Monitoring the Paths of the Sea: Rutters, Laws, and Long-Distance Control in Sixteenth-Century Iberian Empires

Among the many processes triggered by early modern Iberian maritime expansion was the juridical appropriation of the oceans. Discussions regarding the regulation of oceanic spaces occurred at both international and internal levels, with the aim of developing efficient procedures to monitor the performance of the Portuguese and Spanish fleets on their voyages. This chapter examines several innovative juridical mechanisms created by the administrative apparatuses of the Iberian empires during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to establish and oversee the precise 'route' to be followed by their ships. In theory, these regulations sought to control long-distance voyages; however, in practice, the regulation of areas so distant from the centers of decision-making proved to be a challenging task.