Abstract: Using municipal records from seventeenth-century Lisbon, the paper examines the often tumultuous relationship between civic officials and foreign merchants. In particular, the study focuses on the seemingly hostile attitude of municipal authorities toward the English merchants. Judging by the number and tone of letters and petitions from the municipal council, it appears that the capital was often at odds with concessions made to English merchants by the Portuguese Crown, especially following the Anglo-Portuguese treaty of 1654. Lisbon was quick to blame this treaty as the source of unfair privileges enjoyed by the English in Portugal, but the evidence suggests that the crux of the debate was in fact increased usurpation of the crown over municipal jurisdiction. The English, more numerous and more prosperous among the foreign communities in Lisbon, were favorite targets. Most studies to date have focused on the experiences of the English mercantile community. The present study adds the other side of that coin—from the Lisbon municipal officials’ point of view.

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