Gaspar de Guzman Count-Duke of Olivares

Gaspar de Guzm

Olivares proposed the Union of Arms, a plan to create a unified army drawn from all Spanish kingdoms. The plan was resisted by the various realms, particularly Catalonia, and contributed to the outbreak of the Catalan Revolt in 1640.

Portugal declared independence from Spain, beginning the Portuguese Restoration War. Olivares's centralizing policies and heavy taxation had alienated the Portuguese nobility, leading to the revolt that ultimately ended the Iberian Union.

Olivares was dismissed by Philip IV after a series of military defeats and political failures. He was forced into exile and died shortly after, marking the end of his ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to centralize and revive the Spanish Empire.