Catherine of Braganza

Portuguese, 1638-1705 The only daughter of John IV of Portugal, Catherine of Braganza was married at the age of 23 to England’s Charles II, who had been restored to the throne two years earlier. The shy Catherine had very limited influence at court, where her husband’s mistresses dominated, but she was nonetheless popular with the people. Braganza is fondly remembered by the British thanks to the role she played in popularising the daily social drinking of tea, which was considered to be a rather unusual beverage before her arrival in the country.