The Trade of the Atlantic Coasts in the 16th and 17th Centuries

The Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Sea were the two most important maritime waterways in Europe. The Atlantic Ocean coastline, stretching from Lisbon to Bremen, also featured excellent harbors. Coastal navigation along this region was just as significant as in the two aforementioned seas. The northern inland sea was dominated by the Dutch, but the Spanish-Portuguese fleet was comparable in size to the Dutch fleet and larger than the English and French fleets. This fleet traversed the Mediterranean and the Atlantic waters, and by the 16th century, it was already sailing towards the New World.

Bilbao was one of the most important ports. Its shipping quality far surpassed that of Seville, Malaga, and Barcelona. It was a major shipbuilding center with large reserves of timber. Most Spanish ships were built there, and they were larger than those built in Andalusia. However, Bilbao's disadvantage was the lack of navigable rivers, which left much of the timber inaccessible and hindered further development of the shipbuilding industry. Deforestation and declining timber quality caused the decline of shipping in the Bay of Biscay by the 18th century.

During its golden age, the nature of Bilbao's shipping resembled that of the Dutch. Instead of luxury goods, it traded mass quantities of essential commodities. The main export item was wool, primarily from the provinces of Segovia and Burgos, which was gathered in Bilbao, loaded onto ships, and mostly transported to the Netherlands. Smaller quantities of iron and significant amounts of wine—albeit of lower quality—were also exported. The main import items were Flemish and English cloth.

Another important port city was Seville, the terminus for trade with India and the New World. For a long time, it was the main depot for goods arriving from the New World, such as dyes, sugar, quinine, tobacco, and cocoa. Andalusia also had timber, and even more favorably, navigable rivers. However, it did not build as many or as high-quality ships as Bilbao. Its relations with England, however, were stronger. Large amounts of West English cloth arrived from Bristol, and Andalusia was an excellent market for Northern European goods. The consular monopolists imported many items for later resale in the East.

Andalusia's main export item was also wool, but it supplied Europe with oranges, figs, raisins, and almonds as well. The most successful export item was Southern Spanish red wine (Claret). The most important importer was England, as grapes did not grow there. Initially, they imported Bordeaux wine, but this region lost favor for political reasons by the 16th century. Southern Spanish red wine perfectly suited English tastes and was subsequently imported from Seville. The trade in sweet white wine was smaller in volume but fetched good prices, mainly sourced from Mediterranean regions like Crete.

In addition to cloth and wine, salt was one of the most important commodities in Atlantic coastal trade. The Dutch were masters of salt transportation as well as its largest consumers. By the 16th century, their own supplies were exhausted, so they primarily imported salt from the Bay of Biscay. The Dutch Revolt created a tense situation, leading to disruptions in transportation towards the end of the 16th century. Although the Dutch could obtain salt from other sources, it was not sufficient. Since they needed salt and were indispensable as its carriers, they continued salt trade with Spanish ports even during the war. Spain tolerated this, as they were reliant on the grain supplied by the Dutch. However, the political situation made trade uncertain, and it became more profitable to establish connections with the West Indies.

J. H. Parry The Economy of Expanding Europe in the 15th and 17th Centuries. (ford, Märcz Róbert)