Luisa of Medina-Sidonia
| Luisa de Guzmán | |
|---|---|
Portrait attributed to Alonzo Cano, 1632
|
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| Queen consort of Portugal | |
| Tenure | 1 December 1640 – 6 November 1656 |
| Born |
31 October 1613 Sanlúcar, Spain |
| Died | 27 February 1666 (aged 52) Lisbon, Portugal |
| Burial | Pantheon of the Braganzas |
| Spouse | João IV of Portugal |
| Issue | |
| House | Medina Sidonia |
| Father | Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán |
| Mother | Juana Gómez de Sandoval |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Luisa María Francisca de Guzmán y Sandoval (Portuguese: Luísa Maria Francisca de Gusmão; 13 October 1613 – 27 February 1666) was a queen consort of Portugal. She was the spouse of King John IV, the first Braganza ruler, as well as the mother of two kings of Portugal (Afonso VI and Peter II) and a queen of England (Catherine of Braganza). She served as regent of Portugal de jure from 1656 until 1662, and de facto until her death in 1666.
Luisa was Spanish by birth, the daughter of Juan Manuel Pérez de Guzmán, 8th Duke of Medina Sidonia, and Juana Lorenza Gomez de Sandoval y la Cerda. Her paternal grandfather was the renowned Alonso de Guzmán, "El Bueno". She married a high ranking Portuguese noble John, 8th Duke of Braganza in 1633, during the period of the Iberian Union .
Despite her Spanish roots, the ambitious, willful and ruthless Luisa guided her husband's policies during the Portuguese revolution against Habsburg Spain of 1640. She is considered the main influence behind his acceptance of the Portuguese throne when the Revolution seemed to tend to the Portuguese side. It is said that being warned of the dangers of becoming queen of a country that was to face Spain's might she pronounced the famous words:
Antes Rainha um dia que Duquesa toda a vida.
Rather Queen for a day than Duchess all my life.
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