Catarina of Portugal, Duchess of Braganza

Claimant to the Portuguese throne in 1580

For wife of Charles II of England, see Catherine of Braganza.

Catherine

Born| (1540-01-18)18 January 1540
Lisbon, Portugal
Died| 15 November 1614(1614-11-15) (aged 74)
Vila Viçosa, Portugal
Spouse|

João I, Duke of Braganza

(m. 1563; died 1583)​

Issue
among others...| Teodósio of Braganza
House| Aviz
Father| Duarte, Duke of Guimarães
Mother| Isabel of Braganza
Religion| Roman Catholicism

Infanta Catherine of Portugal, Duchess of Braganza by marriage (Portuguese: Catarina; Portuguese pronunciation: [kɐtɐˈɾinɐ], 18 January 1540 - 15 November 1614)[1] was a Portuguese infanta (princess) claimant to the throne during the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580.

## Biography

[edit]

### Background

[edit]

Catherine was the second daughter of Duarte, Duke of Guimarães (sixth son of Manuel I of Portugal) and Isabel of Braganza. On 6 December 1563, she married João I, Duke of Braganza,[2] head of the most powerful aristocratic house in Portugal. The two were first cousins.[3]

### Succession crisis

[edit]

Main article: Portuguese succession crisis of 1580

Following the death of young King of Sebastian of Portugal in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir, his great-uncle Henry I of Portugal succeeded to the throne.[4] Elderly and bound to ecclesiastical vows, Henry could not produce a direct heir, leading to much deliberation over his successor during his short reign.[5] Catherine was Henry's preferred successor, but because of her sex, the powerful influence of Philip II, and the unpopularity of her husband, she failed to garner popular support.[6] Her main rivals were António, Prior of Crato, the male-line but illegitimate grandson of Manuel I, and Philip II of Spain, the son of Manuel's eldest daughter.

In February 1579, King Henry summoned the candidates to submit their claims to a panel of jurists. António's swift dismissal as a result of illegitimacy left only Philip II and Catherine in formal contention.[7] Catherine’s descent through a male line, as the daughter of Manuel's youngest son, Duarte, offered her precedence over Philip.[8] The heir by primogeniture was Catherine’s nephew Ranuccio Farnese,[a] being the son of her late older sister Maria,[10] followed by his siblings; then the Duchess herself and her children; and only after them, King Philip.[11] Although Philip lacked legal arguments, he wielded immense power and influence over the Portuguese aristocracy, securing their support through bribery and coercion.[12]

Philip even tried to bribe Catherine's husband, the Duke of Braganza, to abandon his wife's pretensions, offering him the Vice-Kingdom of Brazil, the post of Grand-Master of the Order of Christ, a license to send a personal ship to India every year, and the marriage of one of his daughters to Diego, Prince of Asturias, Philip's heir at that time. The Duke of Braganza, influenced by Catherine, refused the proposal.[13]

Despite António being formally eliminated, his popularity overshadowed Catherine's.[14] Portugal had not yet seen an undisputed queen regnant and there were doubts about a woman's ability to effectively rule.[15] In this regard, her prospects should have been bolstered by having a husband with direct royal lineage with whom she could share sovereignty and a son, Teodósio, that would serve as heir and successor to the throne.[16] However, the Duke of Braganza's perceived weak leadership and widespread unpopularity compounded by Teodósio's absence[b] only weakened Catherine's candidacy further.[18]

King Henry died in January 1580 without having appointed a successor, leaving a regency of five governors to assume power while the panel continued to deliberate.[19] António promptly sought to claim the throne through popular acclamation in Lisbon, while Catherine and her husband adopted a more cautious stance, awaiting the findings of Henry's panel of jurists. In the interim, Philip, growing impatient, initiated military preparations, dispatching the Duke of Alba to assert Portugal by force. Eventually, the Braganzas succumbed to Philip's military pressure.[20] After defeating António in the brief War of the Portuguese Succession, Philip was recognized as King of Portugal by the Cortes of Tomar in 1581.[21]

### Legacy

[edit]

In 1640, Catherine's grandson and direct heir, the then 8th Duke of Braganza, was proclaimed King John IV of Portugal by the Portuguese nobility, marking the end of the 60-year-old Iberian Union and establishing the House of Braganza on the Portuguese throne.[22] The 'laws of Lamego' were used to justify his accession and designate the Spanish Habsburg king, Philip III of Portugal, a usurper.[23]

These laws, purportedly enacted by the Cortes of Lamego in 1143 but now widely accepted to be fictitious,[24] asserted that no woman that married a foreign prince could inherit the Portuguese crown or transfer succession rights.[25] This excluded both Philip II and Ranuccio Farnese from the succession, rendering Catherine the legitimate heiress.[23]

## Issue

[edit]

Catherine and her husband had the following children:[citation needed]

* Maria of Braganza (1565–1592).
* Seraphina of Braganza (1566–1604), married Juan Fernandez Pacheco, 5th Duke of Escalona, and had issue.
* Teodósio of Braganza (1568–1630), succeeded his father as Duke of Braganza; father of King John IV of Portugal.[17]
* Edward of Braganza, 1st Marquis of Frechilla.
* Alexander of Braganza, Archbishop of Évora.[2]
* Cherubina of Braganza (1572–1580).
* Angelica of Braganza (1573–1576).
* Isabella of Braganza (1578–1582).
* Philip of Braganza (1581–1608).

## Ancestry

[edit]

Ancestors of Catarina of Portugal, Duchess of Braganza

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8\. Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 4\. Manuel I of Portugal|

|  |  |
| 9\. Beatrice of Portugal

| 2\. Duarte, Duke of Guimarães|

|  |  |  |  |
| 10\. Ferdinand II of Aragon

| 5\. Maria of Aragon|

|  |  |
| 11\. Isabella I of Castile

| 1\. Catarina of Portugal|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 12\. Fernando II, Duke of Braganza

| 6\. Jaime, Duke of Braganza|

|  |  |
| 13\. Isabel of Viseu

| 3\. Isabel of Braganza|

|  |  |  |  |
| 14\. Juan, 3rd Duke of Medina Sidonia

| 7\. Leonor de Guzmán y Velasco|

|  |  |
| 15\. Isabel de Velasco y Mendoza

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Rannucio's claim was not pressed because his father, Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma, was an ally of Philip II.[9][10]
2. ^ Following his participation in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir alongside King Sebastian, young Teodósio's return home was intentionally delayed by Philip during the succession crisis.[17]

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 947.
2. ^ a b Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 948.
3. ^ Newitt 2019, p. 69.
4. ^ Disney 2009, pp. 174–176.
5. ^ McMurdo 1889, p. 224.
6. ^ McMurdo 1889, p. 226.
7. ^ Disney 2009, p. 193.
8. ^ Newitt 2019, p. 34.
9. ^ Disney 2009, p. 192.
10. ^ a b Marques 1976, p. 312.
11. ^ Newitt 2019, p. 35.
12. ^ Marques 1976, p. 313.
13. ^ Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, p. 462.
14. ^ McMurdo 1889, pp. 226–246.
15. ^ Pissurno 2016, p. 49.
16. ^ Pissurno 2016, p. 52.
17. ^ a b Pereira & Rodrigues 1904, pp. 463–464.
18. ^ Pissurno 2016, p. 53.
19. ^ Livermore 1969, p. 161.
20. ^ Disney 2009, p. 195.
21. ^ Marques 1976, p. 314.
22. ^ Stephens 1891, pp. 300–304, 312.
23. ^ a b Marques 1976, p. 327.
24. ^ Stephens 1891, p. 45.
25. ^ Newitt 2019, p. 45.

### Sources

[edit]

* Disney, A. R. (2009). A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. From Beginnings to 1807. Vol. I: Portugal. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-60397-3.
* Livermore, H.V. (1969). A New History of Portugal. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521095716.
* Marques, Antonio Henrique R. de Oliveira (1976). History of Portugal.
* McMurdo, Edward (1889). The history of Portugal, from the Commencement of the Monarchy to the Reign of Alfonso III. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
* Newitt, Malyn (2019-10-15). The Braganzas: The Rise and Fall of the Ruling Dynasties of Portugal and Brazil, 1640–1910. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78914-165-8.
* Pereira, Esteves; Rodrigues, Guilherme (1904). Portugal: diccionario historico, chorographico, heraldico, biographico, bibliographico, numismatico e artistico (in Portuguese). Lisboa: J. Romano Torres.
* Pissurno, Fernanda Paixão (2016). "Gênero e Poder na Crise Sucessória Portuguesa de 1578-80: Breves Notas sobre a Candidatura de D. Catarina, Duquesa de Bragança" [Gender and Power in the Portuguese Succession Crisis of 1578-80: Brief Notes on the Candidacy of D. Catarina, Duchess of Braganza]. Ars Historica (in Portuguese) (13). Federal University of Rio de Janeiro: 44–61. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
* Stephens, H. Morse (1891). The Story of Portugal. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved 14 March 2024.

Catarina of Portugal, Duchess of Braganza

House of Aviz

Cadet branch of the House of Burgundy

Born: 18 January 1540 Died: 15 November 1614

Titles in pretence
Preceded by

Henry

| — TITULAR —
Queen of Portugal and the Algarves
Beja claimant
1580–1614
Reason for succession failure:
Habsburg conquest of Portugal | Succeeded by

Teodósio

* v
* t
* e

Infantas of Portugal

The generations indicate descent form Afonso I, and continues through the House of Aviz, the House of Habsburg through Infanta Isabel, Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Spain, and the House of Braganza through Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza.

| 1st generation|

* Urraca, Queen of León
* Teresa, Countess of Flanders
* Infanta Mafalda

|

2nd generation|

* Teresa, Queen of León
* Infanta Sancha, Lady of Alenquer
* Mafalda, Queen of Castile
* Infanta Branca, Lady of Guadalajara
* Berengária, Queen of Denmark

3rd generation|

* Leonor, Queen of Denmark

4th generation|

* Infanta Branca, Lady of Las Huelgas
* Infanta Sancha

5th generation|

* Constança, Queen of Castile and León
* Infanta Maria, Lady of Meneses and Orduña

6th generation|

* Maria, Queen of Castile and León
* Leonor, Queen of Aragon

7th generation|

* Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa
* Infanta Beatriz, Countess of Alburquerque

8th generation|

* Beatriz, Queen of Castile and León
* Isabel, Duchess of Burgundy

9th generation|

* Leonor, Holy Roman Empress
* Infanta Catarina
* Joana, Queen of Castile and León
* Isabel, Queen of Portugal
* Beatriz, Lady of Ravenstein
* Infanta Filipa
* Isabel, Queen of Castile and León
* Infanta Beatriz, Duchess of Viseu

10th generation|

* Joanna, Princess of Portugal
* Leonor, Queen of Portugal
* Isabel, Duchess of Braganza

11th generation|

* Isabel, Queen of Spain
* Beatriz, Duchess of Savoy
* Infanta Maria, Duchess of Viseu

12th generation|

* Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal and Asturias
* Maria, Hereditary Princess of Parma
* Infanta Catarina, Duchess of Braganza

13th generation|

* Isabel Clara, Archduchess of Austria*
* Catalina Micaela, Duchess of Savoy*

14th generation|

* Ana, Queen of France*
* María*
* María Ana, Holy Roman Empress*
* Margarita*

15th generation|

* María Teresa, Queen of France*
* Joana, Princess of Beira
* Catarina, Queen of England

16th generation|

* Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira
* Infanta Francisca Josefa

17th generation|

* Bárbara, Queen of Spain

18th generation|

* Maria I
* Infanta Maria Ana
* Maria Doroteia
* Benedita, Princess of Brazil

19th generation|

* Mariana Victoria, Infanta Gabriel of Spain

20th generation|

* Infanta Maria Teresa
* Maria Isabel, Queen of Spain
* Maria Francisca, Infanta Carlos María Isidro of Spain
* Infanta Isabel Maria
* Infanta Maria da Assunção
* Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria, Marquise of Loulé

21st generation|

* Maria II**
* Infanta Januária, Countess of Aquila**
* Infanta Paula**
* Francisca, Princess of Joinville**
* Infanta Maria Amélia**
* Infanta Maria das Neves, Duchess of San Jaimeƒ
* Maria Teresa, Archduchess Karl Ludwig of Austriaƒ
* Maria José, Duchess Karl Theodor in Bavariaƒ
* Infanta Adelgundes, Duchess of Guimarãesƒ
* Maria Ana, Grand Duchess of Luxembourgƒ
* Maria Antónia, Duchess of Parmaƒ

22nd generation|

* Maria Ana, Princess Georg of Saxony***
* Antónia, Princess of Hohenzollern***
* Maria Teresa, Princess Karl Ludwig of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Isabel Maria, Princess of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Maria Ana, Princess Karl August of Thurn und Taxisƒ◙
* Infanta Maria Adelaide, Mrs. van Udenƒ◙

24th generation|

* Maria Francisca, Duchess of Coimbraƒ

* also an infanta of Spain and an archduchess of Austria, ** also an imperial princess of Brazil, *** also a princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess in Saxony, ◙ Also a princess of Braganza, ƒ title of pretense
*[m.]: married
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*[e]: Edit this template