ABSTRACT
Catherine of Braganza has often been overlooked in early modern historiography in favour of King Charles II’s mistresses due to her lack of political influence and her childlessness. Yet, what has not been considered before is how Catherine, through her influence as a devout Catholic Portuguese princess, was able to provide opportunities for English Catholics to gain prominent roles in her household that were otherwise denied to them because of their recusancy. This chapter examines Catherine of Braganza’s relationship with her English Catholic household by scrutinizing how she exercised patronage through her servants, who acted as agents on her behalf throughout her tenure as queen. The chapter highlights how Catherine gradually warmed to her English ‘family’, and proposes that, despite political crises that threatened to destroy her relationships, she had forged close bonds with her English Catholic servants by the end of her life.
