Machine generated contents note: 1. British Interests in Spanish America -- 2. Privateering and Piracy -- 3. Traders' Ghastly Wounds -- 4. Response to Insurgent Privateering -- 5. Response to Spanish Privateering -- 6. Anglo-Spanish Claims Commission -- 7. Response to Cuban-based Piracy
Summary
Private maritime predation was integral to the Spanish American Wars of Independence. When colonists rebelled against Spanish rule in 1810 they deployed privateers. This upsurge in privateering and piracy has been neglected by historians yet it posed a significant threat to British interests. As numerous vessels were captured and plundered, the British government - endeavouring to remain neutral in the Spanish American conflict - faced a dilemma. An insufficient response might hinder Britain's commercial expansion but an overly aggressive approach risked plunging the nation into another war. Privateering, Piracy and British Policy in Spanish America assesses the varied and flexible ways the British government responded to prize-taking activity in order to safeguard and enhance its wider commercial and political objectives. This analysis marks a significant and original contribution to the study of privateering and piracy, and informs key debates about the development of international law and the character of British imperialism in the nineteenth century
