Merchants and Trade between Naples, Sicily and England in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Traditional medieval channels of trade between England and the countries of the Mediterranean were transformed by English commercial expansion during the sixteenth century. In the seventeenth century, the English, the Dutch and the French acquired a preeminent role in the long-distance trade between Northern Europe and the countries of the Mediterranean. They also played an important role in the transport of goods by sea from one Mediterranean country to another (the so-called ‘carrying trade’). This paper examines the patterns of maritime trade between Naples, Sicily and England in the 16th and 17th centuries. Particular attention will be paid to trade routes and the quantitative and qualitative scope of the trade. Finally, this paper considers the inevitable political implications of the English commercial presence in Southern Italy, Sicily and the western Mediterranean.