War, peace and commerce and the Treaty of London (1604).

The article focuses on the complex interplay of war, peace, and commerce surrounding the Treaty of London (1604), which ended the Anglo-Spanish War. It challenges the assumption that peace was universally welcomed by English merchants, showing that while many sought to restore legitimate trade with Spain and its empire, others had profited greatly from wartime privateering and contraband trade, leading to divided mercantile interests that influenced the treaty negotiations. The article highlights how lobbying by diverse merchant groups and trading companies actively shaped diplomatic discussions, especially concerning trade rights with Spain's imperial territories, and how economic concerns permeated both pro- and anti-peace political tracts of the period. Ultimately, it argues that by the early seventeenth century, economic interests had become central to English statecraft, reflecting a broader transformation in political thought that integrated military, financial, and commercial considerations.