Smuggling and its impact on the grand strategy of the Spanish Empire, XIV-XVII centuries

Thesis

This thesis studies the impact of contraband on the Spanish Empire at the strategic level where it impacted national policy, as well as its impact at the law enforcement and administrative levels. It includes necessarily applicable definitions of concepts such as smuggling, contraband and grand strategy, the difference between tactics, strategy and grand strategy and their applications within Spanish governmental institutions and private organizations.

The thesis proposes that the Spanish government’s preoccupation with its grand strategy of becoming the primary political and religious hegemonic power in Europe hindered the development of adequate policies designed to support it. Thus, Spanish monarchs invested more time in seeking to conquer Europe than in developing a feasible economic policy capable of finance that project of conquest. This concern reduced Spain’s ability to advance its primary objectives.

Spanish monarchs developed a grand strategy based on several major elements: monarchia universalis, religion, diplomacy, international law, military, naval and maritime policy. The efforts to achieve these objectives were habitually blended into policies designed to achieve a monopoly over the use of national power, both domestically and abroad.

The study concludes that illicit economic activity was carried out to such an extent that it detached enough from the Crown’s overall income to significantly hinder Spain’s ability to implement its grand strategy. The importance of the study is that it demonstrates, in the context of the XVI and XVII centuries, what the level of contraband implied to the Spanish rule of law. The high level of fraude robbed the Spanish Crown of more than half of its potential tax income from the Indies, thus interfering with its grand strategy in Europe.

Authors: Zackrison, JL

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-vq7vznnqj
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: contraband; smuggling; grand strategy; Spain
• Subjects: Spanish empire; smuggling; grand strategy