the armies of Philip IV of Spain

The reign of Philip IV of Spain is fascinating, as after a century of dominance in Europe, the Spanish hegemony was seriously challenged by France. At the beginning of Philip IV's reign, Spanish dominions were vast, not only in Europe but also in South America, Asia and Africa. The defence policy of such vast territories was established in the seventeenth century and consisted of the deployment of two core armies, in the Low Countries and in northern Italy, the maintenance of strategic garrisons, and of fleets in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean to control communications between all the territories of the monarchy.