Abstract
Stuart consorts Catherine of Braganza and Mary of Modena joined a line of English and European queens repairing to spa waters to assist fertility. Following the Restoration of the English monarchy in 1660, Catherine and Mary assumed substantial responsibility to provide heirs for the reinstated Stuart dynasty. Both women faced prolonged difficulties conceiving and giving birth, yet they asserted their commitment to childbearing and the possibility that they would bear children through their appearance in the spa towns of Bath and Tunbridge Wells. The queen’s presence at the waters was appropriated in public discourse and memory, transforming spas from medical and social locations into political spaces, and asserting the political nature of the queen’s fertility.
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