PHILIP IV, king of SPAIN. — B. in Madrid on 18 April 1578, d. on 17 Sept. 1605. He married Isabella of Bourbon and then Mariana of Austria. He ascended the throne in 1621. He was intelligent and cultivated (he translated into Spanish the *Storia d’Italia* of Guicciardini), but of weak and indolent character; for more than twenty years government was in the hands of the Duke of Olivares (q.v.).
Moreover, Philip suffered the misfortune of having to contend in the international arena with adversaries such as Richelieu and Mazarin. In 1635 France declared war on Spain: after some initial successes, the Spaniards were defeated at Rocroi and Lens. The Peace of Westphalia recognized the independence of the Netherlands. During the conflict Catalonia had rebelled, and in 1640 Portugal declared itself independent, proclaiming as king the Duke of Braganza (John IV). The dismissal of Olivares did not suffice to restore Spanish fortunes, and Spain was finally forced to yield and accept the Treaty of the Pyrenees, which sanctioned its decline. By his testament Philip left the throne to his son Charles II, stipulating that in default of heirs male it should pass to his sister Margaret, married to the Emperor Leopold, excluding his other sister Marie Thérèse, wife of Louis XIV, and her descendants.
