Editing John IV of Portugal (section)

=== Accession ===
[[File:JoaoIV Google Arts Project.jpg|thumb|left|upright|John as king of Portugal by [[José de Avelar Rebelo]], {{circa|1640s}}.]]
When [[Philip II of Portugal]] (III of Spain) died, he was succeeded by his son [[Philip IV of Spain|Philip III]] (IV of Spain), who had a different approach to Portuguese issues. Taxes on the Portuguese merchants were raised, the Portuguese nobility began to lose its influence, and government posts in Portugal were increasingly occupied by Spaniards. Ultimately, Philip III tried to make Portugal a Spanish province, meaning Portuguese nobles stood to lose all of their power.

This situation culminated in a revolution organized by the nobility and the ''[[bourgeoisie]]'',<ref name="Torgal 1981"/> executed on 1 December 1640, sixty years after the accession of [[Philip II of Spain]] to the throne of Portugal. A plot was planned by several associates, known as the [[Forty Conspirators]], who killed the [[Secretary of State (Ancient Regime in Spain)|Secretary of State]], [[Miguel de Vasconcelos]], and imprisoned the king's cousin, [[Margaret of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal|Margaret of Savoy]], the [[Vicereine]] of Portugal, governing the country in the King's name. Philip's troops were at the time fighting the [[Thirty Years' War]] and also dealing with a [[Reapers' War|revolution in Catalonia]], which severely hampered Spain's ability to quash the rebellion.

Within a matter of hours and with popular support, John, then the 8th [[Duke of Braganza]], was acclaimed as King John IV of Portugal<ref name="Torgal 1981"/> (as the legend goes, with the persuasion of [[Luisa de Guzman|his wife]]), claiming legitimate succession through his grandmother [[Catherine, Duchess of Braganza]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Davenport|first=Frances Gardiner|title=European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and Its Dependencies to 1648|year=2004|publisher=The Lawbook Exchange|isbn=978-1584774228|page=324|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mDPF4ILESaUC&q=john+iv+King+philip+iv&pg=PA324}}</ref> The ensuing conflict with Spain brought Portugal into the Thirty Years' War as, at least, a peripheral player. From 1641 to 1668, the period during which the two nations were at war, Spain sought to isolate Portugal militarily and diplomatically, and Portugal tried to find the resources to maintain its independence through political alliances and maintenance of its colonial income.