Connected Histories : South German Merchants and Portuguese Expansion in the Sixteenth Century
Faculty/Professorship: | Modern History |
Author(s): | Häberlein, Mark |
Title of the Journal: | RiMe - Rivista dell'lstituto di Storia dell'Europa Mediterranea |
ISSN: | 2035-794X |
Year of publication: | 2021 |
Volume: | 9 |
Issue: | II, Special Issue: Crossing Borders: The Social and Economic Impact of the Portuguese Maritime Empire in the Early Modern Age |
Pages: | 35-53 |
Language(s): | English |
DOI: | 10.7410/1504 |
Abstract: | German merchant companies reacted quickly to the Portuguese discovery of the maritime route to Asia. This essay argues that their participation in Portuguese expansion remained important until the mid-sixteenth century but underwent significant change during that time. While the intercontinental spice trade was declared a crown monopoly by King Manoel I, Germans obtained spices from Portuguese agents in Lisbon and Antwerp, invested in the Atlantic sugar economy, and purchased precious stones in Portugal and India. The connected histories of German merchant firms and Portuguese expansion involved multilateral trade networks and initiated processes of cultural transfer. As casas comerciais da Alta Alemanha reagiram rapidamente à descoberta portuguesa do caminho marítimo para a Ásia pela Rota do Cabo. Este artigo defende que a participação destas companhias alemãs na Expansão Portuguesa manteve a sua importância até meados do século XVI, mas passou por mudanças significativas durante esse período. Enquanto o comércio intercontinental de especiarias era declarado monopólio da Coroa portuguesa por D. Manuel I, os alemães obtinham especiarias de agentes portugueses em Lisboa e Antuérpia, investiam na economia açucareira atlântica e adquiriram pedras preciosas em Portugal e na Índia. As histórias interligadas das firmas mercantis alemãs e da Expansão Portuguesa envolveram redes de comércio multilaterais e iniciaram processos de intercâmbio cultural. |
GND Keywords: | Portugal; Süddeutschland; Handel; Kolonie; Geschichte 1500-1600 |
Keywords: | Commercial Networks, Spice Trade, Sugar trade, Portuguese Overseas Expansion, Redes comerciais, Comércio de especiarias, Comércio do açúcar, Expansão portuguesa |
DDC Classification: | 940 History of Europe |
RVK Classification: | NN 3940 |
Peer Reviewed: | Ja |
International Distribution: | Ja |
Type: | Article |
URI: | https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/56930 |
Release Date: | 8. December 2022 |

originated at the
University of Bamberg
University of Bamberg