The Asiento: Britain's License to Traffic in Human Beings

In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht granted Britain the asiento — a monopoly contract to supply enslaved Africans to Spain's American colonies. This episode dives into how the South Sea Company, a financial corporation, became the world's largest slave trading enterprise, shipping tens of thousands of captives to Veracruz, Cartagena, and Buenos Aires. Lucas and Luna explore the political machinations behind the asiento, the brutal realities of the trade, and how this contract sparked the War of Jenkins' Ear. They discuss key figures like Queen Anne, Philip V, and the Duke of Manchester, and the role of the Casa de Contratación. A lesser-known chapter of the Atlantic slave trade, revealing how corporate greed and imperial ambition fueled human suffering. #Asiento #TreatyOfUtrecht #SouthSeaCompany #SlaveTrade #AtlanticHistory #QueenAnne #PhilipV #Veracruz #Cartagena #BuenosAires #WarOfJenkinsEar #CasaDeContratacion #RoyalAfricanCompany #ColonialSpain #BritishEmpire #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo