Wood, Trade, and Spanish Naval Power (c.1740-1795)

This book shows that Spanish naval administrators by the 1750s vigorously pursued a program of sourcing timber from the Baltic and the Greater Caribbean. These contexts were very different politically, economically, and culturally, but they were each viewed as vital forest regions that could supply the Spanish navy at a critical juncture.

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By focussing on timber sourcing, this book sheds light on the exploitation of forests in settings outside the Iberian Peninsula, including foreign states in the southern Baltic region and the colonial territory of New Spain between the c.1740-1795.



Analysis of contracts, projects, and their implementation by the Spanish crown in the 18th century allow for a better understanding of the position of the Spanish monarchy’s nearly global efforts to sustain its naval commitments in the Atlantic World.