Lerma Before Olivares

This month sees the 350th anniversary of the death of Gaspar de Guzman, Count-Duke of Olivares, Philip IV of Spain's first minister from 1622 to 1645. Olivares is considered by many to he Spain's most important minister in the seventeenth-century. He has been the subject of a magisterial biography by J.H. Elliott and is a surefire bet for an 'A' level question most summers. However, the attention that has been focused on Olivares is surprising since he was a failure, and he failed on a monumental scale. The very thing he set out to prevent, the decline of Spain, he actually accelerated. What is also surprising is that he has completely overshadowed his predecessor, the Duke of Lerma, Philip III's first minister from 1598 to 1618, who was a success; he adopted a realistic peace policy which better reflected Spain's interests, while at the same time maintaining Spanish prestige at a high level.