Count-Duke of Olivares: Magic and Politics at the Court of Philip IV

• Main Author: Eva Lara Alberola
• Format: Article
• Language: Catalan
• Published: Universitat de Girona; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 2015-12-01
• Series: Studia Aurea: Revista de Literatura Española y Teoría Literaria del Renacimiento y Siglo de Oro
• Subjects: conde-duque de olivares; felipe iv; magia; literatura; nigromante
• Online Access: https://studiaaurea.com/article/view/115

This article is an in-depth analysis of one of the most studied and controversial personalities in Philip IV’s reign: don Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, the king’s favorite. This favorite had many detractors who used accusations related to magic as a means to discredit him. The present article focuses on these accusations and examines the reputation Olivares acquired with regards to magic. From the very moment of his overthrow, writings were disseminated,which are examined here, that at times showed him as a kind of necromancer and, at other moments, as a person who was often associated with enchanters and sorcerers. The literary depiction of this figure and its connection with the preternatural is also explored.