Cat's Historical Doodles

Isabella (Portuguese: Isabel) was born on 21 February 1397, in Évora. She was daughter of King João I of Portugal and his wife, Philippa of Lancaster . Isabella was the fourth child and only daughter to survive to adulthood. Philippa instilled in all her children, including Isabella, a sense of duty, faith and belief in education. Isabella was an avid reader and was interested in politics. Her father ensured that she was given a good understanding of politics, joining her brothers in their instructions in affairs of state. Isabella became proficient in Latin, French, English and Italian; she was fond of riding and hunting. In 1415, Isabella received an offer of marriage from her cousin, King Henry V of England, an effort to form closer links with Portugal against France. The negotiations failed and Isabella remained unmarried. 1415 was also the year she grieved the death of her mother, with whom she had a close relationship. At the age of 30, Isabella was still unmarrie...

Maria (aka The Most Beautiful Maria ) was born on 9 February 1313; she was the first daughter of King Afonso IV of Portugal and his wife, Beatrice of Castile. In 1328, Maria married King Alfonso XI of Castile. Their relationship was unhappy: from 1327, Alfonso had a mistress, Leonor de Guzmán, who gave him ten children, including the future King Henry II of Castile. Maria did not participate in the affairs of the court, being relegated by the mistress Leonor and it is quite likely that she spent long periods secluded at the Royal Monastery of San Clemente in Seville. Maria and Alfonso had two sons: Fernando (died aged 1) and Peter (who succeeded his father as King of Castile). In 1335, Maria returned to her father, who had demanded that Alfonso separated from Leonor by use of alliances with the Pope, the Muslims and rebels in Castile, and finally by an invasion. In July 1340, in the peace treaty of Seville, Alfonso agreed to have Leonor imprisoned in a convent, thereby secu...

Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana was born on 17 December 1734 at the Ribeira Palace, in Lisbon. She was daughter of King José of Portugal (not yet king) and his wife, Mariana Victoria of Spain. On the day of her birth, her grandfather, King João V of Portugal , created her Princess of Beira. When her father succeeded to the throne in 1750, Maria (aged 16) became his heiress presumptive and was given the traditional titles of Princess of Brazil and Duchess of Braganza. Maria grew up in a time when her father’s government was dominated completely by the Marquis of Pombal. He took control of the government after the terrible Lisbon earthquake of 1 November 1755, in which around 100000 people lost their lives. After the earthquake, King José was often uncomfortable at the thought of staying in enclosed spaces, and later suffered from claustrophobia. He then had a palace built away from the city centre, which became known as Real Barraca de Ajuda (Royal ...

João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo was born on 22 October 1689, in Lisbon. He was son of King Pedro II of Portugal and his wife, Queen Maria Sophia . João had a stimulating upbringing surrounded by Europe’s most brilliant minds. The political policies of King Pedro II made the Portuguese court wealthy, the economy stable and the military strong. This made a richly varied and interesting childhood possible for the young Infante. As a child, he was under the tutelage and influence of the Jesuits, and learned military education, politics, astronomy, nautical studies, mathematics and history. J ust over a month before João’s 10th birthday, his mother died aged just 33. This caused João to retreat from court and become depressed. The former Queen of England, his aunt Catherine , returned to Portugal to help João and take control of his education. She remained his tutor and female role model until her death in 1705. The death of his sister, Teresa Maria, in February 1704 gr...

Pedro de Alcântara Maria Fernando Miguel Rafael Gonzaga Xavier João António Leopoldo Vitor Francisco de Assis Júlio Amélio was born on 16 September 1837, in Lisbon. He was the eldest son of Queen Maria II of Portugal , and her husband, Ferdinand II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. As the eldest son of the monarch, Pedro was the heir apparent to the throne and was titled Prince Royal (Príncipe Real). Although he was very young when he became King of Portugal (just 16 years old!), Pedro was considered by many as an exemplary monarch. He reconciled the people with the royal family, after his mother's reign had been borne of a civil war. His father played a very important role in the beginning of Pedro's reign, serving as regent and advising the young King. Pedro is often described as a socially conscious king due to his education, which included community-related work and a wide knowledge of the European continent. He also studied sciences and philosophy and was fluent in G...

Afonso was born on 21 August 1643, in Lisbon; he was the second son of King João IV of Portugal and his wife, Luísa de Guzmán. When Afonso was born, he was only an Infante of Portugal and was not destined to be King; that was going to be the role of his older brother, the brilliant Prince Teodósio of Braganza. Unlike his siblings (Teodósio, Joana, Catarina and Pedro), Afonso spent his childhood and youth in Lisbon. When he was 3 or 4 years old, he fell ill with a fever that paralysed the right side of his body and left him mentally unstable. On 13 May 1653, Teodósio died, and Joana became the heir to the throne. However, this arrangement didn't last long, as Joana died on 17 November of the same year, leaving Afonso as the heir. In 1656, King João IV died and Afonso, aged just 13, became King of Portugal. His age didn't allow him to govern and his mental abilities were doubtful at best, so Queen Luísa assumed the regency. She remained in this position for six yea...

Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa, better known as Bárbara, was born on 4 December 1711, in Lisbon. She was the eldest child of King João V of Portugal and his wife, Maria Anna of Austria. Although her parents were married in 1708, they remained childless for nearly 3 years. The King had made a promise to God that if an heir was born, a great convent would be built as a sign of gratitude. Bárbara was born and, as promised, the King had the Convent of Mafra built. When Bárbara was born, she was the presumptive heir to the Portuguese throne, so she received the title of Princess of Brazil. She was supplanted when her mother gave birth to a son, Pedro. Pedro would die two years later but, by then, Maria Anna had given birth to the future King, José. Bárbara received a fine education and loved music. A talented harpsichord player, she was taught by Domenico Scarlatti, a great musician and composer. In 1729, at the age of 18, Bárbara married...

Maria Sophia Elisabeth was born on 6 August 1666 at the Schloss Benrath, outside Düsseldorf. She was daughter of Philip William, Count Palatine of Neuburg, and Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. In 1685, Maria Sophia's father became Elector Palatine, an inheritance that greatly benefitted he family's status. Maria Sophia's sister, Eleonore Magdalena married Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, due to the family's reputation as producing fertile women. After two marriages, Leopold I had no male heirs; Eleonore Magdalena quickly fulfilled her duty and gave birth to two sons. A similar succession crisis was occurring in Portugal. Isabel Luísa, Princess of Beira, heiress to the throne and sole daughter of King Pedro II, was childless and had been refused by most European sovereigns due to her sickly nature and strict Portuguese succession rights. As a result, the Portuguese ambassador was sent to Heidelberg to ask for the hand of Maria Sophia for his King. The marria...

Doña Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana was born in the Royal Palace of Aranjuez on 25 April 1775. She was the second child of Charles, Prince of Asturias and his wife, Maria Luisa of Parma. Carlota Joaquina received a rigid and deeply Catholic education, and studied religion, geography, painting and riding. The closed and austere temperament of the Spanish monarchy imposed on the family and the court rigid norms of behaviour and etiquette. King Charles III was a reserved man, devoted to his family rather than the animations of the courtesan life, where his daughter in law, Maria Luisa, took part. Carlota Joaquina's mother assumed the organisation of the court's entertainments, with luxurious parties where morals were easily forgotten. Soon, Maria Luisa's image would be linked to that of a promiscuous woman who betrayed her husband. Not even the successive pregnancies and the birth of a long-hoped living male heir saved Maria Luisa from the contempt of the population. S...

Maria da Glória Joana Carlota Leopoldina da Cruz Francisca Xavier de Paula Isidora Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga was born on 4 April 1819, in Rio de Janeiro. She was the eldest daughter of the future King Pedro IV of Portugal (and first Emperor of Brazil), and his first wife, Maria Leopoldina of Austria . The death of Maria's grandfather, King João VI of Portugal, in March 1826 sparked a succession crisis in Portugal. The King had a male heir, Pedro, but he had proclaimed the independence of Brazil a few years before, in 1822, making himself Emperor. The King also had a second son, Miguel, but he was exiled in Austria after leading a number of revolutions against his father. Before his death, João had nominated his favourite daughter, Isabel Maria, to serve as regent until the legitimate heir returned to the Kingdom . However, he failed to specify which of his sons was the heir: Pedro, the liberal or Miguel, the absolutist. Most people considered Pedro the legitimate ...

Philippa (Portuguese: Filipa) was born on 31 March 1360, in Leicester. She was the oldest child of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and his wife, Blanche of Lancaster. Philippa spent her infancy moving around the properties owned by her family with her mother and her wet-nurse, Maud. She was raised and educated with alongside her two siblings, Elizabeth and Henry. Blanche of Lancaster died of plague in 1369 and, in 1371, her father remarried: the chosen wife was Infanta Constance of Castile. In 1394, Constance died and John of Gaunt remarried yet again, this time to his mistress, Katherine Swynford (Katherine had been Philippa's governess). This affair and eventual marriage was considered scandalous. Katherine Swynford seems to have been well liked by Philippa and her siblings; she played an important role in Philippa's education. Katherine was related to Geoffrey Chaucer, since her sister (also called Philippa) was his wife. John of Gaunt became Chaucer's pat...