Catherine of Braganza (; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to King Charles II, which lasted from 21 May 1662 until his death on 6 February 1685. She was the daughter of John IV of Portugal, who became the first king from the House of Braganza in 1640, after overthrowing the 60-year rule of the Spanish Habsburgs over Portugal. Catherine served as the regent of Portugal during the absence of her brother Peter II in 1701, and again in 1704–1705, after her return to her homeland as a widow.
Owing to her devotion to the Roman Catholic faith in which she had been raised, just like her mother-in-law, Catherine was unpopular in England. By his mistresses, Charles fathered many children, whom he acknowledged.
Catherine of Braganza is often credited with popularising the custom of drinking tea in England.
Early life and family
thumb|Infanta Catherine of Portugal by [[Dirk Stoop, 1660–1661]]
Catherine was born on 25 November 1638 at the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa as the second surviving daughter of John, 8th Duke of Braganza, and his wife, Luisa de Guzmán. 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, Portugal then possessing the widespread colonial Portuguese Empire, Catherine became a prime choice for a wife for European royalty, and she was proposed as a bride for John of Austria, the duc de Beaufort, Louis XIV of France and Charles II of England. The consideration for the final choice was due to her being seen as a useful conduit for contracting an alliance between Portugal and England after the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 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". 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.
Marriage
Negotiations for the marriage began during the reign of King Charles I and were renewed immediately after the Restoration. On 23 June 1661, in spite of Spanish opposition (because Spain was at war with Portugal at the time), 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 Portuguese East Indies, religious and commercial freedom for English residents in Portugal, and two million Portuguese crowns (about £300,000). In return, Portugal obtained English military and naval support (which would prove to be decisive) in her fight against Spain, as well as liberty of worship for Catherine. Since Philip IV of Spain was an enemy of the Braganza dynasty and was against a marriage between Catherine and any powerful European monarch, the Spanish government proposed other European princesses as possible brides for Charles, instead of Catherine, making clear that there were no available Spanish princesses. For this purpose, the Spanish government proposed Princess Maria of Orange-Nassau, the youngest of the Dutch princesses of the House of Orange. If the English king accepted this proposal, then Philip IV would provide the dowry. As an alternative, the Spanish government also proposed the youngest sister of the Duke of Parma, Caterina Farnese, who was said to be very beautiful, and in February 1661 the earl of Bristol travelled to Parma to inspect the Italian princess. However, she refused to marry the English monarch, because she wanted to become a nun. Nevertheless, Charles II dismissed the Dutch and Italian princesses offered by the Spanish government, and chose to marry Catherine of Braganza because of her huge dowry.
Catherine arrived at Portsmouth on the evening of 13–14 May 1662, when he first saw his new bride. Charles wrote a letter to his chief advisor, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon