Methuen Treaty of 1703

Methuen Treaty of 1703 

concluded by Great Britain and Portugal on December 27. It was named after Lord Methuen, the British envoy to Portugal, who signed the treaty. Under the treaty Great Britain was permitted to export wool cloth to Portugal (the Portuguese government had banned the import of wool cloth in 1677) and Portugal received the right to export its wines to Great Britain on favorable terms. The privileges granted by the treaty enabled Great Britain to dominate Portugal’s foreign trade within a short time and to hinder the development of a local Portuguese industry. Thus Portuguese dependence on Great Britain, ensured by the Lisbon Treaty of 1703, increased. Although the Methuen Treaty was annulled in 1836, Portugal’s dependence on Great Britain continued.