The 1719 Capture of the Burla: Portugal's Hidden Slave Trade

In 1719, the British privateer John Hawkins intercepted a Portuguese slave ship named Burla off the coast of Angola. This episode dives into the Burla's voyage, the cargo of 450 enslaved Africans, and the legal battle that followed over prize money and the legality of Britain seizing Portuguese slave ships before the abolition era. We explore the Burla's route from Luanda to Brazil, the role of the British Royal Navy and privateers in policing the slave trade, and the complex interplay of colonial rivalries, mercantilism, and human suffering. The Burla case reveals how European powers used the slave trade as both an economic engine and a legal battlefield, with enslaved people caught in the middle. We also touch on the broader context of the South Atlantic slave trade system, the Portuguese reliance on Brazil, and the early inklings of abolitionist thought that would later challenge the entire enterprise. Listeners will meet the Burla's captain, the privateer who seized it, and a few of the individuals whose names survive in court records — a rare glimpse into the lives of the enslaved. #Burla #PortugueseSlaveTrade #Luanda #Brazil #Angola #JohnHawkins #Privateer #RoyalNavy #SouthAtlantic #MiddlePassage #1719 #ColonialRivalry #Mercantilism #SlaveShip #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade #PrizeCourt Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo