Olivares

The Duke of Olivares led the Spanish government between 1621 and 1643, under King Philip IV (1621-1665) whom he was enjoying the favor. He was devious and cunning leader, he involved Spain in the Thirty Years War alongside the Imperials and had the war with Holland renewed. This proved disastrous and precipitated Spanish decline, with secession of both Catalonia (reunited 1652) and Portugal in 1640. Under his governments, poetry, literature (Calderon) and painting (El Greco, Velasquez, and Murillo) prospered and Spanish modes and customs spread across Europe.