Paper short abstract:

This paper deals with the reconstruction of the geography of principal mercantile routes in the restored Portugal and with the weight of politic factors

Paper long abstract:

In the restored Portugal, released from the Spanish domination, the Italian merchants, that operated in Lisbon, succeeded to incentivize their affairs with the creation of multiple commercial ties: these are both informal bonds, that, by counting on a several numbers of commercial agents, launched an exchange system of goods and financial service, and others more institutionalized, that were generated from different commercial initiatives. In the process of development of the Portuguese economy, started in the second half of the XVII century, the port of Lisbon simultaneously turned into a centre of propagation of various trading routes and a meeting point of merchants of different nationalities.

The focus of the paper, which will rely on original documentation, will be twofold: reconstructing the geography of principal mercantile routes, that, originating from Lisbon, linked commercial interests of Europe, American, Africa and Asia and analyzing the weight of politic factors to establish in which cases their presence was fundamental in the choice of strategies within the network. The paper will ask if political factors could have been crucial and if they had affected into relationships of cooperation, generating competitive situations.