Methuen contract

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Methuen Treaty was an agreement signed between England and Portugal in Lisbon on December 27, 1703 .

content

The treaty stipulated that England could export textiles to Portugal and the Portuguese colonies without hindrance and at preferential tariffs , while Portugal could also export its products to England without hindrance, in particular port wine and wine. In addition, the treaty tied England and Portugal together in terms of foreign and defense policy.

The name goes back to the English politician John Methuen , who negotiated this agreement as ambassador extraordinary to Portugal.

prehistory

Small Portugal, which was finally independent from Spain again in 1668, with its extensive colonial empire, could no longer defend its interests against the strengthened European powers. The Netherlands threatened the Portuguese possessions in Brazil ( above all Recife ), Angola ( above all Luanda ) and around the Indian Ocean , and France and England had risen to become the major economic and political powers of Europe. In addition, after the Peace of the Pyrenees between France and Spain in 1659 , Portugal feared a major attack and conquest by its large neighbor. In order to safeguard its interests it had to decide to form an alliance with one of the two great powers.

After the long periods of Spanish rule and the war of restoration, Portugal's shipbuilding was on the ground, and with it the fishing and export of dried fish. The grain cultivation was insufficient for the needs of the population, and in addition to wine, fruit, raw wool and silk, only salt remained as a noteworthy export good. Most of the textiles and finished goods had to be imported, mainly from England, and the enormous dimensions of the later gold inflow from Brazil could not yet be foreseen. As a result of this strong deficit in foreign trade, Portugal became increasingly dependent on England, and English traders had settled in significant numbers in Lisbon, Madeira and Porto , where they gained increasing influence.

With the treaty of 1703, Portugal and England tied themselves to one another in terms of foreign and defense policy and at the same time opened their markets to each other, combined with preferential tariffs.

Militarily, Portugal and England had already been allies several times, for example through the Treaty of Windsor , with which Portugal further secured its independence, which it had just laboriously asserted, in 1386.

Effects

The Treaty of Methuen in 1703 turned out to be particularly advantageous for England, because it acquired a secure market for its products during the beginning of the industrial revolution and subsequently made Portugal more economically dependent on itself. In addition, the wine was given customs duties that were a third below the tariffs that France, for example, had to pay, which exported fabrics such as silk and luxury items to Portugal. The increase in wine exports after the contract was signed was the cause of a boom in port wine production in northern Portugal and in 1756 contributed significantly to the establishment of the world's first demarcated wine-growing region, the Alto Douro .

Portugal, for its part, got a secure outlet for its exports, but lost incentives to modernize its economy. For the small country, the treaty was disastrous in that its textile industry was destroyed and the industrial revolution in Portugal took place much later and to a lesser extent. With the treaty, however, Portugal continued to secure the support of its ally in defending its threatened independence from the constant Spanish threats. Through the treaty, Portugal sided with the opponents of France and Spain, thus securing the desired borders in Europe and America. The Methuen Treaty already proved its worth in the War of the Spanish Succession , and Portugal, with the help of its ally, was able to defend itself against the Spanish invasions, albeit with great devastation, especially in the Alentejo . In the Peace Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Portugal and Spain gave the conquered fortresses back to each other, but Portugal retained some advantages in Brazil .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Walther L. Bernecker, Horst Pietschmann: History of Portugal. 1st edition, Verlag C. H. Beck, Munich 2001, p. 64 ( ISBN 3-406-44756-2 )
  2. ↑ Walther L. Bernecker, Horst Pietschmann: History of Portugal. 1st edition, Verlag C. H. Beck, Munich 2001, p. 61 ff. ( ISBN 3-406-44756-2 )
  3. ↑ António Henrique de Oliveira Marques : History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 385). Translated from the Portuguese by Michael von Killisch-Horn. Kröner, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-520-38501-5 , p. 291.
  4. ^ António Henrique de Oliveira Marques: History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. Kröner, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-520-38501-5 , p. 322.