The Monastery of Uclés, resting place of Count Álvaro Núñez de Lara.
One act of justice was left to administer, but this the King of Heaven assumed as His responsibility. The wicked Don Alvaro was sick in bed the night the truce was agreed upon. When he heard the news, he fell into despair and commanded his men to move him quickly to Toro. The rapid paces of the journey together with his despondency worsened his condition so much that his state of health became desperate. Realizing that he was near the fearful trial of death, he attempted to appease Divine Justice by wearing the habit of Santiago. He gave orders that he was to be buried in Uclés, which was the main convent of the Order.
Don Alvaro died in such poverty that when his men took his body to Castile, they could find no money even to pay for the candles for his funeral. Being in such a plight, they were relieved when some of Doña Berenguera’s servants delivered, at her instructions, many candles to be lighted for the repose of Don Alvaro’s soul. She also sent a rich piece of brocade material to cover his coffin, symbolizing the Christian forgiveness with which she covered the memory of her enemy.
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Sr. Maria del Carmen Fernández de Castro Cabeza, The Life of the Very Noble King of Castile and León, Saint Ferdinand III (New York: The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc., 1987), 55-60.
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 435
