England and Morocco’s alliance rested on complementary naval and supply needs

Evidence

The two states had a number of interests that helped to bring them together. The English lacked a friendly harbor near the Straits of Gibraltar to use to harass the Spanish fleets (and especially the Silver Fleet). If only a port on the Atlantic coast of Morocco could be made available! The Moroccans needed timber, iron, ropes, and tackle such as could be procured in trade with the northern nations. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1612

Categorization

• XREF: Mirrors the complementarity logic in the law-merchant material — institutions/alliances form where each side fills the other’s specific practical gap.