Cat's Historical Doodles

Catherine Henrietta (Portuguese: Catarina Henriqueta) was born on 25 November 1638, in Vila Viçosa, Portugal. She was the second surviving daughter of João, 8th Duke of Braganza and his wife, Luísa de Guzmán. She had two older siblings, Teodósio and Joana, and two younger brothers, Afonso and Pedro. Following the Portuguese Restoration War, her father was acclaimed King João IV of Portugal, on 1 December 1640. With her father's new position as one of Europe's most important monarchs, Catherine became a prime choice for a wife. She was proposed as a bride for John of Austria, François de Vendôme, Louis XIV of France, and Charles II of England. Commonly regarded as the power behind the throne, Queen Luísa was also a devoted mother and she took an active interest in her children's upbringing; she personally supervised Catherine's education. It is believed Catherine spent most of her youth in a convent close by the royal palace, where she remained under her mothe...

Margaret (French: Marguerite) was born during the spring of 1221, in Forcalquier. She was the eldest daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence, and Beatrice of Savoy. She had three younger sisters, who would all become queens like her: Eleanor (Queen of England), Sanchia (Queen of Germany) and Beatrice (Queen of Sicily). Margaret has a especially close relationship with Eleanor, and they remained friends until they grew old. In 1233, Blanche of Castile sent one of her knights to Provence to meet Margaret, whose grace and beauty was famous. Margaret and her father entertained the knight well, and soon Blanche and Ramon Berenguer were negotiating a marriage contract between Margaret and Louis IX of France, Blanche's son. Margaret was escorted to Lyon by her parents, where the marriage treaty was signed. From there, she was escorted to her wedding ceremony, in Sens. On 27 May 1234, Margaret became the wife of Louis IX and Queen of France; she was just 13. The marriage...

Catherine (Spanish: Catalina; Aragonese: Catarina) was born on the night of 16 December 1485, in Alcalá de Henares, Castile. She was the youngest surviving child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. She was a beautiful girl, quite short, with long red hair, big blue eyes, a round face and a fair complexion. Like her sisters, she received the finest education: she studied arithmetic, canon and civil law, classic literature, genealogy and heraldry, history, philosophy, religion and theology. She could speak, read and write in Spanish and Latin, and spoke French and Greek. She was also taught dancing, drawing, embroidery, lace-making, music, sewing, spinning and weaving. Catherine had a strong religious upbringing (her parents were, after all, the Catholic Monarchs) and her Roman Catholic faith would play a major role in her life. At an early age, Catherine was considered a suitable wife for Arthur, Prince of Wales, due to her own English ancestry. At t...

Caroline Josepha Leopoldine Franziska Ferdinanda was born on 22 January 1797, in Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna. She was the daughter of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife, Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily. According to her biographer, the name Maria was not present in the baptismal record of the Archduchess and she only adopted it during her journey to Brazil. Maria Leopoldina was raised in accordance with the educational principles laid down by Emperor Leopold II, her grandfather. Among these, there was the habit of exercising the handwriting by writing the following text several times: Do not oppress the poor. Be charitable. Do not complain about what God has given you, but improve your habits. We must strive earnestly to be good. In addition, she and her sisters were taught French and Latin, as well as drawing, piano, riding and hunting. Maria Leopoldina's passions included natural sciences, especially botany and mineralogy. She was educated according to the three ...

Mary was born on 8 December 1542, at Linlithgow Palace, Scotland. She was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and his French second wife, Marie of Guise . On 14 December, six days after her birth, Mary became Queen of Scotland after the death of her father. As Mary was an infant when she inherited the throne, Scotland was ruled by regents until she became an adult. The Protestant Earl of Arran became the regent until 1554, when Mary's mother managed to remove and succeed him. King Henry VIII of England took the opportunity of the regency to propose an union between the young Queen Mary and his own son, Edward. On 1 July 1543, when Mary was just 6 months old, the Treaty of Greenwich was signed: it promised that at the age of 10 Mary would marry Edward and move to England, where Henry VIII could oversee her upbringing. However, shortly before Mary's coronation (9 September 1543), Scottish merchants headed for France were arrested by Henry VIII, and their goods impound...

Maria Amélia Augusta Eugénia Josefina Luísa Teodolinda Heloísa Francisca Xavier de Paula Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga was born on 1 December 1831, in Paris. She was the only daughter of King Pedro IV of Portugal and Emperor of Brazil and his second wife, Amélie de Beauharnais. Maria Amélia's father was the first Emperor of Brazil and the 29th King of Portugal. However, he gave up the Portuguese throne only two months after his acclamation; he was succeeded by his daughter, Maria II . However, Maria's position was usurped by her uncle (Pedro's younger brother), who took the throne as Miguel I. Anxious to put his daughter back on the throne, Pedro abdicated the Brazilian throne (and was succeeded by his son, Pedro II) and left to Europe with his second wife, who was pregnant with Maria Amélia. Because he wanted to recognise Maria Amélia's rights as a Brazilian princess, Pedro invited various people to watch her birth. The newborn Maria Amélia was a goddaughter of King ...