English diplomats wanted a quick conclusion to the Portuguese Restoration War, hoping to create an Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese coalition against the Dutch, and thus obtain better terms.

The treaty successfully achieved both aims and when the War of Devolution commenced on 24 May, France occupied most of the Spanish Netherlands with minimal interference, followed by Franche-Comté in 1668.

The pro-French Portuguese chief minister, Count Castelo Melhor, was removed from office in September, and Spain and Portugal made peace in the February 1668 Treaty of Lisbon.

This cleared the way for the 1668 Triple Alliance between England, the Dutch Republic and Sweden, which forced France to return most of its conquests to Spain in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.

France supported the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years' War with Spain as part of a general policy of opposing Habsburg power.

[4] Afonso VI succeeded as king of Portugal in 1656; as he was physically impaired and mentally unstable, his mother, Luisa de Guzmán, controlled the government.

In 1662, she was removed in a coup, organised by the Count of Castelo Melhor; Afonso made him chief minister and sent Luisa to a convent, where she died in February 1666.

In 1662, Charles II of England married Afonso's sister Catherine and provided military support, which, although limited, proved to be decisive in defeating the 1663–1665 Spanish offensive.

The wedding took place the same day; Afonso left the festivities early and reportedly displayed a similar lack of interest in consummating the marriage.

[9] The parties also agreed not to make peace until Spain complied with Louis' claims in the Spanish Netherlands, which potentially required Portugal to continue the war for France's benefit.

[11] Although Castelo Melhor considered the marriage and the treaty with France to be a triumph, Portugal was financially exhausted and needed to focus on rebuilding its trading networks.

In January 1668, the Cortes appointed Pedro as regent, and Afonso spent the rest of his life in close confinement, initially the Azores and then the Palace of Sintra in Lisbon, where he died in 1683.