The present article deals with the relationships forged between Portugal and spain in the mid-17th century and the role in which the trans-Atlantic commerce in slaves, sugar and silver played in strengthening the Portuguese Empire. We salient the importance of global imperial structures, as well as the central role the Empire played in the Portuguese Restoration. Finally, we focus on the importance of the colonies and, in particular, Brazil in the changes which occurred throughout the century.
Portugal; Portuguese Empire; Colonial Commerce