The Union of Arms (in Spanish ''Unión de Armas'') was a political proposal, put forward by

Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, 1st Duke of Sanlúcar, 3rd Count of Olivares, GE, known as the Count-Duke of Olivares (taken by joining both his countship and subsequent dukedom) (6 January 1587 – 22 July 1645), was a Spanish royal favourit ...

for greater military co-operation between the constituent parts of the

composite monarchy A composite monarchy (or composite state) is a historical category, introduced by H. G. Koenigsberger in 1975 and popularised by Sir John H. Elliott, that describes early modern states consisting of several countries under one ruler, sometime ...

ruled by

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered ...

. The plan was for each of the kingdoms ruled by Philip to contribute equitably to a fund from which 140,000 troops would be maintained for the defense of the monarchy. The plan was "a thinly disguised attempt to integrate the fiscal institutions of the empire

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

prompted much opposition in the Indies." Unión de Armas

The division of contributions envisaged was:''Propositie gedaen aen de Staten van Braband door Don Diego van Mexia'' (n.p.d.)
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* Crown of Castile, 44,000 troops *

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the H ...

, 12,000 troops * Kingdom of Aragon, 10,000 troops * Kingdom of Valencia, 6,000 troops * Principality of Catalonia, 16,000 troops * Kingdom of Portugal, 16,000 troops * Kingdom of Naples, 16,000 troops * Kingdom of Sicily, 6,000 troops * Duchy of Milan, 8,000 troops *Mediterranean and Atlantic islands, 6,000 troops Although the proposal ultimately failed, it was an important factor in the growing mistrust of Castilian hegemony that led to the

Reapers' War The Reapers' War ( ca, Guerra dels Segadors, , es, Guerra de los Segadores), also known as the Catalan Revolt, was a conflict that affected a large part of the Principality of Catalonia between the years of 1640 and 1659. It had an enduring ef ...

in Catalonia and the Portuguese Restoration War.

References

Political history of Spain Duchy of Milan 17th century in the Kingdom of Sicily 17th century in the Kingdom of Naples 1626 in the Habsburg Netherlands 1626 in Spain {{politics-stub

See also

Further reading

References