Angola Slave Networks during the Portuguese Asientos (1595–1640)

What is it about?

This article explains how the slave trade from Angola to the Americas worked in the early modern age. It shows that beyond royal monopolies, the trade depended on flexible networks of merchants, ship captains, and agents operating across the Portuguese and Spanish empires, linking Africa, Europe, and the Americas through profit-driven collaboration.

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Photo by British Library on Unsplash

Photo by British Library on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This article shows how the slave trade from Angola to the Americas was actually operated on the ground in the early 1600s. This article shifts attention from the management of the royal slave monopolies to the informal merchant networks that made the trade function across Portuguese and Spanish empires. Using new notarial and business records, it reveals how private actors coordinated finance, logistics, and risk, offering a closer insight of how the Atlantic slave trade expanded.