The Iberian tobacco monopolies

Abstract

The general background of this dossier is to contribute to the study of the role of tobacco in the integration of the Atlantic Iberian tobacco system. We want to emphasize, from the beginning, both the commercial and cultural importance of tobacco, as well as the fiscal importance of this product in the construction of the modern State, a role that was maintained with a new formulation during the 19th century. Tobacco has great social significance, consequently, in the history of humanity from a global perspective. Within the framework of the Iberian empires, a round-trip connection between Europe-America-Africa and even Asia was produced through this nightshade, without forgetting their respective archipelagos.