Vertrek van Catharina van Bragança naar Engeland, 20 april 1662 1662

This engraving by Matthäus Merian the Younger depicts Catherine of Braganza's departure to England in 1662. Catherine, a Portuguese princess, was to marry Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The marriage, like many royal unions, was a strategic alliance rooted in both politics and economics, which reflects the intersection of gender, power, and international relations. Catherine's identity as a woman was crucial in cementing diplomatic ties between Portugal and England, and she brought with her a substantial dowry that included territories and trade concessions. But consider her personal journey: leaving her home, her family, and her culture to enter a foreign land, to fulfill a role largely determined by her birth. Merian’s print reduces her to a symbolic figure within a larger political narrative. What does it mean to be a woman whose life is determined by state affairs, and whose personal emotions are subsumed by duty? The print is an artifact of the era, a celebration of power and alliance, yet it also serves as a stark reminder of the personal sacrifices often demanded by political marriages.