«The first Germans searching India»: Maximilian I, Conrad Peutinger and the German merchant-bankers established in Lisbon

Authors

  • Jürgen POHLE

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19248/ammentu.194

Keywords:

Voyages of Discoveries, German-Portuguese relations, commercial history, merchant-bankers

Abstract

In the beginning of the modern age the Portuguese Discoveries influenced decisively, as no other event of this period, the political, economic and cultural relations between Portugal and Germany. Particularly the commercial links reached a very intense phase in the first two decades of the sixteenth century. In 1505 several trade houses of Augsburg and Nürnberg participated in consortia in the arming of the Portuguese fleet to India commanded by Francisco de Almeida. The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I supported this project and followed through the humanist Conrad Peutinger, his counselor, closely and with much curiosity the Portuguese overseas enterprises, mainly for political and dynastic reasons, given its proximity with the House of Avis.

Published

2015-12-31

Issue

Section

DOSSIER - Comunidades estrangeiras em Lisboa (séculos XV-XVIII)