Abstract
The historiographical term “the favourite” has proved to be very successful in explaining this figure in many monarchical regimes in Early Modern Europe. However, there is much discussion about the limits of the favourite’s power and the extent to which he shared power with other relevant individuals. Micro-political research on power dynamics in Habsburg Spain leads us to the figure of Baltasar de Zúñiga (1561–1622), the Count-Duke of Olivares’s uncle and eminence grise. The more or less civilised struggle between Olivares and Zúñiga for royal favour provides a relevant case study of power management and its impact on public opinion at the time.
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