Trade and Empire in the Atlantic 1400-1600

Trade and Empire in the Atlantic, 1400-1600 is a book that provides an accessible and concise introduction to early European expansion overseas.

It explains why and how western seafarers visited the Caribbean, South America and Africa, and looks at the history of the communities which lived around the ocean as they responded to the challenges and opportunities which sea trade opened for them.

Historical thinking on the subject of empire is naturally controversial as is shown by this survey of the first four stages of early Atlantic colonisation from the conquest of the Canary Islands to the creation of slave plantations in Brazil.

This history of the Atlantic empires is an authoritative introduction to an essential topic in world history.