
[523211]
(Virginia Marriage Index, 1740-1850)
_John PENDLETON _____+
| (1691 - 1775) m 1719
_William or John? or Richard? PENDLETON _|
| (1720 - 1779) m 1748 |
| |_Mary TINSLEY _______+
| (1703 - ....) m 1719
_Richard Spotts PENDLETON _|
| (1760 - 1829) m 1784 |
| | _Edward TINSLEY Sr.__+
| | | (1704 - 1782) m 1724
| |_Elizabeth TINSLEY ______________________|
| (1727 - 1783) m 1748 |
| |_Margaret TAYLOR ____+
| (1705 - 1782) m 1724
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|--Lucy PENDLETON
| (1800 - ....)
| _Edward TINSLEY Sr.__+
| | (1704 - 1782) m 1724
| _Edward TINSLEY Jr.______________________|
| | (1730 - 1798) m 1760 |
| | |_Margaret TAYLOR ____+
| | (1705 - 1782) m 1724
|_Mary TINSLEY _____________|
(1762 - 1844) m 1784 |
| _John BUFORD ________+
| | (1707 - 1787) m 1735
|_Elizabeth BUFORD _______________________|
(1740 - 1803) m 1760 |
|_Judith EARLY _______+
(1710 - 1781) m 1735
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Father: William RUCKS Mother: Elizabeth PAYNE? |
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(1720 - ....) m 1742|
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Mother: Nancy BROOKS |
Children:
John James Tinsley b. 13 Jul 1857 in Allen Co, KY
Nancy J.M. S.J. Tinsley b. 14 Sep 1858 in Allen Co, KY
Mary A.S. Tinsley b. 1862 in Hardin Co, IL
Eliza A. L. W. Tinsley b. Jan 1865 in Hardin Co, IL
Cassander C. Tinsley b. 1868 in Hardin Co, IL
_Thomas TINSLEY _____+
| (1730 - 1797)
_Elijah TINSLEY _____|
| (1776 - ....) m 1802|
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_John TINSLEY _______|
| (1804 - 1866) m 1827|
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| |_Sarah HILL _________|
| (1786 - 1850) m 1802|
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|--James Madison W. TINSLEY
| (1831 - 1895)
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|_Nancy BROOKS _______|
(1807 - 1869) m 1827|
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