Don Juan José

Timeline

1. 1629–1660Madrid · SpainDon Juan José was born in Madrid, acknowledged by Philip IV in childhood and given a noble education. In his youth he gained military experience in the Netherlands and elsewhere, taking part in the suppression of the Catalan revolt in the 1550s and gradually establishing himself as the foremost military figure among the king's illegitimate children.
2. 1661–1668Lisbon theater · PortugalAfter Portugal broke away from Spain in 1640, the war of restoration dragged on for decades. From 1661 Don Juan José was entrusted with command on the Portuguese front, but was defeated at the Battle of Ameixial in June 1663 and promptly lost favor; previously he had served as governor in Italy and Sicily, and later became governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Though he failed to recover Portugal, his organizational ability and royal status made him a key military pillar of the regency court after Philip IV's death in 1665; in 1668 Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Lisbon, formally recognizing Portuguese independence (the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle with France the same year ended the War of Devolution).
3. 1668–1679Madrid · SpainIn January 1677 he led troops into Madrid, forcing the regent queen mother Mariana to dismiss the favorite Valenzuela, after which he effectively governed the state until his death from illness in September 1679, buried at the Escorial monastery.