Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal

Catherine of Austria, also called Catherine of Castile or Catherine of Burgundy (14 January 1507 – 12 February 1578) was (as wife of King John III of Portugal) Queen consort of Portugal. She was the regent of Portugal during the minority of her grandson from 1557 until 1562.

Biography

An Infanta of Castile, Archduchess of Austria and Princess of Burgundy, she was the posthumous daughter of Philip of Habsburg by Joanna of Castile

This article is about the daughter of Philip I of Castile and Joanna of Castile. For the Polish queen consort in the same dynasty, see Catherine of Austria , also not to be confused with Catherine of Aragon. She was named in honor of her maternal aunt, Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII of England.

She remained with her disturbed mother until the arrival in Spain of her eldest siblings (Eleanor and Charles), all her elder siblings (bar her brother Ferdinand, who had also been born in Spain, and raised by their grandfather) had been put into the care of Margaret of Austria, but Joanna kept hold of her young daughter Catherine; Catherine was kept with her mother in her prison cell during her grandfather's time as regent. Catherine and two ladies-in-waiting stayed with Joanna. Catherine had nothing to do all day, except to look out of the window. Eleanor brought about the creation of her own household within the castle that her mother was virtually imprisoned in. She was a younger sister of Eleanor......
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