Maria Juana de Padilla

Maria Juana de Padilla — Pedro’s mistress— and eventually wife.? It is known that Maria formed a relationship with Pedro  when she was very young. Her first child Juan was born in 1336 when she was only fourteen years of age. Her second child Alyse was born in 1338, she was still only sixteen.

She may have married Pedro in 1353, 

Maria is reputed to have carried the Sangreal, Holy Blood as a result of an unbroken messianic descent from Mary Magdelen.

She is also reputed to be a descendant of the  Prophet Muhammed.

Pedro II of Castile ( The Cruel)

Almost everything we know about Pedro comes from the publicists for Enrique Trastamara, the illegitimate half brother who deposed Pedro by murdering him. There is little doubt that Trastamara demanded the modification of records to enhance his own claim to the throne.

A key point was to claim that Pedro was only born in 1334 which made Trastamara older than Pedro and perhaps more importantly made it impossible for Pedro to have fathered Juan, his eldest  son. 

The records are to put it mildly confusing.

That he married Maria de Padilla in 1353.

That he then married married Blanche de Bourbon in the same year.

However he continued his relationship with Maria de Pedilla and had four children by her between 1353 an1359

Despite this continuing relationship the records say that he married Juana de Castro in 1355.

Apparently he also had two mistresses—Maria de Ayala and Isabel de Sandoval

Lady Eleanor Garcia de Padilla

Ximene’s grandmother

( see also Central Characters for more information)l 

Juan Perez (Jaiden Perrers)

Son of Pedro and Maria. born in 1336, when Maria was only fourteen. Juan was brought up by Lady Eleanor, and performed the role of troubadour, for both Lady Eleanor and Gaston de Foix.

Alyse Perez (Alice Perrers)

Daughter of Pedro and Maria. Born in 1338,  when Maria was only sixteen. Alyse was brought up by Lady Eleanor and performed the role of Lady in Waiting. good friend to Ximene.

Isabella Perez

Daughter of Pedro and Maria. Born in 1355, in 1372.  Isabella married Edmund of Langly and became Duchess of York. She is the ancestor of every British Monarch since Henry VII

Constance of Castile

Daughter of Pedro and Maria. born in1354. In 1371 Constance married John of Gaunt and became Duchess of Lancaster. Catherine of Aragon who married the Tudor princes Arthur and Henry was her G2 granddaughter. (see also King Edward’s Daughters -in- Law)