The Wealth of Nations · Character

The Portuguese

Portuguese people as colonial and trade example.

minor

Also known as the Portuguese, The Portuguese, Portuguese, themselves, their

First appearance: i of the motives for establishing new colonies

The Portuguese's tie to The Dutch is one of the pressures that moves The Wealth of Nations—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

Cited as an example of a nation that is a better customer for British manufactures than the French, according to mercantile reasoning.

In the storyII: Of the Unreasonableness of Those Extraordinary Restraints Upon Other PrinciplesOpen this moment free

The Portuguese first appears in 0058 i of the motives for establishing new colonies.

With The Dutch (rivalry): The Dutch and the Portuguese are rivals in global trade and colonial competition.

In II: Of the Unreasonableness of Those Extraordinary Restraints Upon Other Principles: Cited as an example of a nation that is a better customer for British manufactures than the French, according to mercantile reasoning.

Later, in VI: Of Treaties of Commerce: The favored nation in the Methuen Treaty, gaining a monopoly for their wines in the British market.

See The Portuguese in II: Of the Unreasonableness of Those Extraordinary Restraints Upon Other Principles Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Character Web

7 connections

A slice of how The Portuguese sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Other

Character groups

European national examples
Ancient authorities and examples

+2 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Smi…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

The Dutch
rivalry · negative
The Dutch and the Portuguese are rivals in global trade and colonial competition. How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See The Portuguese in i of the motives for establishing new colonies

In the story

The Portuguese appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II: Of the Unreasonableness of Those Extraordinary Restraints Upon Other Principles
Cited as an example of a nation that is a better customer for British manufactures than the French, according to mercantile reasoning.
VI: Of Treaties of Commerce
The favored nation in the Methuen Treaty, gaining a monopoly for their wines in the British market.
Of Colonies
Mentioned as having claimed exclusive rights to East Indies trade in the 16th century.
II: Causes of the Prosperity of New Colonies
Mentioned for their similar oppressive colonial policies and recent adoption of exclusive company trade in Brazil.
III: Of the Advantages Which Europe Has Derived from the Discovery of America, and from That of a Passage to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope
Mentioned as an example of a nation that attempted to monopolize the East Indies trade by claiming exclusive navigation rights in the Indian seas.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for The Portuguese unlock in the free preview.

See The Portuguese in i of the motives for establishing new colonies

See The Portuguese in II: Of the Unreasonableness of Those Extraordinary Restraints Upon Other Principles