The military politics of the count-duke of Olivares, the principal minister andfavourite of Philip IV of Spain, had a strong impact on the composition ofthe court and household of the cardinal-infant don Fernando, the governor-generalof the Netherlands. Because of their strategic position, these provincesformed the main military base in the entire Spanish-Habsburg realm. For therealization of his political schemes, the count-duke populated the immediateentourage of the cardinal-infant in Brussels with his own clients, where theyfrequently combined household positions with ministerial functions or postswithin the army. Also, household positions were given to persons with strongconnections to the Spanish enemies for diplomatic or propagandistic purposes.In short, the Brussels household of don Fernando became an Olivaristicproduct par excellence.
