Tales of Dom Pedro

Pedro I was king of Portugal from 1357-1367. Some called him Pedro the Cruel for the harsh punishments he meted out to lawbreakers. However, he was also called Pedro the Just because of his passion for justice. He was seldom happier than when holding court and judging those accused of wrongdoing. He showed no favoritism in his sentencing. Rich and poor, noble and common, all received the same sentence for the same crime. He spared no one, not even his close associates. This book contains three stories, each based in part on incidents described in the Cronicas of Fernão Lopes, one of the earliest Portuguese historians.