Iberian Union

Hispanic Monarchy Monarchia Hispaniae
1580–1640
Royal banner Coat of arms
Map of the Spanish–Portuguese Empire in 1598.   Territories administered by the Council of Castile   Territories administered by the Council of Aragon   Territories administered by the Council of Portugal   Territories administered by the Council of Italy   Territories administered by the Council of the Indies   Territories appointed to the Council of Flanders
Official languages	Spanish • Portuguese
Religion	Roman Catholic
Government	Composite monarchy under personal union
King
• 1580–1598	Philip II and l
• 1598–1621	Philip III and II
• 1621–1640	Philip IV and III
Legislature	Cortes of Castile Courts of Aragon Courts of Catalonia Courts of Valencia Cortes of Navarre Cortes of Portugal
History
• War of the Portuguese Succession	25 August 1580
• Portuguese Restoration War	1 December 1640
Currency	Spanish real and Portuguese real
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Portugal Crown of Castile Crown of Aragon Habsburg Spain Kingdom of Portugal Crown of Castile Crown of Aragon Catalan Republic Habsburg Spain

The Iberian Union is a historiographical term used to describe the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Portugal with the Monarchy of Spain, which in turn was itself the personal union of the crowns of Castile and Aragon, and of their respective colonial empires, that existed between 1580 and 1640 and brought the entire Iberian Peninsula except Andorra, as well as Portuguese and Spanish overseas possessions, under the Spanish Habsburg monarchs Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV. The union began after the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 and the ensuing War of the Portuguese Succession,^[1][2] and lasted until the Portuguese Restoration War, during which the House of Braganza was established as Portugal's new ruling dynasty with the acclamation of John IV as the new king of Portugal.^[3]

As a personal union, the Kingdom of Portugal, the Crown of Castile and the states of the Crown of Aragon remained independent states, sharing only a single monarch. The kings from the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg were the only element that connected the multiple kingdoms and territories, ruled by the six separate government councils of Castile, Aragon, Portugal, Italy, Flanders-Burgundy, and the Indies. For periods, Portugal maintained a viceroy, appointed by the king, although the turnover was often rapid; in the 60 years of the Union, the country had 13 viceroys and four regency councils (see List of viceroys of Portugal). Similar viceroys were appointed in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia and other kingdoms of the Union. The governments, institutions, and legal traditions of each kingdom remained independent of one another.^[4] Alien laws (Leyes de extranjería) determined that a national of one kingdom was a foreigner in all other kingdoms.^[5][6]

Possessing territories in all known continents of the time, the Iberian Union was the most wide-spread empire of the early modern era. The Union led to Portugal's involvement in the Dutch Revolt against Spain. The Dutch Republic in turn saw the union as a justification to start targeting Portuguese colonies and would weaken Portugal's overseas empire in the Orient.