Archduchess Catherine was born on 14 January 1505, four months after the death of her father, Philip the Handsome. Through her mother, Joanna of Castile, she was also Infanta of Castile. Catherine’s elder brothers were the future Emperors Charles V and Ferdinand I. Her sisters— Eleanor, Isabella, and Maria — became Queens of Portugal and France, Denmark, and Hungary.
Unlike most of her siblings, who were placed in the care of their paternal aunt Margaret, Governess of the Netherlands, Catherine grew up with her mother. Joanna had been declared mentally unstable and was kept in isolation in Tordesillas, Spain. Despite this secluded life, Catherine received a solid humanistic education and became proficient in languages and music.
Catherine’s isolation came to an end at the age of eighteen, when she married her first cousin, King John III of Portugal. As Queen, Catherine was regarded as assertive and decisive, exercising remarkable influence over the government. Alongside her political activity, she was an avid collector of Oriental and exotic goods, especially Chinese porcelain brought overseas by Portuguese traders.
Catherine and John III’s marriage lasted for thirty-two years and produced nine children, although only two survived into adulthood. Once again, the cause of this sad statistic can probably be traced to the parents’ close kinship.
Catherine died at the age of seventy-one. Her bloodline ended with her young grandchildren, who died unmarried.
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