[1683]. Carta de Inés Florencia de Mendoza para Francisco Portillo de la Peña.

Letter from Inés Florencia de Mendoza to Francisco Portillo de la Peña.

The author apologises for not writing before and she explains him she has stood her ground on her decision despite family pressure.

In 1683 Miguel Francisco de Cervantes brought a legal action against Inés Florencia de Mendoza y Morales for non-fulfilment of a marriage proposal. The plaintiff declared that two and a half years previously he had begun his courtship with the young lady in the village of Toboso, their village. He stated that on various occasions and witnessed by several neighbours they had discussed getting married. Miguel Francisco had to manage certain formalities in order to achieve the marriage permission due to the fact they were relatives. However, as Inés´ family had to move to Seville, her parents suggested that Miguel Francisco went with them, which he refused because he did not want to leave his mother alone. Instead, he proposed that Inés stay with him. She accepted and he took her from her household and left her in the governor´s house while planning to move forward with the marriage. Despite this, Inés´ parents did not stop trying to take their daughter to Seville and they sent a cousin, Juan Esteban, who managed to bring the girl to some relative´s house where, allegedly, Inés´ mother was convalescent. From there, her father took her to Seville, where she was persuaded not to marry Miguel Francisco. Her parents had a better suitor in mind: Francisco Portillo, whose fortune was greater. Furthermore, in order to elude marrying Miguel Francisco, Inés was temporarily confined in the convent of Nuestra Madre del Socorro, where her sister was a nun. Once Miguel Francisco brought a lawsuit, it was contested by Francisco Portillo, who also alleged non-fulfilment of a marriage proposal. Inés was transferred to the convent of the Santas Vírgenes and she responded differently to both lawsuits. On the one hand, she stated she had never agreed to marry Miguel Francisco. However once he showed prove he had the permission to marry, she admitted giving approval to proceed. On the other hand, she admitted having given her word to Francisco Portillo before witnesses following persuasion by her parents. Besides, she acknowledged the letters Francisco Portillo presented as being hers. In those letters she refers to him as husband. For his part, Miguel Francisco presented several testimonies supporting his allegations. The court upheld Miguel Francisco´s claim and condemned Inés to comply with her commitment. Francisco del Portillo, despite having appealed the sentence, ended up relinquishing his intention to marry her. However, the trial did not end there. In 1686 Inés applied to the court to be discharged and allow her to decide on her status (either by marrying or taking the holy vows), since Miguel Francisco did not marry her. She presented several testimonies demonstrating his lack of interest in marrying Inés and that he had pretended to marry a widow which whom he had a relationship. The tribunal accepted Inés´ petition.