Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza (; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was queen consort of England, of Scotland and of Ireland from 1662 to 1685, as the wife of King Charles II. She was the daughter of King John IV, who became the first king of Portugal from the House of Braganza in 1640 after overthrowing the rule of the Spanish Habsburgs over Portugal. Catherine served as regent of Portugal during the absence of her brother in 1701 and during 1704–1705, after her return to her homeland as a widow. Owing to her devotion to the Roman
House of Braganza atop the Portuguese Crown Sceptre, the Sceptre of the Dragon and the Sceptre of the Emperor of Brazil. The wyvern is also sometimes used as a supporter in the coat of arms of both the Brazilian and Portuguese branches of the family. Because of its use in heraldry by the Braganza as the ruling house, and given Pedro IV's link with Porto, a dragon was added to the old coat of arms of the municipality of Porto and is still a part of FC Porto's coat of arms, who are nicknamed "The Dragons". Since the 17th century, the House of