"Though Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705) wed Charles II of England (reign 1660-1685) in a union of great political consequence, her life and impact in Restoration England remain largely overlooked in the English-speaking world. In her latest work, Charles II's Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza, historian Susan Abernethy illuminates Catherine's queenship, diplomacy, and patronage, revealing a woman far more complex and influential than history has long acknowledged."
"Many years ago, I read the historical fiction novel called The Merry Monarch's Wife by Jean Plaidy (née Eleanor Hibbert). Later, when I began my blog, The Freelance History Writer, in 2012, my plan was to have an article on every Queen of England. The article on Catherine proved to me there were not a lot of good sources in English, and the most recent biographies were from 1905 by the American writer Lillias Campbell Davidson and from 1935 by Janet Mackay."
Catherine of Braganza (1638–1705) married Charles II of England, forming a politically significant union that left her largely overlooked in the English-speaking world. She functioned as queen consort with roles in queenship, diplomacy, and cultural patronage. Available modern English sources on her life are scarce, with the most recent full biographies dated 1905 and 1935. Interest in her life has been prompted by popular historical fiction and systematic efforts to document queens. Catherine's upbringing in Portugal was sheltered and cloistered, educated by nuns, and shaped by an extremely formal court etiquette. Her mother pursued high-status marriages, aiming for France or England.
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