Catherine Of Braganza | queen of Great Britain | Britannica.com queen of Great Britain Alternative Title: Catherine of Bragança Catherine Of Braganza José Saramago Catherine Of Braganza, (born Nov. 25, 1638, Vila Viçosa, Port.—died Dec. 31, 1705, Lisbon ), Portuguese Roman Catholic wife of King Charles II of England (ruled 1660–85). A pawn in diplomatic dealings and anti-papal intrigues, she was married to Charles as part of an important alliance between England and Portugal . Catherine’s father became King John IV of Portugal in 1640. Her marriage, which took place in May 1662, brought England valuable trading privileges and the port cities of Tangier (in Morocco) and Bombay . In return, England pledged to help Portugal maintain its independence from Spain. The young queen had little personal charm, and, despite her deep affection for Charles, he paid less attention to her than to his mistresses.

When it became apparent that she would bear the King no children, opponents of his brother, James, duke of York, urged him to divorce her in the hope that Charles could then be induced to wed a Protestant. In 1678 they accused Catherine of scheming to poison the King and place his Roman Catholic brother James on the throne. But Charles, who never doubted his wife’s innocence, stood by her until she was cleared of the charges. Catherine helped convert Charles to the Roman Catholic Church shortly before he died in 1685, and in 1692 she returned to Portugal. In 1704 she became regent of Portugal for her ailing brother, King Pedro II . Learn More in these related articles: Queen Catherine of Baganza Queen Catherine of Braganza Queen Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705) King Charles II of England married Catherine, Infanta of Portugal, by proxy in Lisbon, on 23rd April 1662.

The marriage treaty between the royal families included a dowry of sugar, plate and jewels to the value of 400,000 crowns, bills of exchange to double that amount, the rights to free trade with Brazil and the East Indies, and the cessions of Bombay and Tangiers. It was the troubled state of Tangiers, under constant threat from the Moors that led to the creation of the 2nd Regiment of Foot later the Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment. This force was to protect Tangiers’ strategic position at the entry to the Mediterranean for the next two decades and on its return to England, Charles II renamed it, “our dearest consort, the Queen’s Regiment.” When the marriage plans were under discussion, Charles II was persuaded that the Portuguese princess would make a tolerable wife when he was shown a portrait brought over by the Portuguese ambassador. A Londoner reported on 11th May 1661 the “The picture of out intended Queen is at Whitehall; by that and the report of those that have seen her she is a lovely little woman.” Standing before it Charles is said to have remarked “That person cannot be unhandsome”.

His hesitancy was understandable, for the portrait in fact shows a doll like young lady wearing a stiff Portuguese court dress with a huge farthingale. Her hair is brushed horizontally across her forehead, but allowed otherwise to ripple loose to her shoulders, signifying her virginal marriageable state. The original was painted by Dirck Stoop, a Dutchman working at the court in Lisbon. On the wedding day in Lisbon a version of this portrait together with a full length of King Charles, was carried through the streets as part of the public celebration. Apart from the solemn Catholic matrimonial mass in the great Manueline Abbey of St, Jerome at Belem on the river Tagus, there was a stately procession passing under triumphal arches, followed by a bullfight and later an aquatic carnival with fireworks. A colourful record of the proceedings is to be found in a heroic poem called Iter Lusitania: or the Portugal Voyage which celebrated the wedding and the Queen’s journey from Portugal to England. This publication was illustrated with half a dozen engravings by an eyewitness, the same Dirck Stoop, who had a special allegiance to the Infanta and came to England in her retinue in 1662.

On 13th May she landed at Portsmouth. A few days later she was joined by the King and their marriage was given Protestant validity by the Bishop of London in a private service. The Queen wore a rose coloured dress with blue love knots, which were later snipped off and handed round to all present. The King was not displeased with his new bride and wrote shortly afterwards to Minette, his sister: “Her face is not so exactly as to be called a beauty, though her eyes are excellent good, and nothing in her face that in the least degree can disgust one. On the contrary, she hath as much agreeableness in her looks as I ever saw, and if I have any skill in physiognomy, which I think I have, she must be as good a woman as ever was born. You will wonder to see how well we are acquainted already; in a word, I think myself very happy, for I am confident our two humours will agree very well together.” Queen Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705) A royal marriage at this time was merely a political match, although they were expected to produce an heir.

In this she signally failed, but the King remained true to her, in the formal sense of honouring her as his wife, despite her childlessness and throughout the time she was accused of sedition during the succession crisis and the Popish Plot of 1678 – 1681. Very soon after arriving in England the Queen adopted English dress and arranged her hair in fashionable wired bunches of ringlets on either side of her face. It was like this that Samuel Cooper painted her, in an unfinished miniature which is one of the prized possessions of Her Majesty the Queen today. Charles II acquired it for the Royal Collection after the artist’s death. A royal portrait like this, made from the life, from which he might be required to make many copies, would be kept by Cooper in his studio for the purpose of reproduction. The spontaneity of a life sitting is clearly visible. With the fervour of the restoration, demand for paintings of Charles outstripped all expectations. The affable King’s personal popularity was high, and his Queen, despite her Catholicism, basked in reflected glory.

They were both painted by Peter Lely, but the head and shoulders of the Queen, which normally hangs in the Officers Mess, is after an original by a Dutchman called Pieter Borsselaer who came to this country in the early 1660s. The larger of the Regiment’s pictures of the Queen, hanging at Regimental Headquarters, Canterbury over the stairs, is a composition usually ascribed to Jacob Huysmans, a Catholic painter from Antwerp. Both show her holding an orb, with a crown nearby. The complimentary inclusion of the regalia, ermine and crimson velvet makes them both formal state portraits, but the fact was, that the Queen was never crowned. Charles had been crowned well before her arrival, in order to avoid the difficulty of crowning a Catholic. The portraits known definitely to have been painted by Huysmans are rather different. Samuel Pepys visited his studio on 26th August 1664 and saw the artist working on two portraits at once: “The Queene is drawn in one like a shepherdess – in the other like St. Katharin, most like and most admirably.” Perhaps it was the Queen herself who chose less stately but more subtle types of portrait.

Portrayal as a Saint, carrying a martyr’s palm, and kneeling on a broken wheel, reveals that she had dedicated her life to the devotion of her religion. Her childhood had been spent in a remote convent, and upon her marriage she saw her duty in England to be protector of the Catholic faith. It had been one of the conditions of the marriage treaty that she would be allowed to practice her religion in England without interference, and throughout much of Charles II’s reign, her chapels at St. James’s and in Somerset House were the only places in London where Catholics could worship freely. The second very beautiful portrait of the Queen as a shepherdess can be seen today in the King’s dining room at Windsor Castle in an elaborate Grinling Gibbon’s frame. The mood of the painting would appear recreational; the ducks at her feet might reflect her interest in birds – she kept her own aviary, importing parrots and cockatoos from India. She wears silvery white, rose and blue, and a broad – brimmed hat pinned with a butterfly brooch. Her hair hangs long and loose. It was de rigueur at the time to be painted in this ‘timeless’ pastoral gear to avoid being quickly dated by changing fashions.

But 17th century paintings often have hidden symbolism. She also holds a crook and her left hand rests on a lamb with a fair-haired boy tipping flowers over its back. The lamb is associated with innocence, gentleness, patience and humility. It is also symbolic of Christ the shepherd, and with his sacrifice for mankind. Catherine had all the foregoing qualities, and she may have identified particularly with the Good Shepherd in her duties as leader of the Catholic faith in England. Why else is the boy showering the lamb with flowers, rather than herself? Queen Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705) She is shown seated out of doors, surrounded by birds and animals, in a later portrait painted about 1680 by Benedetto Gennari. This is the painting illustrated by Jock Haswell on p.15 of his book on the regiment: the painting itself hangs at Goodwood. Gennari was another Catholic, an Italian who came to England in the suite of Mary of Modena when she married James, Duke of York, the King’s brother. Further gentle symbolism is intended: nourishment is being given to the lamb of Faith, and the book would be a holy one.

The fountain, as a source of water, represented one’s spiritual life and salvation, and was often used as an attribute of the Virgin and the Immaculate Conception – the Queen’s hope of bearing a child was still evident. When Charles II died in 1685, Catherine, as Queen Dowager, had three years of openly practising her religion without fear while the Catholic James II was on the throne. After his exile in 1688, however, under William and Mary, all Catholic chapels were closed, Catherine’s household was drastically reduced, and she was hounded into meaner accommodation. For a number of years she felt it her duty to stay on and represent the Catholic faith in England, but finally the cross that she had born so bravely against the spiteful intolerance of Queen Mary, became too much, and she managed to get leave from Louis XIV to journey across France to her homeland, the only method of travel that she could afford. She died in Portugal after steering her own country, as Queen Regent, through some difficult shoals at the start of the eighteenth century. By then, to English Catholics, she had become something of a martyr.

It has been suggested that it was as her special symbol that the Paschal Lamb was adopted by the Regiment at this time. It was about this time that its officers began to be called “Kirke’s Lambs” and the Regiment would not have been averse. The army historian, John Childs, states that before its dissolution, the Tangiers garrison was periodically accused by Parliament of being a hotbed of popery. It would be the hidden Catholic significance of the Lamb combined with the flag of St. George of England that could convey the Regiment’s dual allegiance to Queen and to nation. The lamb is not an emblem of the Royal House of Braganza, which has seven towers in its crest. A tower can just be seen in the background of the painting of ‘Saint’ Catherine by Huysmans. The original of this portrait is now in the hands of a wine-growing family and kept at a Quinta or villa/farmhouse just south of the Tagus. It is a wry post-script to her story to discover that it is this saintly representation which is reproduced on the label of a delicious woody Vinho Branco called “Catarina”.

Series of amalgamation is now part of The Princess of Wale’s Royal Regiment (Queen’s and Royal Hampshires). The Queen’s Royal Regiment through a Lady. Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England | Unofficial Royalty Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England by Susan Flantzer Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II of England; Photo Credit – Wikipedia Catherine of Braganza (Catarina Henriqueta) was born on November 25, 1638 at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa in Vila Viçosa, Portugal. Her parents were João, 8th Duke of Braganza and Luisa de Guzmán . When Catherine was two years old, her father became King João IV of Portugal when the Portuguese Restoration War ended the sixty-year rule of Portugal by the Spanish Habsburgs. Two of Catherine’s brothers became Kings of Portugal: Afonso VI and Pedro II .

The accession of Catherine’s father as King of Portugal brought a great change in the family’s status and Catherine became a potential royal bride for John of Austria (illegitimate son of King Philip IV of Spain), François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort (illegitimate grandson of King Henry IV of France and cousin to King Louis XIV of France), King Louis XIV of France, and King Charles II of England. She had first been suggested as a bride for King Charles II of England in 1645 during the reign of Charles’ father King Charles I of England and again in 1660 when the monarchy was restored in England. Already there were rumors of Catherine’s inability to have children, but the newly restored King Charles II was eager to have the £300,000 dowry. The marriage contract was signed on June 23, 1661. Catherine set sail for England in April of 1662 and landed at Portsmouth, England on May 13, 1662. On May 21, 1662, King Charles II and Catherine were married in Portsmouth in two ceremonies, a private Catholic one and a public Anglican one.

Catherine’s Roman Catholicism made her an unpopular queen. Despite fathering at least 16 illegitimate children with his mistresses, Charles had no children with Catherine. It is thought that Catherine did have at least three miscarriages. Despite having many mistresses, Charles insisted that Catherine be treated with respect, and sided with her over his mistresses when he felt she was not receiving the respect she was due. After an initial shock at being presented to Charles’ mistress right after her marriage, Catherine maintained a dignified attitude towards her husband’s mistresses and showed many acts of kindness to his illegitimate children. When it became apparent that Catherine would not produce an heir to the throne, it was suggested that Charles divorce his wife and marry a Protestant princess. Charles refused the suggestion. On February 2, 1685, King Charles II suffered an apparent stroke and died four days later. While Charles was dying, Catherine was ill and sent a message begging his forgiveness for being unable to come to him. Charles replied to her, “Alas, poor woman, it is I who should be begging forgiveness.” After the death of King Charles II and the accession of Charles’ brother King James II, Catherine continued to live at Somerset House in London.

Catherine was present at the 1688 birth of King James II’s son James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales and was his godmother. When rumors began to spread that he was an impostor baby, and had been smuggled into the royal birth chamber in a warming pan, Catherine was one of the witnesses giving evidence of his legitimacy. Catherine remained in England after King James II was overthrown in 1688 by the Glorious Revolution and his daughter and her husband and first cousin took the throne as King William III and Queen Mary II. However, Catherine found that her position with the new monarchs deteriorated and she decided to return to Portugal in 1693. After living in the homes of noblemen in Lisbon, Portugal for a period of time, Catherine decided to build her own palace, the Palace of Bemposta . Catherine was an important female figure to her nephew, the future King João V of Portugal, after his mother died. When brother, King Pedro II, grew tired of government, Catherine served as his regent. Catherine died at her Palace of Bemposta in Lisbon, Portugal on December 31, 1705 at the age of 67.

She was originally buried at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal. On September 29, 1855, Catherine’s remains along with the remains of other family members were re-interred at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora . Tomb of Catherine of Braganza; Photo source: Learn more about royalty, past and present here and share your thoughts on our forums . Catherine of Braganza | Marrying Cultures Catherine of Braganza English Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705) was the Portuguese wife of Charles II, King of England (1630-1685) from 1662-1685. Catherine was born into the House of Braganza, the most senior noble house in Portugal. Her father, John, 8th Duke of Braganza, was proclaimed King John IV in 1640 after leading a rebellion which ended sixty years of Spanish rule in Portugal.

Portugal was not recognised as a state by most European powers (this was due to Spain disputing the legitimacy of its independence), and the marriage of Catherine to a foreign prince was therefore a vehicle of gaining some recognition. Plans in this regard are largely thought to have been masterminded by Catherine’s mother, Queen Luisa. After attempts to secure an alliance with John of Austria and Louis XIV of France failed, Charles II – newly restored as King of England following civil war and eleven years of republicanism – became the most attractive suitor. The marriage of Charles and Catherine, then, was a source of political stability and legitimacy for both of their respective houses. The attractiveness of Catherine to the English Crown was due in large part to the huge dowry which the Portuguese offered, alongside colonies including Bombay and Tangier, as part of the marriage treaty. That the vast majority of the dowry remained unpaid was a significant source of tension, and undoubtedly constrained Catherine’s ability to become a political actor in England.

More significant was Catherine’s ‘failure’ to produce an heir to the English throne (the main purpose of a Queen Consort), and the fact that her life at court was dictated to a significant degree by her rivalry with Charles II’s mistresses, most noticeably Barbara Palmer and, latterly, Louise de Kéroualle. Despite this somewhat pessimistic picture of Catherine’s significance, more recent research is beginning to suggest that she had considerable agency in areas of culture – whether her impact was as large as Henrietta Maria (the Queen Consort of Charles I of England) remains to be tested; as does the extent to which her presence impacted upon English Catholicism. Following Charles II’s death in 1685, Catherine remained in England throughout the reign of James II and, following the Glorious Revolution of 1688/9, into that of William and Mary. Her relationship with the latter was strained (largely by questions of Catherine’s Catholicism) and Catherine returned to Portugal in 1692, where her brother Peter II was King. Following bouts of illness he suffered in 1701 and 1704-05, Catherine became the regent of Portugal.

She died at the Bemposta Palace in Lisbon on 31 December 1705 and was buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, Lisbon. The two legends which she is often associated with – the introduction of tea into England and the naming of the New York borough of Queens after her – are not significantly substantiated by any contemporary source material. Areas of Research Catholicism: English Protestantism was vehemently anti-Catholic; yet Catherine was the third Catholic Queen of England in the seventeenth century. Assessing how her faith: caused friction at Court and in the nation more broadly; provided Catherine with both an element of curiosity and an aura of suspicion (particularly during the time of the Popish Plot, 1678-82); often her the ability to make a cultural impact in England (through the patronage of sacred music and the maintenance of several houses of friars) allows us to better assess the intertwined relationship of politics and culture which determined a consorts status in her adopted country. Culture: Catherine is often seen as an insignificant political figure. Did she – as was often the case with Queens Consort – substitute culture influence for political power?

Although the court of Charles II is generally seen to have been decidedly Francophone, assessing whether or not Catherine injected elements of Italian culture (in music and portraiture in particular) will be assessed; as will the extent to which her Portuguese culture was a source of interest and conflict at Court. Returning home: Catherine presents a rare case in the study of both Queens Consort and cultural transfer: as a queen who returned home to her native country of Portugal (where she was briefly regent in the early eighteenth century), she provides the opportunity to analyse to what extent cultural transfer was a two-way street. One major research question is what did Catherine take back to Portugal from her experience in Britain? The ‘what’ in question could be something tangible (such as aspects of arts and culture) or intangible (such political experience). A second research question will focus upon the lengthy process of negotiation by which Catherine secured her passage how. Following the death of Charles II in 1685, it took Catherine seven years to negotiate her return home – doing so required her mobilisation of the Portuguese court and the permission of William III and Mary in the wake of the Glorious Revolution of 1688/9.

Assessing these negotiations allow us to understand: what this Queen Consort understood the role of the Queen Consort to be, and how successful she considered herself to have been in playing it; understand the unique and often precarious international political situation which Queens Consort often unintentionally found themselves in. Catherine of Braganza (Queen) (Pepys' Diary) This text was copied from Wikipedia on 16 January 2017 at 3:23AM. Catherine of Braganza 23 April 1662 – 6 February 1685 Born Roman Catholicism Catherine of Braganza ( Portuguese : Catarina de Bragança; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was Queen of England , Scotland and Ireland from 1662 to 1685, as the wife of King Charles II . Catherine was born into the House of Braganza , the most senior noble house of Portugal , which became Portugal's royal house after Catherine's father, John, 8th Duke of Braganza , was proclaimed King John IV after deposing the House of Habsburg in 1640.

Owing to her devotion to the Roman Catholic beliefs in which she had been raised, Catherine was an unpopular consort for Charles II. [1] She was a special object of attack by the inventors of the Popish Plot . In 1678 the murder of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey was ascribed to her servants, and Titus Oates accused her of an intention to poison the king. These charges, the absurdity of which were soon shown by cross-examination, nevertheless placed the queen for some time in great danger. On 28 November Oates accused her of high treason , and the Commons passed an order for her removal and that of all Roman Catholics from Whitehall . A series of fresh depositions were made against her, and in June 1679 it was decided that she must stand trial; but she was protected by the king, which earned her gratitude. Catherine had three miscarriages and produced no heirs. [1] Her husband kept many mistresses, most notably Barbara Palmer , whom Catherine was forced to accept as one of her Ladies of the Bedchamber . [2] Charles fathered numerous illegitimate offspring by his mistresses whom he acknowledged.

She and Charles are credited with introducing the custom of drinking tea to the British court, [3] which was common among the Portuguese nobility . Contents Early life and family Infanta Catherine of Portugal by Dirk Stoop , 1660–1661 Catherine was born at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa , as the second surviving daughter of John, 8th Duke of Braganza and his wife, Luisa de Guzmán . [4] Following the Portuguese Restoration War , her father was acclaimed King John IV of Portugal, on 1 December 1640. With her father's new position as one of Europe's most important monarchs, Catherine became a prime choice for a wife for European royalty, and she was proposed as a bride for John of Austria , François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort , Louis XIV and Charles II , She was seen as a useful conduit for contracting an alliance between Portugal and England, after the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 in which Portugal was arguably abandoned by France. Despite her country's ongoing struggle with Spain, Catherine enjoyed a happy, contented childhood in her beloved Lisbon .

Commonly regarded as the power behind the throne , Queen Luisa was also a devoted mother who took an active interest in her children's upbringing and personally supervised her daughter's education. Catherine is believed to have spent most of her youth in a convent close by the royal palace where she remained under the watchful eye of her protective mother. It appears to have been a very sheltered upbringing, with one contemporary remarking that Catherine, "was bred hugely retired" and "hath hardly been ten times out of the palace in her life". [5] Catherine's older sister, Joana, Princess of Beira , died in 1653, leaving Catherine as the eldest surviving child of her parents. Her husband was chosen by Luisa, who acted as regent of her country following her husband's death in 1656. [1] Marriage Negotiations for the marriage began during the reign of King Charles I , were renewed immediately after the Restoration, and on 23 June 1661, in spite of Spanish opposition, the marriage contract was signed.

England secured Tangier (in North Africa) and the Seven Islands of Bombay (in India), trading privileges in Brazil and the East Indies , religious and commercial freedom in Portugal, and two million Portuguese crowns (about £300,000); while Portugal obtained military and naval support against Spain and liberty of worship for Catherine. [6] She arrived at Portsmouth on the evening of 13–14 May 1662, [6] but was not visited there by Charles until 20 May. The following day the couple were married at Portsmouth in two ceremonies – a Catholic one conducted in secret, followed by a public Anglican service [6] at the chapel of Domus Dei . [7] Catherine of Braganza departs Lisbon from the Palace Square , 23 April 1662 On 30 September 1662 the married couple entered London as part of a large procession, which included the Portuguese delegation and many members of the court. There were also minstrels and musicians, among them ten playing shawms and twelve playing Portuguese bagpipes , those being the new Queen’s favourite instruments.

The procession continued over a large bridge, especially designed and built for the occasion, which led into the palace where Henrietta Maria, the Queen Mother waited, along with the British court and nobility. This was followed by feasting and firework displays. Catherine possessed several good qualities, but had been brought up in a convent, secluded from the world, and was scarcely a wife Charles would have chosen for himself. Her mother in law the Dowager Queen Henrietta Maria was pleased with her and Henrietta wrote that she is "The best creature in the world, from whom I have so much affection, I have the joy to see the King love her extremely. She is a Saint!". In reality, Catherine's personal charms were not potent enough to wean Charles away from the society of his mistresses, and in a few weeks after her arrival she became aware of her painful and humiliating position as the wife of a licentious king. [8] Little is known of Catherine's own thoughts on the match.

While her mother plotted to secure an alliance with England and thus support in Portugal's fight for independence, and her future husband celebrated his restoration by dallying with his mistresses, Catherine's time had been spent in the sombre seclusion of her convent home, with little opportunity for fun or frivolity. Even outside the convent her actions were governed by the strict etiquette of the royal court of Portugal. By all accounts Catherine grew into a quiet, even-tempered young woman. A plaque at Sally Port in the Garrison walls at Portsmouth commemorates Catherine's first setting foot on English soil. At the time of her marriage she was already twenty-three, something which was not lost on her critics, and had long since resigned herself to the necessity of making a grand match abroad. Contented and serene, Catherine's rather quaint response on being told of her impending nuptials was to request permission to make a pilgrimage to a favourite shrine of hers in Lisbon . Devoted to her beloved Portugal, as she set sail for England any distress she may have felt at leaving her family and her home was no doubt lessened by the knowledge that her marriage had been hailed as "the welcomest news that ever came to the Portuguese people".

[5] Catherine became pregnant and miscarried at least three times, and during a severe illness in 1663, she imagined, for a time, that she had given birth. Charles comforted her by telling her she had indeed given birth to two sons and a daughter. Her position was a difficult one, and though Charles continued to have children by his many mistresses, he insisted she be treated with respect, and sided with her against his mistresses when he felt she was not receiving the respect she was due. After her three miscarriages, it seemed to be more and more unlikely that the queen would bear an heir. Royal advisors urged the monarch to seek a divorce, hoping that the new wife would be Protestant and fertile – but Charles refused. This eventually led to her being made a target by courtiers. [1] Throughout his reign , Charles firmly dismissed the idea of divorcing Catherine, and she remained faithful to Charles throughout their marriage. Queen consort Queen Catherine by Sir Peter Lely , 1665 Catherine was not a particularly popular choice of queen since she was a Roman Catholic . [1] Her religion prevented her from being crowned, as Roman Catholics were forbidden to take part in Anglican services.

She initially faced hardships due to the language barrier, the king's infidelities and the political conflicts between Roman Catholics and Anglicans. Over time, her quiet decorum, loyalty and genuine affection for Charles changed the public's perception of her. Although her difficulties with the English language persisted, as time went on, the once rigidly formal Portuguese Infanta mellowed and began to enjoy some of the more innocent pleasures of the court. She loved to play cards and shocked devout Protestants by playing on Sundays. She enjoyed dancing and took great delight in organising masques . She had a great love for the countryside and picnics; fishing and archery were also favourite pastimes. In a far cry from her convent-days the newly liberated Catherine displayed a fondness for the recent trend of court ladies wearing men's clothing, which we are told, "showed off her pretty, neat legs and ankles"; and she was even reported to have considered leading the way in wearing shorter dresses, which would show off her feet.

In 1670, on a trip to Audley End with her ladies-in-waiting, the once chronically shy Catherine attended a country fair disguised as a village maiden, but was soon discovered and, due to the large crowds, forced to make a hasty retreat. And when in 1664 her favourite painter, Jacob Huysmans, a Dutch Catholic, painted her as St Catherine , it promptly set a trend among court ladies. [5] She did not involve herself in English politics, instead she kept up an active interest in her native country. Anxious to re-establish good relations with the Pope and perhaps gain recognition for Portuguese independence, she sent Richard Bellings , later her principal secretary, to Rome with letters for the pope and several cardinals. In 1669 she involved herself in the relief of Candia in Crete, which was under siege by the Turks and whose cause Rome was promoting, although she failed to persuade her husband to take any action. In 1670, as a sign of her rising favour with the pontiff she requested, and was granted, devotional objects.

[5] On the first presentation to Charles' official mistress, Barbara Palmer , she fainted away upon realizing who had been brought before her and Charles's insistence on making her Catherine's Lady of the Bedchamber. [9] Initially, not realizing who was presented to her, she accepted Barbara graciously, but upon comprehension changed her bearing. She withdrew from the king's society, and in spite of Clarendon's awkward attempts to appeal to her, declared she would return to Portugal rather than consent to a base compliance. To overcome her resistance the king dismissed nearly the whole of her Portuguese retinue. She was helpless, and the violence of her grief and anger soon changed to passive resistance, and then to a complete forbearance and complaisance which gained the king's regard and favour. In the midst of Charles's debauched and licentious court, she lived neglected and retired. [10] Catholicism Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England, by Jacob Huysmans Though known to keep her faith a private matter, her religion and proximity to the king made her the target of anti-Catholic sentiment. Catherine occupied herself with her faith.

Her piety was widely known and was a characteristic in his wife that the King greatly admired; in his letters to his sister, Catherine's devoutness is described almost with awe. Her household contained between four and six priests, and in 1665, Catherine decided to build a religious house east of St James's to be occupied by thirteen Portuguese Franciscans of the order of St Peter of Alcantara. It was completed by 1667 and would become known as The Friary. [5] In 1675 the stress of a possible revival of the divorce project indirectly led to another illness, which Catherine's physicians claimed and her husband cannot fail to have noted, was "due as much to mental as physical causes". In the same year, all Irish and English Catholic priests were ordered to leave the country, which left Catherine dependent upon foreign priests. As increasingly harsher measures were put in place against Catholics, Catherine appointed her close friend and adviser, the devoutly Catholic Francisco de Mello, former Portuguese Ambassador to England, as her Lord Chamberlain . It was an unusual and controversial move but "wishing to please Catherine and perhaps demonstrate the futility of moves for divorce, the King granted his permission.

De Mello was dismissed the following year for ordering the printing of a Catholic book, leaving the beleaguered Catherine even more isolated at court". [5] One consolation was that Louise de Kéroualle , who replaced Barbara Palmer as reigning mistress, always treated the Queen with proper deference; the Queen in return showed her gratitude by using her own influence to protect Louise during the Popish Plot. Popish plot The Test Act of 1673 had driven all Catholics out of public office, and anti-Catholic feelings intensified in the years to come. Although she was not active in religious politics, in 1675 Catherine was criticised for supposedly supporting the idea of appointing a bishop to England who, it was hoped, would resolve the internal disputes of Catholics. Critics also noted the fact that, despite orders to the contrary, English Catholics attended her private chapel. As one of the highest-ranking Catholics in the country, Catherine was an obvious target for Protestant extremists, and it was hardly surprising that the Popish Plot of 1678 would directly threaten her position.

However, Catherine was completely secure in her husband's favour ("she could never do anything wicked, and it would be a horrible thing to abandon her" he told Gilbert Burnet ), and the House of Lords , most of whom knew her and liked her, refused by an overwhelming majority to impeach her. [5] Relations between the royal couple became notably warmer: Catherine wrote of Charles' "wonderful kindness" to her. and it was noted that his visits to her apartments became longer and more frequent. Later life and death In Portugal, Catherine spent the rest of her life as a mentor for her nephew, Prince John . At Charles' final illness in 1685, she showed anxiety for his reconciliation with the Roman Catholic faith, and she exhibited great grief at his death. When he lay dying in 1685, he asked for Catherine, but she sent a message asking that her presence be excused and "to beg his pardon if she had offended him all his life." He answered, "Alas poor woman! she asks for my pardon?

I beg hers with all my heart; take her back that answer." [11] Later in the same year, she unsuccessfully interceded with James II for the life of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth , Charles's illegitimate son and leader of the Monmouth Rebellion – even though Monmouth in rebellion had called upon the support represented by the staunch Protestants opposed to the Catholic Church. Catherine remained in England, living at Somerset House , [12] through the reign of James and his deposition in the Glorious Revolution by William III and Mary II . She remained in England partly because of a protracted lawsuit against her former Lord Chamberlain, Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon , over money that she claimed as part of her allowance and that he claimed was part of the perquisite of his office. Catherine's fondness for money is one of the more unexpected features of her character: her brother-in-law James, who was himself notably avaricious, remarked that she always drove a hard bargain. Initially on good terms with William and Mary, her position deteriorated as the practice of her religion led to misunderstandings and increasing isolation.

A bill was introduced to Parliament to limit the number of Catherine's Catholic servants, and she was warned not to agitate against the government. She finally returned to Portugal in March 1699, where she took care of and mentored her nephew, Prince John . His mother, Maria Sofia of Neuburg , had recently died, and the prince had fallen into a depression. Catherine was instrumental in lifting the young prince's spirits, and soon became a key part in his life, as his tutor and main female figure in his life. Her death would, in fact, cause Prince John to experience another depression. In 1703, she supported the Treaty of Methuen between Portugal and England. She acted as regent for her brother, Peter II , in 1701 and 1704–05. She died at the Bemposta Palace in Lisbon on 31 December 1705 and was buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora Lisbon. Legacy Catherine is credited with the introduction of tea drinking to Britain, although Samuel Pepys makes reference to drinking tea for the first time in his diary entry for 25 September 1660 (i.e.

prior to Catherine's emigration to England and marriage to Charles). It is more likely that she popularised the drink, which was unusual in Britain at the time. [13] Beyond tea, her arrival brought and promulgated goods such as cane, lacquer, cottons, and porcelain. [14] Catherine of Braganza (Jacobite broadside) Queens , a borough of New York City , was supposedly named after Catherine of Braganza, since she was queen when Queens County was established in 1683. Queens' naming is consistent with those of Kings County (the borough of Brooklyn, originally named after her husband, King Charles II) and Richmond County (the borough of Staten Island, named after his illegitimate son, the 1st Duke of Richmond ). [15] [16] [17] However, there is no historical evidence that Queens County was named in her honor, neither is there a document from the time proclaiming it so. After the tri-centennial of the establishment of Queens County in 1983, a group of Portuguese-Americans began raising money to erect a 35-foot statue of Queen Catherine on the East River waterfront in Long Island City .

The sculptor of the proposed statue was Audrey Flack . The project was well advanced when opposition arose. Historians objected on the grounds that there was no evidence that Queens was actually named after her, and further that a British monarch was an inappropriate subject for a public monument. African-Americans objected to the statue on the grounds that the British and Portuguese royal houses benefited from the African slave trade. Irish-Americans objected to any statue of a British monarch. The controversy forced Borough President Claire Shulman to withdraw her support, and the statue was never erected. [18] [19] A quarter-scale model survives at the site of Expo '98 in Lisbon , Portugal, facing west across the Atlantic. Novelists, notably Margaret Campbell Barnes in With All My Heart, Jean Plaidy in her Charles II trilogy and Susanna Gregory in her Thomas Chaloner mystery novels, usually portray the Queen in a sympathetic light.

Catherine's marriage had an important result for the later history of India and of the British Empire, though the Queen personally had little to do with it: soon after acquiring the Seven Islands of Bombay as part of her dowry, Charles II rented them to the East India Company which moved its Presidency there - resulting in Bombay / Mumbai eventually growing to become one of the main cities of India. Arms Catherine's coat of arms as queen consort of England The royal arms of the British monarch are impaled with the royal arms of her father. For supporters, she used the crowned lion of England on the dexter side, and on the sinister, the wyvern Vert of Portugal. [20] Ancestry This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (June 2016) • Link from L&M Companion Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705). Daughter of Juan IV, King of Portugal 1640-56, and from 1662, wife of Charles II.

Unequipped by nature or upbringing to play any part in public affairs, she remained to the end a very private person. She had to suffer exile and the neglect and infidelities of her husband. In the end Charles came to respect her and stoutly defended her against the attacks made on her during the Popish Plot. She amused herself with cards and music, and consoled herself with her religion. She took over Somerset House when Henrietta-Maria left Elgland in 1665 and as a widow lived both there and at the nunnery she had founded at Hammersmith. She left England in 1692 to spend her last years in Portugal, where she acted as Regent to her brother Pedro in 1704-5. ✹ • Link Thanks to Pedro for the poems and the commentary about the controversy, which still exists today. I've read several articles or book excerpts that basically rip Catherine apart. A section on Edward Montague in "The Way of the Montagues" by Bernard Falk was EXTREMELY mean spirited and "The King's Wife" by Robert Gray was also quite negative, while "Royal Survivor" by Stephen Coote practically made her invisible.

On the flip side, Antonia Fraser's "King Charles II", Derek Wilson's "All the King's Women", Manual Sousa's "Catherine of Braganza..." ( a biography)along with Agnes Strickland's "Lives of Queens" (another biography)presented a more factual, kinder and dignified picture. What is true in all writing about her (good or bad)is that Catherine was pious, unquestionable faithful (which can not be said about ANY of his mistresses), simple in nature and totally unprepared for the morally depraved husband and court that he surrounded himself with and forced her to live with. She was basically imprisioned, ridiculed, neglected and alone. Also of interesting character note is that she was the ONLY person in Charles's life that NEVER betrayed him or carried a hidden agenda in her dealings with him(like his friends, mistresses or even his beloved sister Henrietta who had conflciting ties with Louis XIV).

Even after years of neglect when she did have the chance to return to Portugal (during the Popish polts) she stood behind him,risking her own life in doing so, which was to HIS benefit politically, while Nell and Louise (his mistresses) openly betrayed him (and were of course forgiven). The only light hearted and uplifting book is by Count de Gramont who actually lived during this time. His "Memoirs of the Courts of Europe --Court of Charles II" recorded the soap opera antics around him and painted a pathetically comical picture of Charles and his court, which although it would have been wonderful reality TV today, must have been awful for any person with even the slightest intelligence and/ or moral character to survive. After reading this it made the thought of moving into a exile (ie. Catherine's solo move to Somerset from about 1671-1678 about 10 years into her marriage) look pretty appealing. ✹ • Link The Marriage Treaty. Below is information (from Virginia Rau's biography), that I do not think we have had access to before. 1. England had wanted to take charge of Tangier before the marriage took place.

Freedom of Religion would be granted to those Portuguese that stayed on. 2. The handover of Bombay would not only be a commercial advantage, but would allow the English a base from which to defend the Portuguese traders. 3. Portugal ceded all the fortresses and markets that England could recuperate from the Dutch and that had belonged to Portugal. Except that of the Port of Mascate (Now the capital of Oman, and the Portuguese had seized it in the early 1500 ✹ • Link Catherine's marriage to Charles was critical to the independence of Portugal so as Donna Luisa negotiated this deal she promised Charles a large sum of money. When Sandwich arrived to collect the sums Donna Luisa admitted to him that most of the money was gone. Although she had the money to begin with, she had spent most of it when the Spanish army began invading Portugal. She was only able to pay half of the sum. At this time she was taking a huge chance that Sandwich would accept the offer (and Sandwich was taking a huge career chance by accepting the offer), but accept he did, and Portugal owed him immensely for this decision.

When Catherine entered the ship Donna Luisa filled it with teas, spices, her jewelery, or anything she could find to fill the void of the money owed. She was desperate to have this marriage consummated. The small sum of gold that Catherine had for Sandwich was all that she had to give. Also, this can ✹ • Link Letters from Catherine's Mother Luisa. In the Portuguese book, "Dona Catarina de Braganca" (currently being translated by Pedro) the author Augusto Casimiro expands upon the work of her previous biographers, providing insights not only into the life of Catherine, but also Portuguese-English political climate, the Portuguese culture and her family relations. Casimiro's biography includes family letters, currently housed in the Ajuda Palace in Lisbon. The following letters by Queen Regent Luisa to Catherine and her son-in-law King Charles II (written in her distinct version of old world Spanish and as translated by Dirk) touch on the private side of Catherine's departure to England and the private sadness behind the highly formal and stoic departure of Catherine from her family and reveal a side of her mother Luisa not publicly seen.

In addition, the letter to Charles perhaps touches on a world-wise mother's instinct to protect her sheltered daughter from heartache, and has an almost haunting foreboding of the difficulties to come, as Charles, with his appetite for women always looked to the physical as opposed to the soul. ✹ • Link The first letter is dated the 24th April, after Luisa has said her goodbye to her daughter. She watches from the Palace windows where she can see the Tejo river and the fleet. The fleet was held up for a day, and she must have given her brothers permission to go over and see Catarina again. In the evening they arranged a great party on the river in her tribute. " My Catarina and all I have, Such is my misfortune that I even had to watch you enter that ship in which you left me, from these windows that ever since I have looked through so often. Praise be to God if it be His will that I miss so much so badly, and do not even find it in me to ask Him for patience... So necessary for me since what I have to do is so contrary to my nature.

And be assured, my daughter, that I miss you so much that, were I not confined to this prison, it seems I myself would follow you, but [?] I act with care and stay away from extremes, as you well know. I ask you, for all my love, that you try to find pleasure as well you can, and see if you have need of anything, or of something which they advise you may be missing in your Kingdom - so that I can gladly send it to you. Your brothers are very sad and Pedro has been weeping a lot overhere. They asked for my permission to go and see you, and I gave it with much envy and in the knowledge that such a consolation was not for me to expect. I hope all will assist you well and I entrust them with this charge, [?] in memory of my Catarina, whom God may protect as He see fit. You Mother who loves you so much, The Queen " Note: I inserted "[?]" at some places in the translation of this letter - and the two to follow - where the meaning of the original Spanish was not unambiguously clear or where marginally different interpretations of the original could lead to slight differences in translation.

These minor difficulties arise mainly from "odd" informal use of the language and almost total lack of punctuation, and are generally not important for the understanding of the contents. (Feel free to mail me for the original text in "old" Spanish...) ✹ The date of the third letter is not clear, but may be 25th so as to depart with the fleet. " My Lord and son, At last Your Majesty has taken away my heart, and this with such gentleness, that I will freely tell Your Majesty of the sorrow in which I find myself now that my daughter has left. And I hope that she will be onto Your Majesty a fair companion, and better, if you look deep into her soul, rather than at her person, where you will find that among other virtues, she has brightness, seriousness, and judgment without artificiality, capable of pleasing such a generous soul as Your Majesty's. And time will show that Your Majesty has not only gained a wife to be, but also a mother. That God lead her into your arms [or: into your sight], Your Majesty, and that he may bring me the good news I need to dry my tears.

And that it may please Your Majesty that I now have two children, and that I have the same love for both, and offer not part but all of it to Your Majesty. God guard Your Majesty for as many years as He see fit. This mother who loves you very much. Luisa, The Queen " The dates given for these three letters are of course according to the continental, Gregorian calendar. For the British equivalent, substract 10 days. ✹ • Link I think one would do well to remember the relative positions of Henriette Marie (q. of Charles I) and Catherine. One spent 10 years building up enmity at Court, in Parliament and in the country; the other spent 10 years building up goodwill. It is interesting to note that during the second Test Act that the Queen's household was exempted; moreover, this was not from respect for her as a foreign princess. I do not have access to parliamentary records now, but it would be well to look into them again. They read like a vindication of her behaviour.

She might have been unsuited to life at the Restoration Court, but her very "unsuitedness" what saved her (in the late 1670s and early 1680s) and her husband a great deal of grief. Can anyone imagine the situation in England in 1680 if Henriette Marie had been queen?! ✹ • Link The manners of this princess, especially at her first appearance at court, retained a strong tincture of the convent; and were but ill formed to please, much less to reclaim, the polite and dissolute Charles. She at first rejected the English dress, and the attendance of English ladies; and chose to appear in the formal habit of her own country, and be attended by her duegnas, whose persons were the scorn and the jest of every courtier. She, for some time, carried herself towards the royal mistress with all the disdain which she thought became her dignity and virtue: but when she saw that the king was resolved to retain her, she suddenly fell into the other extreme, and treated her with such excessive affability and condescension, as lost the little esteem he had for her.

The first years of her marriage were rendered unhappy by almost every passion that could disturb a female mind. At length, every spark of conjugal affection seemed to be extinguished, and she sunk into all the tranquillity of indifference. ---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

✹ • Link CATHERINE of Braganza (1638-1705), queen of Charles II; born at Villa Vicosa; her father king of Portugal in 1640; her education utterly neglected; marriage with Charles, prince of Wales, proposed for her by her father, 1645; renewed proposals made by the Portuguese for her marriage with Charles II, May 1660; proposals opposed by the Spanish party, on the ground of her probable barrenness; the match determined upon by Charles II, acting under French influence, November 1660-March 1661; formal intimation of the match well received in England and enthusiastically in Portugal; marriage treaty signed, 23 June 1661; Catherine sailing for England, 28 April 1662, and reaching Portsmouth, 13 May; privately married, 21 May; arrived at Hampton Court, 29 May; compelled by Charles to receive at court his mistress, Lady Castlemaine, July; arrived at Whitehall, 23 Aug.; submissively accepted Charles IIs infidelities; showed kindness to his illegitimate children, and lived mostly at Somerset House

, and not at court, being often in great poverty through non-payment of her allowances; tried to obtain from the pope recognition of Portuguese independence, 1662; seriously ill, October 1663; kept court in Oxford during the plague of London, 1665-6; proposals rumoured for dissolution of her marriage on account of her childlessness, 1667-70; complaints made of the concourse of English people to her chapel services, 1667; went a progress in the eastern counties, 1671; assailed by the whigs as privy to the 'popish plot,' 1678-680, but protected by Charles; attended the Oxford parliament, 1681; again abandoned by Charles for the Duchess of Portsmouth; instrumental in securing Charles II's deathbed profession of Romanism, February 1685; afterwards lived in retirement at Somerset House and Hammersmith; vainly begged James II to spare Monmouth; present at the birth of the Prince of Wales, 10 June 1688; gave evidence as to his legitimacy before the council; tried to recover damages from Henry, earl of Cl

arendon, her late chamberlain, for negligence in money matters; visited by William of Orange, but soon quarrelled with both William and Mary; travelled through France and Spain, reaching Lisbon, January 1693; resided near Lisbon; regent for her brother Pedro, 1704-5; favoured Italian music; unpopular in consequence of her ignorance of affairs, her haughtiness to her household, and her parsimony.

---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906. ✹ Catherine of Braganza | Article about Catherine of Braganza by The Free Dictionary Catherine of Braganza | Article about Catherine of Braganza by The Free Dictionary Related to Catherine of Braganza: Charles I , James II Catherine of Braganza (brəgăn`zə), 1638–1705, queen consort of Charles II of England, daughter of John IV of Portugal. She was married to Charles in 1662. As part of her dowry England secured Bombay (now Mumbai) and Tangier. Unpopular in England for her Roman Catholic faith, she also had to suffer the humiliation of her husband's infidelities and the disappointment of her own childlessness. In 1678 she was accused by Titus Oates Oates, Titus, 1649–1705, English conspirator. An Anglican priest whose whole career was marked with intrigue and scandal, he joined forces with one Israel Tonge to invent the story of the Popish Plot of 1678. ..... Click the link for more information.

of a plot to poison the king but was protected from the charge by Charles himself. After William III's accession she returned to Portugal, where she supported the commercial Treaty of Methuen (1703) with England, and in 1704 she acted as regent for her brother, Peter II. Catherine of Braganza 1638--1705, wife of Charles II of England, daughter of John IV of Portugal Catherine Of Braganza (1638 - 1705) - Find A Grave Memorial Death: Nov. 30, 1705 British monarch, Queen consort of King Charles II. The daughter of John IV of Portugal and Luisa de Guzman. She married Charles in May of 1662. She was not a popular queen, being Roman Catholic, and her faith prevented her from being crowned. Charles was a womanizer, but Catherine failed to give birth to a living heir, despite several pregnancies. She was neglected by her husband, who continued to have children by his mistresses, and he refused to divorce her. Upon Charles' death in 1685, she returned to Portugal, where she died at the age of 67.

After her death she was entombed in the Jeronimite Church (Lisbon). In 1914, the body was removed to the pantheon of the royal House of Braganza, in the Church of Saint Vincent of Fora (Lisbon, Portugal). (bio by: Kristen Conrad) Catherine of Braganza facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Catherine of Braganza The Oxford Companion to British History © The Oxford Companion to British History 2002, originally published by Oxford University Press 2002. Catherine of Braganza (1638–1705), queen of Charles II. Daughter of John, king of Portugal , Catherine's marriage to Charles II on 21 May 1662 was regarded by English merchants as ‘the most beneficial that ever our nation was engaged in’. Her dowry included Bombay , and Tangier, which was subsequently evacuated. Dark-haired, petite, and amiable, Catherine was badly educated, with little command of languages. She had, however, some charm.

Pepys thought her ‘mighty pretty’ when he saw her hand in hand with the king in 1663 and the following year remarked on her pretty broken English. Tension inevitably arose between her and Charles's mistress Lady Castlemaine. Catherine miscarried several times and had no live children. This, and the growth of anti-catholic feeling, fuelled suggestions of a divorce, but Charles stood by her. After Charles's death in February 1685, she moved to Somerset House and established a convent, before returning to Portugal after the Glorious Revolution, in March 1692. Sue Minna Cannon Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright The Columbia University Press Catherine of Braganza (brəgăn´zə), 1638–1705, queen consort of Charles II of England, daughter of John IV of Portugal. She was married to Charles in 1662. As part of her dowry England secured Bombay (now Mumbai) and Tangier.

Unpopular in England for her Roman Catholic faith, she also had to suffer the humiliation of her husband's infidelities and the disappointment of her own childlessness. In 1678 she was accused by Titus Oates of a plot to poison the king but was protected from the charge by Charles himself. After William III's accession she returned to Portugal, where she supported the commercial Treaty of Methuen (1703) with England, and in 1704 she acted as regent for her brother, Peter II. Cite this article Catherine of Braganza Encyclopedia > History > Biographies > British and Irish History: Biographies Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza (brəgănˈzə) [ key ], 1638–1705, queen consort of Charles II of England, daughter of John IV of Portugal. She was married to Charles in 1662. As part of her dowry England secured Bombay (now Mumbai) and Tangier. Unpopular in England for her Roman Catholic faith, she also had to suffer the humiliation of her husband's infidelities and the disappointment of her own childlessness.

In 1678 she was accused by Titus Oates of a plot to poison the king but was protected from the charge by Charles himself. After William III's accession she returned to Portugal, where she supported the commercial Treaty of Methuen (1703) with England, and in 1704 she acted as regent for her brother, Peter II. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

Question: Catherine of Braganza was married to which English king?
Answer: Charles II