Catherine of Braganza managed to exercise her agency as queen under difficult circumstances. Her first duty as Queen was to provide her husband with an heir and she made numerous attempts at treatments and pilgrimages to become pregnant. We have proof of a pregnancy and a miscarriage at least once, with two other pregnancies mentioned by Charles to his sister Minette. Unfortunately, it was not to be. This would be her greatest disappointment and would have long-lasting consequences on her life.
Portrait of Queen Catherine of Braganza attributed to the workshop of Jacob Huysmans
Catherine held what were called ‘circles’ at court in the tradition of her mother-in-law, Dowager Queen Henrietta Maria. In the evening, in her own apartments, anyone could attend the circle. Activities included conversation, music and cardplaying. Anyone from the king on down to servants could come and take part in these soirees.
She brought with her to England a full set of Portuguese musicians who mostly performed in her chapels but would give concerts for the court. The Braganzas were known for their love and patronage of music. Her father was a composer and had a large catalog collection of music. Both her father and her brothers patronised Italian music in Portugal. Catherine would do the same, becoming known for her promotion and support of Italian music and musicians and composers at court.
Catherine also brought to England Catholic Baroque artists such as the Flemish painter Jacob Huysmans and the Italian Benedetto Gennari. Both would paint portraits and also decorate her chapels. She staged musical masques, dances and interludes at Whitehall. This patronage was not only artistic but also used as a political statement to counteract the influence of Charles’ mistresses, especially the Frenchwoman Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth.
Because of her Catholicism, Catherine was not a popular choice for queen in a predominantly Protestant country. The Marriage Treaty between England and Portugal allowed Catherine to have her own private chapels, just as her predecessors had. The royal chapel at St James, the chapel at Somerset House and the chapel of the hospital of the Savoy were under her personal jurisdiction. These chapels were of primary importance to Catherine. While she did not subscribe to restoring the Catholic faith in England, she did allow Catholics to worship in her chapels which caused some discontent with the people, especially when William and Mary came to the throne
Despite these circumstances, Catherine did find a way to exercise her agency as a Catholic. One of her more intriguing projects was her secret establishment of a Mary Ward convent in Hammersmith. Mary Ward founded a sect of non-cloistered nuns to carry out the mission of the Jesuits in educating Catholic girls.
Catholic women in England did not have the right to an education and were forced to travel out of the country to learn in schools on the continent. Mary Ward knew Henrietta Maria and it is probable she informed Catherine of the organization. Catherine was on very good terms with the abbess of this school and when Charles died, she purchased the lease on a house in Hammersmith to live in and be near the school.
To find out more about Catherine of Braganza’s story, read Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza, now available from your favorite bookseller.
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Susan’s passion for history dates back fifty years and led her to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree in history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is currently a member of several historical and writer’s associations and her work has appeared on numerous historical websites and in magazines and includes guest appearances on historical podcasts. Her blog, The Freelance History Writer, has continuously published over five hundred historical articles since 2012, with an emphasis on European, Tudor, Medieval, Renaissance, Early Modern and women’s history. She is currently working on her third non-fiction book.
