The role of merchant networks during the Hispanic Monarchy: the case of the Captaincy of Paraíba (1584-1600)

Abstract

The globalization gestated by the Iberians at the end of the 16th century gained, at the time, superlative contours, promoting transatlantic connections that transformed the course of history, above all, from an economic and cultural point of view. This great empire (in territorial extension and military power) encompassed numerous private connections that were intertwined forming worldwide bonds. In this article we seek to study the trajectories of some characters who built relations between Portuguese America and the Hispanic Monarchy. The insertion of highly reputable merchant clans in the conquest of Paraíba was a pioneering initiative in Portuguese America. The Fazenda Real, in order to subsidize that enterprise, used particular resources, taking out a loan with the Milanese Giovanni Batista Rovellasca, one of the most important merchants established at the Court at the end of the 16th century.