Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Shekaru 1620 sun kasance shekaru masu kyau ga manufofin kasashen waje na Spain: yakin da Holland ya yi da kyau, ko da yake yana da tsada sosai, wanda ya kai ga sake dawo da babban birnin Breda a 1624. A ƙarshen shekarun da suka gabata, duk da haka, gwamnatin Philip ta fuskanci tambayar ko za ta ba da fifiko ga yaki a Flanders ko kuma dangantakar Spain da Faransa a lokacin Yaƙin Mantua Succession
(1628 zuwa 1631). Masu ba da shawara na Philip sun ba da shawarar ba da fifiko ga yaƙin a Flanders, da ɗaukar mataki don kare Hanyar Mutanen Espanya zuwa Netherlands amma a farashin adawa da Louis XIII. A dabarun wannan ya zama bala'i. Duk da sabbin nasarorin Mutanen Espanya a tsakiyar 1630s <unk> musamman, nasarar da gwamnatin Philip ta samu wajen tayar da sabuwar rundunar Mutanen Espanya, ta yi tafiya zuwa Jamus don kayar da dakarun Furotesta da Sweden ke jagoranta a yakin Nördlingen a 1634 <unk> karuwar tashin hankali da Faransa ya sa yaƙin tsakanin jihohin Katolika biyu ya zama ba makawa. Olivares ya shawarci Philip cewa yakin da ke zuwa tare da Faransa zai kasance duka ko babu; Spain za ta ci nasara ko ta fadi sakamakon.