Catherine of Braganza

Catherine of Braganza was queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1662 to 1685, as the wife of King Charles II. Catherine was born into the House of Braganza, the most senior noble house in Portugal.

Owing to her devotion to the Roman Catholic beliefs in which she had been raised, Catherine was an unpopular consort for Charles II. Catherine suffered three miscarriages and as a result, she did not produce any heirs. Her husband kept many mistresses, most notably Barbara Palmer, who was appointed as her Lady of the bedchamber. He fathered numerous illegitimate offspring by his mistresses which he acknowledged.

She was credited for introducing the custom of drinking tea in Britain, a custom that was already very popular among the Portuguese nobility. Queens, a borough of New York City, was named after Catherine of Braganza, since she was Queen when Queens County was established in 1683, alongside Kings County.