Which of the following best helps to explain the economic and political decline of Spain during the seventeenth century?
a. The collective security measures implemented by Cardinal Richelieu in order to prevent the spread of Catholicism.
b. The extensive battles waged in the Iberian Peninsula between the imperial forces and various coalitions of Protestants.
c. The extension of the empire's commitments beyond its resources.
d. The advocacy of religious toleration by the Spanish rulers to promote the immigration of non- Catholic groups into Spain.
e. The secret treaty between England and France to embargo the ports of the Iberian Peninsula.