The Conspiracy of the Ninth Duke of Medina Sidonia (1641): An Aristocrat in the Crisis of the Spanish Empire

206 Pages·2013·1.469 MB·English

by  Luis Salas Almela

The Conspiracy of the Ninth Duke
of Medina Sidonia (1641)
The Medieval and Early
Modern Iberian World
(Formerly Medieval Iberian Peninsula)
Edited by
Larry J. Simon (Western Michigan University)
Gerard Wiegers (University of Amsterdam)
Arie Schippers (University of Amsterdam)
Mercedes García-Arenal (CCHS/CSIC)
Isidro J. Rivera (University of Kansas)
VOLUME 52
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/memi
The Conspiracy of the Ninth
Duke of Medina Sidonia (1641)
An Aristocrat in the Crisis of the Spanish Empire
By
Luis Salas Almela
Translated by
Ruth MacKay
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2013
Cover illustration: Details of the painting Don Gaspar Alonso Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, IX duke
of Medina Sidonia, in the pacification of the Algarve in 1638, Anonymus, 1638. Fundación Casa de
Medina Sidonia, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz, Spain.
Composed by José María García Redondo
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Salas Almela, Luis, 1972-
 The conspiracy of the ninth Duke of Medina Sidonia (1641) : an aristocrat in the crisis of the
Spanish empire / by Luis Salas Almela ; translated by Ruth MacKay.
  pages cm. -- (The medieval and early modern Iberian world ; volume 52)
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBN 978-90-04-25526-5 (hardback : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-90-04-25575-3 (e-book) 1. Pérez
de Guzmán, Gaspar Alonso, duque de Medina Sidonia, 1602-1664. 2. Spain--History--Philip IV,
1621-1665. 3. Medina Sidonia (Spain)--History--17th century. 4. Andalusia (Spain)--History--17th
century. 5. Philip IV, King of Spain, 1605-1665. I. Mackay, Ruth, translator. II. Title.
 DP185.9.P47S25 2013
 946’.052092--dc23
2013029436
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters
covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the
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ISSN 1569-1934
ISBN 978-90-04-25526-5 (hardback)
ISBN 978-90-04-25575-3 (e-book)
Copyright 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing,
IDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
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This book is printed on acid-free paper.
To Martina and Laura,
For giving me so much, every day;
And to the memory of Bernarda Salas,
Whose powerful light of goodness
I hope now to reflect upon them

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................ix
List of Abbreviations ...............................................................................................xi
Note on Currencies ................................................................................................xiii
List of Illustrations .................................................................................................xv
Maps .........................................................................................................................xvii
Introduction ...............................................................................................................1
PART ONE
WITH ALL HIS POWER AND AUTHORITY
1 The inheritance of a Duke of Medina Sidonia ...........................................11
 1.1 An Andalusian Seigneurial Estate .........................................................12
 1.2 Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Ducal Finances .....................................14
 1.3 The Military Career of a Duke of Medina Sidonia............................19
 1.4  The Medina Sidonia and the Olivares Government:
Family and Politics ....................................................................................24
2 Tension and Rupture in the Hispanic Empire (1636–1640) ....................27
 2.1 Shoring up Prestige ...................................................................................27
 2.2 Relations with Morocco ...........................................................................38
 2.3 Defeat and more War (1639–1640) ........................................................46
PART TWO
THE END OF MYTHICAL FIDELITY: THE CONSPIRACY
3 The Conspiracy (1640–1642) ...........................................................................59
 3.1  Portugal: Casting Off the Ties of Obedience (December
1640–July 1641) ............................................................................................59
 3.2  Conspiracy, Denunciation, and Pardon (August 1641–May
1642) ..............................................................................................................77
 3.3  A Trip Without Permission and the Impossible Prosecution
(June 1642–January 1643) ......................................................................112
 3.4 From Loyalty to Rupture.......................................................................125
viii contents
4 Punishment (1643–1667) .................................................................................133
 4.1  The Fall of Olivares and Punishment without Verdict
(February 1643–1648) .............................................................................133
 4.2 The Fall of a Great Seigneurial House (1648–1667) ........................142
 4.3 The Tragic Fate of the Marquis of Ayamonte ................................151
Epilogue: An Overlooked Imperial Transformation ...................................159
Bibliography ..........................................................................................................169
Index ........................................................................................................................175