A. F. Pollard (1905); _Cambridge Mod.
History_ (1903), ii. 416 et seq. and bibliographies, p. 789; _The
Wives of Henry VIII._, by M. Hume (1905). (P. C. Y.)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] _Cat. of State Pap., England and Spain_, i. 469.

[2] _Letters and Papers_, iv. 6627, 6705, and app. 261.

[3] _Ib._ iv. 5072.

[4] _Cal. of State Pap., England and Spain_, iii. pt. ii. 779.

[5] _Cal. of State Pap., Foreign and Dom._, iv. 6290.

CATHERINE OF BRAGANZA (1638-1705), queen consort of Charles II. of
England, daughter of John IV. of Portugal, and of Louisa de Gusman,
daughter of the duke of Medina Sidonia, was born on the 15/25 of
November 1638 at Villia Vicosa. She was early regarded as a useful
medium for contracting an alliance with England, more necessary than
ever to Portugal after the treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 whereby
Portugal was ostensibly abandoned by France. Negotiations for the
marriage began during the reign of Charles I., were renewed immediately
after the Restoration, and on the 23rd of June, in spite of Spanish
opposition, the marriage contract was signed, England securing Tangier
and Bombay, with trading privileges in Brazil and the East Indies,
religious and commercial freedom in Portugal and two million Portuguese
crowns (about L300,000); while Portugal obtained military and naval
support against Spain and liberty of worship for Catherine. She reached
England on the 13th of May 1662, but was not visited by Charles at
Portsmouth till the 20th. The next day the marriage was solemnized
twice, according to the Roman Catholic and Anglican usages. Catherine
possessed several good qualities, but had been brought up in a
conventual seclusion and was scarcely a wife Charles would have chosen
for himself. Her 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 the selfish and licentious king. On the first presentation to
her of Lady Castlemaine, Charles's mistress _en titre_, whom he insisted
on making lady of her bedchamber, she fainted away. She withdrew from
the king's society, and in spite of Clarendon's attempts to moderate her
resentment, declared she would return to Portugal rather than consent to
a base compliance. To overcome her resistance nearly the whole of her
Portuguese retinue was dismissed. She was helpless, and the violence