The Historical Context of the Treaty of Methuen

Author:

Kenneth Maxwell

Report:

30

Page:

65

Year:

2003

Subject Matter:

Lisbon and OPorto Factory Houses, British Merchants and Ec. Relations

Excerpt:

The treaty was signed between Britain and Portugal in 1703. It gave favourable access to British markets for Portuguese wine and access to the Portuguese market for British woollen cloth. This can be considered a major factor in the continued British preference for Port wine. However, within Portugal there remained criticism of preferential treatment given to British traders who were members of the Lisbon and Porto "feitorias" (factory houses). Trade between the two nations also became imbalanced as a result of the discovery of gold in Brazil with the gold remitted to Portugal leading to a boom in imports into Portugal.

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