Paper short abstract:

In this paper I will observe the involvement of Luis Mendes de Vasconcelos on the slave trade, as well as his actions during Angola’s territorial occupation, whose process was contemporary with the massive disputes and investments on the asientos and contratos, held by rival groups.

Paper long abstract:

The Transatlantic slave trade at the dawn of the seventeenth century was far from being a simple endeavour for the merchants that dwelled on it. To ensure the transport between the various territories of the Atlantic, a large scale enterprise was required, backed by private investment and based on the establishment of vast networks, composed of wealthy entrepreneurs and supported by trustworthy persons who could properly conduct their business on the various edges and ports of the Empire.

Among these groups of men, the ones possessing the highest financial means would always bid for the Contratos and the Asientos of slaves that would allow them to regulate the trade. However, they were not the only ones able to control or dictate its pace. The case of the Governor Luís Mendes de Vasconcelos (1617-1621) is an example of a Crown official who took advantage of his power position to influence the trade. Backed by agents of his own, Vasconcelos managed to greatly profit from his warmongering policy that destroyed the Kingdom of Ndongo, and developed his own financial enterprise. The impact that he and his network had in the territory had massive consequences for Luanda, and for the flow of the trade in the following years.

In this paper I will take the slave trade in early seventeenth century Angola (1600-1620) and Vasconcelos' network, to reflect the role of the private agents on development the slave trade and on the progression of Angola's territorial occupation, whose process was contemporary with the massive investments on the asientos and contratos, and, inseparable from it.