Editing Philip IV of Spain (section)

==Domestic policy and the crisis of the monarchy==
[[File:Philip IV of Spain.jpg|thumb|left|A 1656 portrait of Philip]]

Philip had inherited a huge [[Spanish Empire|empire]] from his father, spanning the known world, but many of his most difficult challenges as king would stem from domestic problems in Spain itself. Spain in the early 17th century was a collection of possessions – the kingdoms of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]], [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]], and [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]], the autonomous provinces of [[Kingdom of Valencia|Valencia]] [[Principality of Catalonia|Catalonia]] and [[Four Kingdoms of Andalusia|Andalusia]], complete with the wider provinces of [[Kingdom of Naples|Naples]], the [[Spanish Netherlands|Netherlands]], [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]] etc. – all loosely joined together through the institution of the Castile monarchy and the [[personal union|person]] of Philip IV.<ref>{{harvnb|Parker|1984|p= 61}}</ref> Each part had different taxation, privileges and military arrangements; in practice, the level of taxation in many of the more peripheral provinces was less than that in Castile, but the privileged position of the Castilian nobility at all senior levels of royal appointment was a contentious issue for the less favoured provinces. This loose system had successfully resisted reform and higher taxation before, ironically resulting in Spain's having had historically, up until the 1640s at least, fewer than the usual number of fiscal revolts for an early modern European state.<ref>{{harvnb|Parker|1984|p= 248}}</ref>

In the first years of his reign, heavily influenced by his royal favourite Olivares, Philip focused on efforts to reform the most chaotic aspects of this system. Frustrated by the notorious slowness of the system of royal councils, Philip supported Olivares' establishment of ''juntas'' – small committees designed to circumvent the more formal system and to enact policies quickly. Although successful, these ''juntas'' excluded a number of the traditional grandees and caused resentment.<ref name=Munck53>{{harvnb|Munck|1990| p= 53}}</ref>

Olivares put forward the idea of a ''Unión de Armas'', or '[[Union of Arms]]'. This would have involved establishing a force of 140,000 paid soldiers, supported by equitable taxes from across the Empire, and has been termed 'the most far-sighted proposal of any statesman of the age'.<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|1988|p=44}}</ref> In practice, it met fierce opposition from the various regional assemblies and the plan was withdrawn. During the 1620s, again influenced by a desire to reform Spanish life for the better, Philip also passed considerable legislation with puritanical overtones. In 1623, he closed all the legal [[brothel]]s in Spain, extended the dormant [[sumptuary law]]s on luxury goods and supported [[Pope|Papal]] efforts to regulate priests' sexual behaviour more tightly.<ref>{{harvnb|Haliczer|2002|p=18}}</ref>

[[File:Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) (after) - Philip IV of Spain (1605–1665), on Horseback - 557788 - National Trust.jpg|thumb|An 18th-century portrait of Philip]]

Philip had clear intentions to try to control the [[Currency of Spain|Spanish currency]], which had become increasingly unstable during the reign of his father and grandfather, but in practice, inflation soared.<ref>{{harvnb|Kamen|2005|p=228}}</ref> Partly this was because in 1627 Olivares had attempted to deal with the problem of Philip's [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] bankers – who had proved uncooperative in recent years – by declaring a state bankruptcy.<ref>{{harvnb|Munck|1990| p= 55}}</ref> With the Genoese debt now removed, Olivares hoped to turn to indigenous bankers for renewed funds. In practice, the plan was a disaster. The [[Spanish treasure fleet]] of 1628 was captured by the Dutch, and Spain's ability to borrow and transfer money across Europe declined sharply.

By the 1630s, Philip's domestic policies were being increasingly impacted by the financial pressures of the Thirty Years' War, and in particular the growing war with France. The costs of the war were huge, and whilst they had largely fallen upon Castile, the ability of the crown to raise more funds and men from this source was increasingly limited.<ref name=Munck53/> Philip and his government were desperately trying to reduce the responsibilities of the central government in response to the overstretch of the war, and various reform ideas that might have been pursued during the 1620s were rejected on this basis.<ref>Parker, 2005,{{Clarify|date=May 2010}} p. 81.</ref> Financial restraints and higher taxes were put in place, but Philip was increasingly selling off [[Regalian right|regalian]] and [[feudal]] rights, along with much of the royal estate to fund the conflict.<ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|1988|p=72}}</ref> It has been argued that the fiscal stringencies of the 1630s, combined with the strength and role of Olivares and the ''juntas'', effectively cut Philip off from the three traditional pillars of support for the monarchy: the grandees, the Church and the Council of Castile.<ref name="Stradling, p. 20">{{harvnb|Stradling|1988|p=20}}</ref>

[[File:Habsburg dominions 1700.png|thumb|[[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] possessions in Spain (red), and Austria (yellow)]]
A crisis came in 1640. An attempt by Olivares to intervene in Catalonia to deal with the French invasion threat resulted in revolt and the years long [[Reapers' War]]. An alliance of Catalan rebels and French royal forces proved challenging to suppress, and in trying to mobilise Portuguese noble support for the war, Olivares triggered a second uprising. [[Lisbon]]'s nobles expelled Philip, and gave the throne to the [[House of Braganza]], marking the end of sixty years of the [[Iberian Union]] and the beginning of the [[Portuguese Restoration War]].<ref name="EllRichOl"/> He was succeeded in Portugal in 1640 by [[John IV of Portugal|John IV]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=King John IV - Convent of Christ |trans-title= |author= |work=[[Convent of Christ (Tomar)|Convent of Christ]] |date= |access-date=19 December 2023 |url= http://www.conventocristo.gov.pt/en/index.php?s=white&pid=249 |language=pt}}</ref>

In 1641, [[Gaspar Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, 9th Duke of Medina Sidonia]] attempted another [[Andalusian independentist conspiracy (1641)|rebellion against Philip from Andalusia]], possibly attempting to reproduce the Braganzas' success in Portugal.<ref name="EllRichOl">{{harvnb|Elliot|1991|p=8}}</ref> Although Philip and Olivares were able to repress the ducal revolt, Philip had found himself increasingly isolated. On his return from [[Zaragoza]], where he had been commanding the army, he found only one of the Castilian nobility arrived at court on Easter Day 1641. The threat of Philip's being deposed by the grandees of Castile seemed increasingly real.<ref>{{harvnb|Parker|1984|pages= 262-263}}</ref>

Much shaken by events, Philip's solution was to remove his royal favourite Olivares from office in 1643 in an attempt to compromise with the Spanish elite. He announced he would rule alone, rejecting both the concept of a royal favourite as first minister and the system of ''junta'' government, which he began to dismantle in favour of the older system of royal councils.<ref name="Polisensky, p. 224"/> Clemency was shown to the Duke of Medina Sidonia. The situation began to stabilise, and before long Philip felt secure enough to revert to his preferred method of government. [[Luis de Haro]], Olivares' nephew, took over as favourite and minister and the counter-reform of the ''juntas'' halted. The spark of reform from Philip's earlier years never returned, however. The Catalan rebellion dragged on for several years. In 1652, the Spanish army [[Siege of Barcelona (1651)|retook Barcelona]] and Philip issued an amnesty for the rebels, promising to respect traditional customs and rights in the future.<ref>{{harvnb|Zagorin|1992|p=37}}</ref>