Catherine of Braganza | The Origin Story

Catherine of Braganza is not the most beloved historical royal, and she is quite misunderstood. I'm going to try to change that with this video, see it as the origin story of Catherine of Braganza. Before we start, don't forget to like and subscribe. When Catherine of Braganza was born in 1638, she was not a princess. Her parents, the Dukes of Braganza, only became kings of Portugal in 1640, ending the Iberian Union established in 1580. By overthrowing the rule of the Spanish Amsbergs her family started the War of the Restoration, something that would shape the life of Catherine and all her family. The marriage of Catherine's parents was a result of the politics of Madrid. The architect of this union was Gaspar de Guzmán, the Count Duke of Olivares, the almighty minister of Filetoforos Spain. Olivares' domestic political plan consisted, amongst others, to marry Castilian noble families with those of other kingdoms in the Union, such as Portugal. This would allow Madrid to control the most powerful aristocratic houses in the Iberian Peninsula, creating a much-needed spirit of unity. The guinea pigs of this marriage program were the two houses that Olivares considered the most urgent to deal with, the Dukes of Braganza of Portugal and the Dukes of Medina Sidoni of Andalusia. The Dukes of Medina Sidoni obtained a considerable amount of power and wealth in the most southern region of Spain. Plus, they didn't live in Madrid, which kept them relatively distant of the control of the Spanish court. The Dukes of Braganza were the first Portuguese house in line for the Portuguese throne. The House of Braganza alone had around 80.000 vassals and owned a third of all the land in Portugal. All this made the Braganzas the direct competitors of the Amsberg for their control of the Portuguese kingdom and empire. The plan of Olivares with this marriage was to cement the centrality of Filetoforos Spain and neutralize the threat that these two houses represented to the Amsbergs. Olivares convinced João of Braganza to marry Luisa of Guzmán, the daughter of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, by promising him the title of Duke of Mimarães, a title that once belonged to the House of Braganza. The marriage contract was arranged and a dowry was established. João was 28 years old and Luisa was 19. Everybody seemed to gain from this dynastic alliance, but this is where Olivares' plans showed its biggest flaw. From a different perspective, his plan was to join in marriage a house that had all the reasons and means to revolt against the Amsbergs, with a house that didn't depend on Madrid to survive. Olivares failed to see that both houses were not interested in being unified under Castile. Unintentionally, Olivares was creating bonds of loyalty between two families that were far beyond the control of the Spanish crown. This seems even more oblivious having encountered Olivares himself, descended from a minor branch of the Dukes of Medina Sidonia. The spousal of João of Braganza and Luisa of Guzmán was celebrated in the church of Nossa Senhora da Lao in San Lucas, the seat of power of the Medina on December 19th, 1632. Luisa left for Portugal the following month. She said farewell to her father and left Andalusia forever. On January 13th, Luisa and her entourage of 400 people arrived at the Portuguese border. Her future husband met her there, escorting her back to the Portuguese city of Elvas, where they were married in the same afternoon. After the ceremony, celebrations like bullfights, dances and theater followed. Some days later, the new couple was received with more celebrations in the palace of Vila Viçosa, the ancestral home of the Braganza family. To understand Catherine's personality, it is important to know her mother, Luisa, probably the most important and influent person in her life until her marriage, and even after that. Luisa Francisca of Guzmán was born in San Lucas, Andalusia, in 1630. She was the third child of Manuel Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, the 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia. Curiously, she was the granddaughter of Don Alonso de Guzmán, the commander of the Spanish Armada of 1588. Her mother was Dona Juana de Sandoval, the daughter of the Duke of Lerma. Luisa's parents had a total of 11 children, but only three made it to adulthood. This has led some historians to believe that Luisa's family suffered from some kind of degenerative disease. Not much is known of Luisa's childhood. She was educated, like other girls her position, to be a wife and a mother. Some contemporary authors of Luisa's life point out that she was extremely ambitious, and her education was partly responsible for that. One source said that she had a strong inclination for everything that was grand and noble, and that in time was turned into a limitless passion for glory. She was very religious, and had a strong sense of duty. This would have a great impact on Catherine's own personality. After Luisa's arrival at her home of Vila Viçosa, she seemed to have adapted rapidly to her new life. The last Duchess of Braganza to reside in Vila Viçosa was João's mother, another Spanish lady called Dona Ana de Velasco e Girón. But Ana died when João was just a child, so Vila Viçosa hasn't seen a Duchess for more than 20 years. That lack of a feminine presence was skillfully fulfilled by Luisa, who took on the role of Lady of the House with an iron will. From Catherine's father's perspective, he wanted his marriage to work. Not only did Luisa satisfy all the requirements to be the wife of one of the most important Dukes in Iberia, but, if the marriage ended, he would have to return her dowry and possibly lose his new title of Duke of Guimarães. In any case, although it's impossible to understand the true nature of their feelings for each other, João and Luisa seemed to be an harmonious couple who supported one another. Like her mother, Luisa had many children, but only a small number managed to survive till adulthood. The rate of mortality of Luisa's children was much higher than the average child mortality for the first half of the 17th century. This has led some authors to speculate that the women in Luisa's family suffered from some kind of illness that reflected on their children's chances to survive. Catherine probably inherently is disturbed. She is known for having several miscarriages, which means that her fertility wasn't compromised, just the survival of the child. Monique Valens, the recent biographer of Luisa of Guimarães, points out that if Charles II had spent less time with his mistresses and more time with his wife, his chances of having a legitimate heir would be much higher. A year after her arrival at Vila Vissosa, Luisa gave birth to her first child, a boy named Teodosio, a recurrent name in the Braganza family. His birth was followed by the birth of two girls, Joana in 1635 and Catherine in 1638. Other pregnancies existed, but the children didn't survive. Catherine lived in Vila Vissosa with her siblings and parents until 1640. On December 1st of that year, Catherine's father was acclaimed King of Portugal after a planned revolt of the Portuguese nobility against the vice-queen of Portugal, the Duchess of Mantua. This was a risky move from the Duke of Braganza. Since 1580, the Portuguese had tolerated being part of the Iberian Union because, unlike what is normally said, Portugal and its empire didn't lost their independence. Portugal and its colonies maintained their administration independent. Portuguese taxes were only for Portugal to use, they just shared the same monarch with Spain. But the situation had changed in the years leading up to the restoration. The Spanish royal family was again on the brink of bankruptcy, and the Spanish empire was fighting several wars on different fronts. The Portuguese were called to contribute, which they refused. The authorities tried to collect taxes locally rather than nationally, but the effect was the same, a growing discontent and resentment. Portugal was on the verge of revolt, the Spanish attitude was a clear violation of what was settled in the Courts of Tomar of 1581. By this time, a group of Portuguese nobles started gathering in secret in Lisbon. They came out with a plan of ending the Iberian Union and restoring a Portuguese crown, the obvious candidate was Catherine's father. Joan was reluctant to accept, he could be accused of treason. Before giving an answer, he consulted his wife. Immediately putting her Spanish heritage aside, Luigia encouraged him to accept. According to accounts of the time, the Duchess said, I would rather die ruling than to live serving. Her ambition was now on the grand stage of international politics. Prompt by his wife's support, and above all, his loyalty to Portugal, the Duke of Braganza accepted to lead the conspiracy. The revolt was in motion. At 9 o'clock in the morning of December 1st, 1640, a group of Portuguese nobles invaded the Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, in a scene worthy of the Three Musketeers. The Ribeira Palace was the main house of the Portuguese monarchy before the Iberian Union. It was still the center of government and where the Duchess of Mantua and the Vice Queen of Portugal lived. While the Duchess of Mantua screamed for help from one of the windows, the Portuguese took care of the palace and got rid of her secretary, Miguel de Vasconcelos, a Portuguese traitor who worked for the Spanish. For years, the Portuguese have hated him. He was found hiding in a closet and thrown out of a window. After that, the Duchess of Mantua was asked if she wished to follow him or go by the stairs. She chose the stairs. The revolt was consummated and announced in the streets of Lisbon. Rejoice was general and people were cheering and celebrating everywhere, but nothing was certain at this point. The Duke of of the success of the revolt, he departed immediately for Lisbon. This was the most critical moment of the operation. Between the departure of the messenger who informed him and his arrival in Lisbon, the situation could have changed drastically. If the revolt failed, he would be arrested and executed, stripped of his titles and his possessions would be confiscated by the power of Madrid. This is the main reason why he was reluctant to accept. If the whole thing failed, he and his family would pay the ultimate price. He arrived in Lisbon on December the 6th. Luisa, accompanied by her children, arrived in Lisbon on Christmas day, where more celebration expected them. News of the revolt arrived in Madrid some days later, taking everyone by surprise. Nobody was expecting something like this. Olivares tried to discredit the whole situation and make Philip IV see it as a victory. With the downfall of the Braganzas, he was now the undisputed king of Portugal. He called João of Braganza, now João IV of Portugal, a stupid drunk who had gone mad. The reality was that Olivares and the government of Madrid were completely lost and in shock. Even months after the revolt, the situation was not completely understood by Madrid. On top of that, Catalonia was also revolting. The Iberian Union was going up in flames. When her parents became kings of Portugal, Catherine's life changed entirely. She was now an Infanta of Portugal. Infanta is a title given in the Portuguese and Spanish monarchies to the daughters of the king. In other monarchies, she would have the title of princess, but in Portugal and Spain, the titles of prince and princess were only for the heirs of the throne, but Infanta corresponds to princesses in other countries. Catherine and her brother and sister moved from Vila Viçosa, a countryside village with around 800,000 people at that time, to Lisbon, which had 1 million inhabitants. There hasn't been a court in Lisbon since 1580. In Portugal, the period between that date and the Restoration is also known as the Court in the Countryside Period. Since the king lived in Madrid, there was no reason for most of the nobles to remain in Lisbon. Some moved to Madrid, trying to rise in the Amsberg Court, but a lot of them moved to their estates, focusing on administration and enriching their houses. With the Restoration, it was time to reinstate the Court of Portugal. Until that point, the Court of the Dukes of Arganza in Vila Viçosa was the closest that Portugal had of a royal court since 1580. Life there was simple. The two favorite activities in Vila Viçosa were hunting and music. The music obsessed Duke was an accomplished composer with an extensive music library that still exists in the palace today. This is where Catherine got her refined taste for music, later introducing it in the English Court. On the other hand, although Vila Viçosa was a small countryside court, it was still structured like a royal court, with an identical ceremonial and social network. It was time to enlarge this structure and mold it into a royal court. When João IV re-established the House of the Queen for his wife Luisa, he signaled it as a direct and only legitimate heir of the House of Catherine of Austria, the last Portuguese queen before the Union. Due to the successive marriages between the Portuguese and the Spanish royal families in the 16th century, the ceremonial of both courts was quite similar. The goal of the new Merganza dynasty was to re-establish the old Portuguese court structure. This was a political move, re-establishing the new family as the direct heirs of the Amish dynasty. This was also an opportunity to pay back the support of some of the most important Portuguese aristocratic families by giving them positions in the newly established court. The women of these families were given positions in the House of the Queen. Until the regency of Catherine of Merganza, much later in her life, the Portuguese court had a certain level of Castilian influence. Not only was the old Portuguese ceremonial already close to the Spanish one, but after the restoration, many Portuguese families serving in Madrid returned to Lisbon, bringing with them the habits and traditions that they were exposed in the Amsburg court. As an example of this is Dona Joana de Pimentel, a Portuguese noble lady of the Queen of Spain, Elizabeth of France, who returned to Portugal becoming Luisa's Camareira Morte, the equivalent of Mistress of the Robes. Like her, many others returned, and we cannot forget about the Spanish ladies that came with Luisa from Andalusia, like Luisa Ponce de Leon, who was a lady of the Queen in 1641. It's in this environment and with these women that Catherine The Spanish and the Portuguese courts were different from their French and English counterparts. They all shared the basis of the sacralization of the royal figure. The difference was, for instance, in Versailles, the king lived publicly, surrounded by courtiers all the time. The palace was open to all, it was much easier to visit Versailles back then than it is today. In Lisbon and Madrid, the strategy was the opposite. The monarchs rarely appeared in public, making them distant god-like creatures. By only showing themselves on special occasions, the kings turned being in their presence into a god-given privilege that was only accessible to some. On top of that, while the French and the English courts were glamorous and dedicated to pleasure, the Iberian courts were rigid and severe, with an exacerbated Catholicism, more like monasteries and palaces. Unlike French and English kings, Portuguese and Spanish monarchs didn't have official public mistresses. It's not surprising that Catherine had such a negative reaction to Charles II's mistresses. This was a completely foreign habit to her. Iberian monarchs had lovers, but not at court and with a salary. Also, the Portuguese court still practiced the old habit of separating the genders. Men and women rarely crossed paths in the royal palace. The apartment of the queen, when Catherine and her siblings lived, was off-limits for most of the male courtiers. Women ruled there. This means that Catherine was probably not accustomed to be in the presence of men, except the ones from her family, priests and servants, both her social inferiors. I would also like to point out that, unlike what is sometimes said, Catherine wasn't educated in a convent. This wouldn't be considered appropriate for a princess. What people probably mean by that is that she had a convent-like education, which is not incorrect, but at no point in her life she was sent to a convent. At this point, life wasn't easy for Portugal. Politically, the kingdom was isolated. It would take decades for other European nations to recognize the sovereignty of Portugal because most of them didn't want to buy a war with Spain. Nobody thought that the Portuguese revolt would last. After the revolt in Catalonia was crushed, Madrid turned their attention to Portugal, starting the long war of the Restoration. The Portuguese treasury was at its limits. There were no men to fight or allies. Internally, the situation was not the best. Some of the Portuguese nobles and members of the high clergy were still loyal to Spain. A group of these aristocrats conspired to assassinate the Portuguese royal family, with the support of Madrid, who promised to send troops. But a plan was discovered, because some of the men enticed by the conspirators were loyal to the Braganzas and revealed the plan to the king. All were arrested and confessed under torture, ending up being executed in Lisbon. In 1643, Joan IV went to the battlefront, leaving Luisa as a regent. She was pregnant at this time. This would be the first of her children to be born as a prince. Luisa felt that this pregnancy was not like the others, and not for the best reasons. In the same year, another child was born, a girl named Maria. The father was the king of Portugal, and the mother was a lady of the queen. When the baby was born, the mother was sent to a nunnery. The child was raised in secret until she was six, entering at that age in a convent with the name of Maria da Cruz. Catherine would have some contact with her half-sister, but only by letters. The infidelity of her husband, which resulted in a child, and the pressures of the regency took a toll on Luisa's pregnancy. The queen was restless because she couldn't feel the fetus move inside her. She spent her days locked in an oratory praying. Her prayers were answered, and a boy named Afonso was born. Catherine, alongside Teodosio and Joana, were the godparents to their newly born brother. With the birth of Pedro in 1648, the kings of Portugal had five living children, but that was about to change. Teodosio, the eldest one, was six when his parents became kings of Portugal. From heir of the Duchy of Braganza, he became heir of the Portuguese Empire. When he was fifteen, he was described as an ideal prince, brave, kind, and intelligent, and with a particular inclination for the military life. Since his childhood, he always revealed great military ability, gathering the other boys of the palace and organizing them as an army, with him as captain. Teodosio didn't seem to enjoy the life in the royal palace, where he felt trapped in his new role. As the heir of Portugal, plans for his marriage were made, but none of them came to fruition. Some of the candidates were the Grande Mademoiselle, the cousin of Luis XIV, and, strangely, the daughter of Philip of Spain. In 1651, Teodosio secretly left Lisbon for the battlefront. His parents were caught by surprise, and above all, were worried for his reckless behavior. Luisa wrote to her son, giving us a glimpse into the relationships inside the royal family. The queen sends love, and his siblings send many salutes. But Luisa only mentions one prince in particular, Catherine, who is waiting for her brother to answer her back, as he promised. This means that Catherine was particularly close to her eldest brother. Teodosio was a promising young prince, but in 1653, he was affected by a pulmonary disease. He was sent to a countryside estate outside of Lisbon, an area known for its The queen took care of him herself. Throughout the kingdom, masses were celebrated for his good health, but it was all in vain. In May, Teodosio died aged 19. Court etiquette was rigid, the windows of the palace were closed, and the royal family remained hidden from view, but only after enduring the public ceremonies. Just a few months after, Joana, the eldest daughter of the kings of Portugal, died as well. Not much is known about Joana. Her parents started plans to marry her in France with Charles Emmanuel of Savoy, but they were never concluded. There is also a great deal of confusion with Catherine's own marriage. It's possible that Joana was the potential bride of the future Charles II, only to be replaced by her sister after her death. In less than six months, the Portuguese monarchs lost their most valuable children. The death of Teodosio especially brought a monumental problem. That problem was Afonso. Afonso was the second male child, but with the death of his eldest brother, he unexpectedly became the heir of the throne. Afonso's life is a sad tale. When he was just three years old, Afonso suffered from a violent fever. Even the physicians lost hope and no one thought that he was going to survive. Against all expectations, the small child lived, but he was left with sequels for all his life. This illness and its consequences on his health are still very unknown to historians, but most agree that his physical and mental health were permanently damaged, with accounts of his time claiming that he remained paralyzed on the right side of his body. Throughout all of his life, Afonso would be described as mentally unbalanced, the total opposite of his eldest brother, whom he was now called to replace. Besides not being physically and mentally prepared to rule, his education was neglected, and Luisa and her ladies spoiled him rot. When he became heir to the throne, Afonso was ten, and there was still some hope that he could be molded into a king, but there was no such time. Luisa was left as regent, with an underage and unprepared son as king, and a war with Spain. Normally, when a king reached fourteen, he could take care of the government. In that case, Luisa's regency would only be of some month, but that was not possible, Luisa had to maintain her regency for many years, even against her personal desire. After the death of her husband, Luisa adopted the traditional and regent behavior of a Niberian She wore black and widow's veils for the rest of her life, and never again left her apartments. Later, Catherine herself would adopt a similar, discreet behavior in her widowhood, although less severe. We don't know what was Catherine's reaction to her father's death, the only ones described in accounts to visit him on his deathbed were Catherine's male brothers, and the queen, who took care of him herself. If Catherine was allowed to see him, it was not recorded. Once again, the windows of the palace were closed, but hard times were on the horizon. Luisa was now swimming with sharks, both internally and externally. There were opposite factions inside the Portuguese court, and the behavior of the new king was increasingly out of control. Externally, the kingdom was still isolated politically, and Madrid was more invested than ever in regaining control of Portugal, now that it was at the hands of a woman and a mentally unbalanced king. The regent and her advisors probably felt tempted to replace Afonso with his younger brother, Pedro, but that was not possible. The dining you'd see was too new, replacing the rightful heir would be a sign of weakness. Catherine and Afonso didn't seem to be close. In fact, Afonso doesn't seem to be close to no one in his family. He was probably a very lonely person, that's why he preferred a company of social outcasts, troublemakers, and criminals from the lowest blocks of life. The situation would only get worse with time. Portugal was desperate for allies, so it was a great relief that the news of the Portuguese and English alliance were received. Catherine was now being called to fulfill her role as Infanta of Portugal by marrying with an English monarch and cementing the alliance. This alliance was a high point of Louisa's regency. Catherine's dowry was astronomical. Portugal paid one million pounds, the biggest sum ever paid in a dowry, the cities of Tangier and Bombay were given to England, and the English would have permission to trade with the Portuguese colonies directly. In return, England would assume the military defense of Portugal by land and sea. Some argue in Portugal that the dowry was excessive, but Louisa had no other choice, it was the necessary price to maintain the Burgundians in power. The negotiations were long and hard, and with the interference of the politics of Madrid, the Spanish ambassador in England tried to undo the alliance by spreading the rumor that Portugal would never pay the dowry and that Catherine was a deformed and sterile monster. Charles II received a portrait of Catherine, which pleased him, but he was still doubtful, so he sent Father Russell to Portugal to inquire about the physical aspect of the Portuguese Infanta. Russell wrote back saying that Catherine was perfectly normal and that the portrait was quite accurate. Charles II made up his mind and agreed with the match. So did the English barman, who was initially reluctant to accept a Catholic princess, but changed his mind with the dowry. It's at this point that the first detractors of Catherine appeared, based on one hand on the rumors spread by the Spanish, who tried to do everything in their power to stop the marriage, and on the other hand on Catherine's Catholic faith. For Catherine, the first hardships started even before she set sail to England. When the alliance was signed on May 1661, Portugal sighed with relief. Everywhere there were celebrations, especially in Lisbon and throughout the border with Spain. It was time to prepare for the wedding festivities, essential to signal this Portuguese victory. Lisbon hadn't seen any royal wedding since the marriage of João of Portugal and João of Austria in 1552, more than a hundred years before. The wedding festivities took place in the fall, but since May, Catherine was officially titled Queen of England. She assumed her new position right away. The 22-year-old princess was given English lessons and was introduced to English culture and traditions. She even made the effort to look more English by abandoning the Portuguese chapiz and adopting high which caused her great pain initially. Reportedly, Catherine said that nothing could dampen her desire to be in England. Her culture was extremely different from the English one, and her rigid and strict upbringing was a far cry from the voluptuous and free-spirited period that the English court was going through at that moment. Years later, her mother wrote a letter to Anne Hyde, the Duchess of York, recognizing that Catherine had a very sheltered life in Portugal, with an education that was more useful than pleasant. The English ambassador, Edward Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, arrived in Lisbon on September of 1661. On October, bullfights were held in the Terreiro do Paço, the main square of Lisbon. The entire court and guests assisted from the balconies of the palace and wooden galleries built for the event. Several high-ranking Portuguese noblemen participated in the bullfights, spending great sums in their horses, clothing and servants. The high point of the celebration was the day of the Royal Parade. Hundreds of carriages, with the Portuguese court and the English ambassadors, paraded around Lisbon, passing through several ephemeral arches built by the different communities and trades living in England. Catherine departed for England the following year. On the day of her departure, Catherine and the Portuguese court heard mass in the Cathedral of Lisbon. The English were entertained in the cloister of the cathedral during the Catholic service. Gun salutes were made from the Castle Lisbon and the English fleet, lasting for hours, and all the bells in the city were ringing. At two o'clock in the afternoon, Catherine, accompanied by her brothers and the Portuguese court, returned to the Royal Palace, where she said goodbye to her mother, who, as a widow, was absent from the celebrations. Catherine walked through the halls of the Royal Palace to the Royal Pier, where she embarked on the fleet that would carry her to England. Catherine would only return to Portugal after the death of her husband, even acting as regent. She would return a different woman, but that's a subject for another video.