Unión de Armas

The Union of Arms (Unión de Armas) was a plan promoted in the 1620s by the Count-Duke of Olivares, chief minister of King Philip IV of Spain. It required all territories of the Spanish Empire, including New Spain, to contribute money and soldiers to defend the monarchy, placing the burden especially on those with wealth.

Do not confuse it with the encomienda or the repartimiento, which were systems for exploiting Indigenous labor rather than taxing the rich.