Genoese galley contractors and shipping connections in a polycentric empire (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries)

First published online: 30 April 2020This article analyses the role played by the squadron of Genoese galley contractors in facilitating connections between territories belonging to the Spanish empire between the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth. While studies on the Spanish monarchy's Mediterranean fleet have generally focused on war, this article shows how the Genoese squadron was also decisive in ensuring the transport of soldiers, precious metal, government elites and information between the Iberian Peninsula and northern Italy. It played a particularly important role during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), when the situation in the Atlantic forced the Crown to use the Mediterranean as a logistical platform for mobilizing resources towards Northern Europe. By investigating the contribution of the Spanish-Genoese squadron in this context, this study casts some light on the transnational institutions that fostered connections and circulation between the different territorial components of a polycentric empire