flotas - History Lab

Fleets of New Spain

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

The New Spain Fleets linked Spain and the Viceroyalty of Mexico during the Modern Age. The route of this fleet was established, usually departing along the Guadalquivir River from Seville-Sanlúcar de Barrameda and, from 1680, from the Bay of Cádiz. Once at sea, they would head for the Canary Islands, and from there they would set course for America until they reached the port of Veracruz. The image shows precisely the departure of the fleet from the port of Veracruz to Cadiz, on a return voyage to Spain. These fleets transported mainly agricultural and manufactured goods from Europe to America, and brought silver and colonial products such as grana cochineal, leather, tortoiseshell, ginger and cocoa, among others, to the old continent. Asian products such as silk, which had arrived in New Spain via the Manila Galleon, were also shipped. The New Spain Fleet would remain in force until the end of the 18th century, thus enjoying a long history.

The post Fleets of New Spain first appeared on History Lab.

Contracting House

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

The Contracting House was the institution responsible, from its first ordinances in 1503, for managing all commercial matters related to the New World. It was initially set up in Seville, the main hub of trade with America, where it remained for more than 200 years. Its splendour was such that in the mid-16th century it displaced other European financial centres such as Antwerp. Its first headquarters were in the Royal Shipyards of Seville, but it soon moved to the premises of the Real Alcázar. It remained there until 1717, when it moved to Cadiz, where it remained until 1790, when the institution was abolished. During its first decades of existence in the 16th century, it enjoyed great influence, which would diminish with the passing of time and with the creation of bodies such as the Consulado de Cargadores (Consulate of Chargers). At the end of the 17th century, its role was secondary, a condition that was further reinforced throughout the 18th century, mainly after its transfer to Cadiz. Its most visible activity throughout the 16th and 17th centuries was undoubtedly the organisation of the convoys that marched in the Carrera de Indias: the fleets of New Spain and Tierra Firme. He was also in charge, among other duties, of preparing the merchant ships and galleons of war, registering the merchandise, examining the passengers who embarked and preparing the pilots. It also managed the remittances from the Indies corresponding to the King and private individuals, and functioned as the first instance in its judicial sphere.

The post Contracting House first appeared on History Lab.

Corsican Patent granted by Charles III

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:19 +0000

The privateering patent was a document issued by the authorities of a territory to the owners of a ship, giving them permission to attack ships or populations of enemy nations. In this way the owner, who had to have significant economic power to be able to arm a ship, became part of the navy of the issuing country or city. Privateer’s patents were widely used in the Modern Age when nations could not afford their own navies or when they were not large enough. Privateering was, therefore, a legal activity regulated by the Spanish authorities, which was organised on the basis of successive Royal Ordinances. Thanks to privateering, many private individuals made it their way of life, many others amassed fortunes and others carved out a career in the Royal Navy that would otherwise have been more difficult. During the modern period, privateers, always under the obligatory “privateering patent”, acted as a war fleet at the service of the Crown, and were also essential as coastguards, since, in certain territories, such as the Peninsula, it was materially impossible to have a Royal Navy squadron that could protect so many nautical miles of coastline, or that could guard all the maritime routes. The privateer would take advantage of all this, as he would obtain part of the booty, as would the Crown of Spain, which, without investing money, had a war fleet, also obtaining part of the booty.

The post Corsican Patent granted by Charles III first appeared on History Lab.

Total number of vessels chartered in the port of Alicante to Sicily (1718)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:20 +0000

The arrival of the Bourbon dynasty to power in Spain was accompanied by an extensive programme of military reforms. Among these, the need to reform the fleet was imperative. In this regard, the efforts of José Patiño were particularly noteworthy. The need for a powerful fleet was also consubstantial with the monarchy’s strategy of recovering some of the territories lost as a result of the treaties signed in 1700, which dismembered Hispanic territorial unity. In order to achieve this objective, the monarchy resorted to forced contracts with the private owners of merchant ships that crossed the Mediterranean and specifically its ports. In this sense, they were obliged to take their ships to strategic ports such as Cartagena, Barcelona and Alicante (with the penalty of 2,000 pesos if they did not do so) where they were placed under the orders of the competent military. English ships were the most predominant given their active trade with the Mediterranean, with French ships in second place. According to Armando Alberola Roma, this type of measure became necessary due to the delicate situation of the Spanish navy and was an effective way of transferring troops and supplies to the Italian territories they wanted to take over, such as Sicily and Corsica. This experience would later enable Philip V to assemble an extraordinary fleet to take the city of Oran in 1732.

The post Total number of vessels chartered in the port of Alicante to Sicily (1718) first appeared on History Lab.

Type of funds recorded as “particulares” on the quicksilver ships arriving in 1655 (maravedíes)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

The controversy surrounding the quantification of precious metals has always revolved around attempts to provide accurate figures for the stock of metals arriving in the fleets. However, the controversy is still open due to the impossibility of agreeing on the figures arrived for private individuals due to the increase in fraud during the 17th century. The interest in more rigorously specifying this type of figures is due to the fact that these funds contributed very directly to the financing of the Crown’s policy. It should be noted that, although precious metals were not the only source of credit for the monarchy, American remittances were attractive to large international bankers. These remittances have highlighted the limitations of official sources in providing real figures. Funds whose origin did not fit into any of the public concepts were recorded in the fleets as “particulares”. These items have been considered as the remittances of emigrants and the savings of passengers returning to Spain, although the majority came from Spanish trade with America – although this definition is only valid for the 16th century. Some of the merchants recorded the money obtained from selling their products and sent it to the Peninsula in fleets, but this became anachronistic from 1650 onwards when the pressure increased. Part of these funds belonged to the Royal Treasury, but in the case of private funds they were far from being the return of the profits from trade. This clarification raises two issues: the loss of the term “private” and the upward modification of the values given to the remittances sent to the Royal Treasury. Of the two fleets from New Spain that arrived in Cadiz in 1636, the king ordered 94% of the amounts to be added for different tax exchanges. In 1655, according to the summary reports, the Council made a series of corrections to the amounts registered on the azogues ships to obtain 26.6% of the arrival. Although this was insufficient, the king ordered further additions, placing 67% at the disposal of the Royal Treasury. The explanation for this variation lies in the funds of “particulares”. According to the Treasury Council, the amount of private money was 24,612,134 maravedíes, including the value of goods.

The post Type of funds recorded as “particulares” on the quicksilver ships arriving in 1655 (maravedíes) first appeared on History Lab.