Monarquía hispánica - History Lab https://historylab.es Wed, 18 May 2022 10:56:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://historylab.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-icono-historylab-32x32.jpg Monarquía hispánica - History Lab https://historylab.es 32 32 The felling of the Olivares https://historylab.es/the-felling-of-the-olivares/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-felling-of-the-olivares Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:35 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/la-tala-de-los-olivares/ Satirical pasquín against the Count Duke of Olivares on his fall from grace

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]]> In the mid-17th century the Spanish Monarchy attempted to reassert its supremacy in Europe. For this purpose, the Count Duke of Olivares, the valide of Philip IV, was at the head of the government. Spain’s entry into the Thirty Years’ War began with some success. However, from 1640 onwards, the monarchy was showing signs of exhaustion. This weakness was compounded by the entry of France in 1635, which was determined to break the Augsburg pincer and thus establish itself as the hegemonic power in Europe. Attempts to make the Catalan Generalitat contribute to the war effort, together with the uncomfortable presence of the tercios, ended up causing a huge problem. The Catalan territory was seduced and placed under the sovereignty of Louis XIII. Attempts to recover this territory failed in 1642, which spelled the end for Olivares. With the fall of such a powerful figure, his enemies took advantage of the situation to make fun of his fall from grace. This led to the popularity of pasquines that satirised the disaster the Valide had committed, calling into question the reputation of the monarchy.

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]]> Royal letters https://historylab.es/royal-letters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=royal-letters Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:35 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/cartas-reales/ Permission from Philip IV in 1630 for Dutch ships to supply wheat to the city of Valencia because of the needs it was experiencing

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]]> In the modern age, trade flows were often separated from political issues. At such a delicate time as 1630, the city of Valencia was in great trouble due to a shortage of wheat and rising prices. Amparo Felipo Orts states that this situation, which in reality responded to a European situation, had been occurring since 1628. Outbreaks of plague prevented supplies from Catalonia or France, so urgent decisions had to be taken. At that time, the Catholic Monarchy was at war with the Low Countries and England, so apparently the trade routes had broken down. The city’s need led Philip IV to agree to Dutch ships supplying the city of Valencia with wheat, despite the fact that legislation forbade trade with enemies. From a historical perspective, the supply of fish, so important for the Catholic rite, had not been interrupted since the time of Philip II with England, nor had trade with France. This makes it necessary to consider trade issues not necessarily linked to the political situation.

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]]> Londoño to García de Toledo https://historylab.es/londono-to-garcia-de-toledo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=londono-to-garcia-de-toledo Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:35 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/londono-a-garcia-de-toledo/ Fragment of text in which Londoño writes to García de Toledo about the events of the siege of Malta by the Ottomans in 1565

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]]> The siege of Malta in 1565 was an operation deployed by the Sublime Porte with the aim of eradicating the Christian corsairs that hindered commercial traffic in the Mediterranean under Ottoman rule. With the arrival of a spectacular army and navy, little progress was made given the strong resistance put up by the Maltese from their fortresses. The exhaustion of the Ottoman army and its Algerian allies, together with the news that Philip II agreed to help the Maltese, led to a rapid retreat that ended in a resounding defeat. The failure in Malta was one of the last attempts by the Sublime Porte to show interest in the Western Mediterranean and a moralising victory for the Catholic Monarchy after the disaster of Los Gelves in 1560. This victory was to be joined by that of Lepanto in 1571, which occurred only a few years later.

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