The Count-Duke of Olivares: The Statesman in an Age of Decline
The royal ministers Olivares and Richelieu ruled European politics in the 1620s and 1630s. Olivares failed, Richelieu succeeded; Richelieu is well known today and Olivares is not. Elliott's long-awaited biography of the Spanish favorite of Philip IV should help to remedy this injustice. This is no work of adulation; Elliott is generous in his judgement of Olivares but never indulgent. He feels that Olivares could have done little in the long run to change the course of events that overwhelmed him, but he still bears the responsibility for his own bad choices. Elliott's judgement is as always impeccable, his analysis acute. David Keymer, Dean of Students, SUNY Coll. of Technology, UticaCopyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.