17th-Century Spain: Habsburg Rule & Internal Conflicts
17th-Century Spain: The Minor Habsburgs and Internal Conflicts
Philip III, Philip IV, and Charles II, Habsburgs called the Juniors, reigned in the 17th century. It was a century of decline, both politically and economically, inseparable from the general European crisis.
Philip III (1598-1621)
Philip III left power in the hands of his favorite, the Duke of Lerma, who became rich and distributed offices among relatives. The court moved to Valladolid in 1600 for six years. The expulsion of the Moors (1609) – due to practicing their religion in secret and fears that they would help the Turks – led to the departure of nearly 300,000 Moors, contributing to the artisan and agricultural decline of the orchards of Valencia and Aragon.
Philip IV (1621-1655)
A nature worshiper, but weak, Philip IV put the government in the hands of his favorite, Count-Duke of Olivares. To strengthen the monarchy, Olivares launched a reform program that sought the legal unification of the kingdoms following the centralist model of Castile. With the Union of Arms, the cost of the army would be spread among all realms. However, these measures and his authoritarianism provoked uprisings in Andalusia, Aragon, and Naples, which were quickly subdued. More serious were the rebellions for independence of Catalonia and Portugal in 1640. In Catalonia, the reapers assassinated the Viceroy (Corpus de Sang) and received help from France in the war. Catalonia was submitted in 1652, and the king pledged to maintain its privileges. In Portugal, the Duke of Braganza was appointed king and achieved separation in 1668 thanks to European support. Olivares was removed from government by Philip IV in 1643.
Charles II (1665-1700)
Weak and sickly, Charles II was under the regency of his mother, Mariana of Austria. He was succeeded by the favorites Nithard, Don John of Austria, and Valenzuela. When he died childless, he left the throne to Philip of Anjou, which established the Bourbons in Spain after the War of the Spanish Succession.
Pre-Roman Peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC, the Iberian Peninsula was a mosaic of peoples living in the Iron Age or Protohistory. They were grouped into two major cultural groups:
- Iberian Peoples (south and east): Showed the cultural influence of the Phoenicians and Greeks. They spoke the same language and knew writing. Their economy was based on agriculture but also included commercial activities, and they used currency. They were politically organized in city-states under the rule of kings (reguli) or assemblies. Their walled settlements were located in high places. Society was hierarchical, ranging from aristocrats to slaves, and had personal relationships (such as “Iberian devotio”). Their art was important (“Damas de Elche” and Baza ceramics).
- Indigenous Celtic Peoples (northern, central, west): Were of Indo-European origin and were further behind the Iberians. The central and western peoples (Vacceos, Vettones, Carpetani, Lusitanians) had an agricultural or livestock-based production, with little trade and no currency used. Society was organized into tribes, grouped by kinship clans, and ruled by a warrior aristocracy, elected based on personal prestige. The peoples of the north (Galicians, Asturians, Cantabrians, Basques) were the most backward due to their geographic isolation. They were farmers and fishermen, and their settlements (forts) were strongly walled. The Celtiberians of the central-eastern part of the plateau were Iberians who had assimilated Celtic culture.