I Beg Your Pardon: The Story of Catherine of Braganza 

February, King Charles II of Britain took his last breath. It was a shock to everyone that the King became ill so suddenly, and upon his final hours he received many people bidding their final farewells. The Queen was one of these, but she was so distraught she had to be taken back to her apartments. After she recovered from her grief she sent a message unto the King, begging his pardon if she had ever offended him.

‘Alas, poor woman’, her husband replied, ‘She beg my pardon! I beg hers with all my heart.’

For she had stood by her husband’s side through his many ups and downs; and his many affairs which the Queen endured for the whole of their married life. And although she had built a good rapport with some of the King’s women, it was not an easy life for Catherine of Braganza. The Portuguese princess had been raised in a strict household, so the decadence and debauchery of Charles’ court may have come as a shock. 

The marriage of Charles II and Catherine was a matter of state, the idea of love had never entered the equation. For Charles, Catherine was a great prize for she came with a dowry worth £2 million

cruzados (£320,000). And for a King with very little money, it was a very lucrative offer; even despite the Spanish trying to prevent the match, describing the princess as ‘sickly, ugly and deformed.’

But Charles didn\'t listen; the dowry was too good. Indeed it proved too good to be true as the Portuguese begged to be allowed to pay it off later as they found their funds a little dry. It was eventually paid off in 1670. Alas, Catherine arrived at Portsmouth on 14

May 1662, greeted by the King’s brother James Duke of York. The King eventually turned up on the 20

to officially meet his new bride; and the next day they were married.

The first couple of months passed by well enough; the honeymoon stage getting the newlyweds off to a good start. Even some of the nobility praised the queen for her pious and virtuous behaviour. But, as with all honeymoons, it came to an end. Charles\' mistress, Lady Barbara Castlemaine, had given birth to the King\'s illegitimate child.

Even before she left Portugal Catherine had been warned by her mother of Charles’ mistress, Lady Barbara Palmer, who did not like the idea of Charles having a wife; indeed her aggressive nature made her determined not to bow to the Queen at all. She wanted a high position within the Queen’s household – Lady of the Bed Chamber. The new Queen refused, crossing her name off a list of prospective candidates.

Sadly, the King wasn’t taking no for an answer; for Charles this was a question of marital authority, he couldn\'t have Europe saying he was ruled by his wife. He brought Lady Castlemaine into the Queen’s presence; the Queen unaware of her identity. When she realised who she was she broke down in tears, her nose bleeding and she had to be carried to her chamber upon fainting.

One writer describes the character of Lady Castlemaine as that of ‘a lovely, unblushing 19-carat bitch with a deadly instinct for the jugular.’ In this regard, Castlemaine must have relished the distress she caused the Queen, knowing that she had the King’s favour. And Catherine’s own reaction of rage gave many at court the opinion that she was impossible. It didn’t seem to occur to anyone that such a request would be a great insult to Catherine.

The King especially believed that he was right in his pursuance of the matter, regardless of the cost to Catherine. She threatened to return to Portugal; the King threatened to send her servants back, believing them responsible for her ‘perverseness’  in refusing to have his mistress as her Lady of the Bedchamber. Today we would see such a man as abusive, but back then he had all his courtiers on side, encouraging him to stand firm. And so he did.

He removed the majority of Catherine’s servants, leaving only a few minor ladies to wait upon her. She was left in almost total isolation, submitted to cruel psychological pressure as the Lady Castlemaine was openly given chambers next to the King’s own.  Even when the King did join the Queen for a meal, the Lady Castlemaine was by his side. One can only imagine the pain that Catherine suffered under psychological abuse. As a result she eventually gave in to the King’s desires.

Many were disappointed in the Queen for conceding when she did. There were rumours that the King was on the verge of giving in to her. But without any council how could she know if she was in a losing battle or not? But concede she did, and she was judged by the courtiers as a ‘tiresome neurotic’ who had ‘been brought to heel’. After this episode the only way that the Queen could regain any form of influence was through bearing a child; a child that sadly would never come.

Between 1663 and 1665 Lady Castlemaine produced three children, most likely the King’s offspring. But Catherine remained without, going to special baths in hopes that the waters would produce a miracle. But she would never produce an heir, sadly miscarrying at least twice. In October 1665 she became dangerously ill; even deliriously speaking of children that she and the King had. When she believed herself to be dying she comforted herself in the knowledge that in dying she made a place for a new consort, one worthy of the King’s affections. It reveals so much of how Catherine valued her own self worth, a trait that would be seen as a form of depression today. But back then no one knew of such things, and the Queen was willing to face her own death like a martyr.But she would never be one, she eventually came out of the delirium and her health improved.

Upon her recovery there was also a question of the succession, with many attempting to convince Charles to divorce Catherine in preference for a more productive wife. It is likely that Charles considered it, weighing the pros and cons before declaring before parliament that he would not divorce his wife. After 1665 the relationship garnered a surmountable amount of affection and trust on both sides.

When the Queen was attacked by malicious rumours of conspiracy the King immediately dismissed them. He would not credit his Queen of such acts. And when the King\'s illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, attempted to gather support for the throne, there was another call by parliament to put Catherine aside; the King demonstrated his growing loyalty towards his wife, making it clearer than ever that she could not be attacked by the vipers of his court. The King had placed his own pleasure above the feelings of his wife for the majority of their marriage; but when Parliament attempted to discredit her in any way he stood firm, standing up for her as his wife and Queen. Perhaps he was propelled by guilt, remembering his treatment of her with Lady Castlemaine; she was eventually banished from court, leaving a sort of tranquility to replace the aggressive atmosphere she left behind.

Perhaps it’s the optimist in me, but perhaps the King did grow to resent his early treatment of Catherine, especially as she stood by him through the many tribulations he faced throughout his reign; and never once saying a negative word against him. She had proven herself a loving and understanding wife; a good companion who had gained the affections of the British people; a confidante in the ways that his many mistresses could never be. And in recognition of the great duty that this sweet and affectionate woman did him over the years, it was only fitting that his final words in regards to her were  were to beg her pardon for his own faults.

King Charles II; Fraser, Antonia; Orion Books, 1979

The King\'s Wife: Five Queen Consorts; Gray, Robert; Secker & Warburg, 1990

Labels: 17th century, barbara palmer, catherine of braganza, history, king charles ii, marriage, royalty, the king's women, the merry monarch

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