Baltasar de Zuniga

Baltasar de Zuniga came from a powerful Spanish noble family. He served Philip III as ambassador to Brussels, Paris and Vienna between 1599 and 1617. In the latter position he was instrumental in Spain's intervention in the Thirty Years War. In 1618, he managed to remove the Duke of Lerma as Philip III's key advisor, a position he then overtook himself. De Zuniga's nephew, Olivares, was placed in the household of Prince Philip - later Philip IV - to assure continued dominance at the royal court.