By 1640, two rebellions shook Madrid to its core, and had a dramatic knock on effect on Spain's ability to support its Habsburg cousins in Vienna. In summer, Catalonia erupted in revolt after years of provocations and intransigence. When Portuguese soldiers were sent to quell the rising, those soldiers took home news of Spanish weakness, and by December, Portugal had broken away, and declared itself independent under King John IV.

It was plain that Spain couldn't suppress the original Dutch revolt with this disaster on its doorstep, and its war against France was also in doubt, as Richelieu took the opportunity to take Catalonia under French protection. The writing was on the wall, the wheels were coming off, but even with this maiming, Spain was not done yet.

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