Pious and commercial motives fused in the Portuguese imperial venture

Evidence

It is undoubtedly the Portuguese era that marks the African ethnic influence in the new continent. It was the Portuguese who, by creating a vast network of traders, factors, and middlemen, and by profiting from the drop in the Indian population, achieved a market capable of absorbing such enormous quantities… . I believe that the Portuguese period was a special era for the slave trade, which was never repeated. — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 561 (#expands, via linked claim)

And whereas King Don Antonio hath made very honest request unto us (upon hope he conceiveth that the noblemen and gentlemen of Portugal, so soon as they shall see him repair upon that coast with convenient forces, will presently take arms for him and will seek to expulse the Spaniards) that somewhat may be attempted by you for the recovery of his said kingdom, which as he conceiveth may be easily done in respect of the great goodwill that is borne unto him by the people there [and the evil will borne by them to the Spaniards inserted above by Burghley] we would have you carefully and substantially to inform yourselves before you proceed to attempt anything to that purpose [inserted by Burghley over that way crossed out] whether the people stand so affected towards him as he pretendeth … And in case upon enquiry you shall find that neither the love borne unto him is so great as he pretendeth and that the forces of the King of Spain are such as nothing can be attempted without very great hazard, our pleasure is that you shall then forbear to attempt anything [towards Lisbon for any enterprise to be there attempted other than the destroying of the ships there inserted above by Burghley]. — Richard Bruce Wernham, The Expedition of Sir John Norris and…, 502 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Italian merchant capital more than politics drove Portugal’s slave-trade role; Madeira’s sugar plantations first institutionalized slave labor as capitalist commodity production; The Portuguese era uniquely shaped African ethnic influence in the Americas — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 561 (+6 more)

Related

• The Portuguese era uniquely shaped African ethnic influence in the Americas (similarity 0.83)
• The Portuguese Empire’s commercial winds dictated the geography of its slave and spice ports (similarity 0.82)
• Portuguese Atlantic expansion was constrained by dependence on Genoese-Flemish commercial capital (similarity 0.81)
• Italian capitalist networks enabled the Portuguese Empire and its slave trade (similarity 0.81)
• Portugal’s imperial role masks a web of supranational commercial interests shaping African labor exploitation (similarity 0.81)
• Anti-Muslim antagonism, not commerce alone, drove Portuguese Atlantic expansion (similarity 0.81)
• Portuguese expansion into Africa produced the historical category of the Negro (similarity 0.80)
• Portugal monopolized the Atlantic slave trade until 1570 (similarity 0.80)
• Portuguese empire fused evangelism and commerce as its defining motive (similarity 0.79)
• The Portuguese displaced resident Indian Ocean and African tradesmen (similarity 0.78)
• Italian merchant capital was indispensable to the birth of the Portuguese Empire (similarity 0.78)
• Genoese and Italian capitalists bankrolled the Portuguese slave-trading empire (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Madeira’s sugar plantations first institutionalized slave labor as capitalist commodity production #exemplifies (0.55)
• The Portuguese era uniquely shaped African ethnic influence in the Americas #expands (0.50) — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 561
• Lord Burghley conditioned Don Antonios restoration on verifying local Portuguese support #exemplifies (0.40) — Richard Bruce Wernham, The Expedition of Sir John Norris and…, 502
• The Portuguese established early land presence in Asia during the early 1500s. #expands (0.35) — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 1159