El duque de Medina Sidonia en la crisis de 1640: contexto e hipótesis para una conjura

Abstract

This article explores the trends and desires of the ducal house of Medina Sidonia in the years prior to the conspiracy of the IX duke against Philip IV of Spain. These circumstances comprise a wide range of elements, including –among others– the state of the Spanish Atlantic trade and the political relation between the Spanish government and the kingdom of Portugal after the disturbances of Evora (1637-1638). By this, the article offers a different perspective of the famous conspiracy, adopting the point of view of the history of the Medina Sidonia’s and their relations with the Castilian Crown. As a conclusion, the author raises the different options that the IX duke faced up to in the dramatic moths that overcame in the Spanish Monarchy after the row of defeats in the years of 1639 and 1640, discussing those options under the light of the general crisis of the Spanish Monarchy.