Resumo (PT):
Abstract (EN):
During the sixteenth century, Portugal — a small kingdom with a relatively small population and few urban centres apart from Lisbon1 — was the first European power to promote regular maritime routes which allowed global exchanges. The idea that this was a process driven by the state is still commonplace, yet the Portuguese crown lacked the financial sustainability and the institutional, bureaucratic and administrative apparatus to effectively control this process and to provide the logistics required by such an enterprise.
Language:
English
Type (Professor's evaluation):
Scientific