Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, 1st Count-Duke Olivares, the chief minister of Philip IV, in the face of the increased French threat  and the need to raise men, money and arms to defend the Peninsula, had sent his army of nine thousand men into Catalonia expecting relatively limited resistance.

Catalan peasants, who have been forced to quarter Castilian troop during his wars against France, respond May 1640 on Corpus Christi day with an uprising known as 'Bloody Corpus' (Catalan Corpus de Sang), under the slogans "Long live the faith of Christ!", "Long live the king of Spain, our lord", "Long live the land, death to bad government".

This 'Bloody Corpus', which begins with the death of a segador, a reaper, and leads to the somewhat mysterious death of Dalmau de Queralt, the Count of Santa Coloma and Spanish viceroy of Catalonia, marks the beginning of the conflict.

The situation takes Olivares by surprise, with most of the Spanish army fighting on other fronts far from Catalonia.

The Catalan Revolt is known in Catalan as the Guerra dels Segadors or Reapers' War.

The irregular militia involved are known as 'Miquelets': the name is a diminutive of Michael; it is claimed it comes from Miguel or Miquelot de Prats, a Catalonian mercenary captain in the service of Cesare Borgia.

The term is used for many unconnected groups of Catalonians who take up arms in many wars, as well as in banditry; the term is generic rather than referring to a specific militia.

Many denounce Richelieu as a traitor to the Roman Catholic Church because he has openly aligned France with Protestant powers.

Military hostilities had at first been disastrous for the French, with many victories going to Spain and the Empire.

Neither side, however, can obtain a decisive advantage, and the conflict will linger on until after Richelieu's death.

Richelieu is instrumental in redirecting the Thirty Years' War from the conflict of Protestantism versus Catholicism to that of nationalism versus Habsburg hegemony.

In this conflict, France is effectively draining the already overstretched resources of the Habsburg empire and driving it inexorably towards bankruptcy.

Richelieu is fully aware of the fact that France is operating under strained circumstances.

She is at war with Castile; she has to control rebellions within France that are supported and financed by Madrid; and she has to send French armies to fight the Spanish Habsburgs on three different fronts.

Philip IV of Spain reigns, under various titles, in Flanders and Franche-Comté, to the north and east of France in addition to their shared frontier at the Pyrenees,

Moreover, Philip IV controls large territories in Italy, where he can, at will, impose a fourth front by attacking French-controlled Savoy, where Christine Marie of France is acting as regent on behalf of her young son, Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy.

Spain enjoys a reputation as having the most formidable military force in Europe, a reputation they had gained with the introduction of the arquebus.

The consummate statesman, Richelieu, therefore decides to force Philip IV to look to his own internal problems.

In order to divert the Spanish troops besieging France, Louis XIII, on the advice of Richelieu, supports the claim of João IV of Portugal during the Acclamation War.

This is done on the reasoning that a Portuguese war will drain Spanish resources and manpower.

The Portuguese Restoration War and the End of the Iberian Union (1640–1668)

On December 1, 1640, a coup d’état in Lisbon ended sixty years of Spanish rule over Portugal, restoring Portuguese independence under the House of Bragança. The revolution was driven by Portuguese nobles and merchants, who had grown resentful of Spanish control, heavy taxation, and political marginalization under Philip IV of Spain (Philip III of Portugal).

Background: Rising Tensions Under Spanish Rule

• Since Philip II of Spain (Philip I of Portugal) had claimed the Portuguese crown in 1580, Spain and Portugal had been in a personal union under the Spanish Habsburgs (Philippine Dynasty).

• By the 1630s, Spanish rule had become increasingly oppressive:

  • Portuguese nobles lost influence in the Spanish Cortes, and government positions in Portugal were given to Spaniards.
  • Taxes on Portuguese merchants increased, fueling economic hardship.
  • Spanish Prime Minister Olivares sought to fully integrate Portugal as a Spanish province, threatening the nobility’s power.

• In 1640, with Spain already struggling against Catalan rebels (Reapers' War) and the Thirty Years' War, the moment was ripe for a Portuguese rebellion.

The Coup d’État of December 1, 1640

• The revolution was led by three key nobles:

  • Antão Vaz de Almada
  • Miguel de Almeida
  • João Pinto Ribeiro

• They stormed the Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, killing the Secretary of State, Miguel de Vasconcelos, who had been Spain’s chief administrator in Portugal.

• The Duchess of Mantua, Philip IV’s cousin and his regent in Portugal, was imprisoned.

• The coup was swift and widely supported, and within hours, John, 8th Duke of Bragança, was acclaimed as King João IV of Portugal.

• By December 2, João IV was already issuing royal decrees, acting as sovereign of the restored kingdom.

The Immediate Response: Strengthening Portugal’s Defenses

To secure Portugal’s independence, João IV took several urgent measures:

1. December 11, 1640: Creation of the Council of War

   • Organized military strategy and defense operations against an expected Spanish counterattack.

2. Formation of the Junta of the Frontiers

   • Strengthened fortresses along the Spanish border.
   • Organized the defense of Lisbon and other strategic cities and ports.

3. Seeking Foreign Support

   • João IV pursued alliances with France, England, and the Dutch Republic, recognizing that Spain would not accept Portugal’s independence without a fight.

The War for Independence (1640–1668)

• Spain refused to recognize João IV’s rule, leading to the Portuguese Restoration War (1640–1668).
• Portuguese forces, with foreign assistance, successfully resisted Spanish invasions.
• In 1668, after nearly three decades of conflict, Spain formally recognized Portuguese independence under the Treaty of Lisbon.

Conclusion: The End of the Iberian Union and the Rise of the House of Bragança

The 1640 revolution ended Spanish rule over Portugal, restoring the kingdom as an independent nation under João IV and the House of Bragança. Despite facing Spanish retaliation, Portugal successfully defended its sovereignty, marking one of the most significant events in its history. The Bragança dynasty would continue to rule Portugal for over 250 years, shaping the country’s political and colonial future.

The Generalitat of Catalonia stems from the medieval institution which had ruled, in the name of the King of the Crown of Aragon, some aspects of the administration of the Principality of Catalonia.

Pau Claris i Casademunt, ninety-fourth President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, has avoided an official proclamation of the Republic, perhaps to leave the possibility of a negotiated peace.

The creation of a republic has been promoted by Richelieu as a solution to the conflict, but his representative, B. Du Plessis-Besançon, ensures that French support is deliberately insufficient and ambiguous until the 23rd of January, when, with the Castilian army at the gates of Barcelona, the Catalan authorities agree to place the Principality under the sovereignty of Louis XIII of France.

A Spanish force under Pedro Fajardo on January 26 launches an attack on a Catalan force, made up mainly of Miquelet militias led by Francesc de Tamarit, and their French allies.

The Catalans have taken up position on the heights of Montjuïc, which dominate the city of Barcelona, and continually repulse  several concerted attempts by the Spanish to capture Montjuïc Castle..

Finally a large force of Catalans counterattacks from the direction of Barcelona; large numbers of Spanish troops are killed and the remainder withdraw along the coast to Tarragona.

The death of Pau Claris on February 27 creates a difficult local and international situation, which results in the proclamation of Louis XIII of France as sovereign count of Barcelona as Lluís I de Barcelona.

The Catalans and French are to fight as allies for the next decade.

The Catalan Revolt has affected a large part of Catalonia since the declaration in 1640 of the Catalan Republic.

The conflict extends beyond the Peace of Westphalia, which concluded the Thirty Years' War in 1648, with the confrontation between two sovereigns and two Generalitats, one based in in Perpinyà (Perpignan), under the occupation of France, and ...

...the other based in Barcelona, under the control of Spain.

For the past decade, the Catalans and French have fought as allies, until in 1652 a Spanish offensive captures Barcelona, bringing the Catalan capital under Spanish control again.

Irregular resistance is to continue for several years afterwards, but the successful siege of Barcelona marks the end of major fighting.

The French authorities in 1652 renounce Catalonia but hold control of Roussillon, thereby leading to the signing in 1659 of the Treaty of the Pyrenees.