Catharina of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal

In 1661, King Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, Infanta of Portugal. Charles probably did not find his wife (who was eight-years his junior) particularly charming, but according to an account in the Diary of Samuel Pepys, she „had a good, modest, and innocent look“. The king was rumoured to have married her „for Bombay, Tangier and a great sum of money“. The grand church wedding took place one year after the king’s coronation (the wedding contract was signed shortly after, in June 1661). Catherine was a just and intelligent woman, but the marriage did not bring her happiness. Although Charles did not die without offspring, Catherine failed to produce the much-coveted heir to the throne.