A Shipyard of Science and Empire

To think of Early Modern oceanic voyages is to think of astronomy, seamanship, instruments, cartography, rutters, and shipbuilding. It is to acknowledge that this nautical enterprise would not have been without intellectual concepts, technological artifacts, and scientific practices institutionally organized. It is also to perceive that these achievements are directly connected to the birth of European maritime empires.

While the connection between science and empire is a hot topic in nowadays History of Science, it is possible to trace back to the sixteenth-century some reflection on the scientific, technical and technological rule over nature as the foundation of an empire’s wealth and glory. An example of this perception can be found in the Portuguese tragicomedy Nau d’Amores (1527), by Gil Vicente, where a Prince of Normandy, in love with the idea of fame, arrives in Lisbon asking for a licence to build a ship in Ribeira das Naus, then the most notorious shipyard in Portugal and possibly Europe:

“As a remedy for my sorrow
Give me a full license
To build a Ship of Love
Here in your Ribeira
Where the best vessels are built.”

The Prince’s desire to build a ship to search for glory in the deep blue sea tells us of what must have been a pervasive notion of oceanic voyages as the carriers of fame and richness to the kingdom of Portugal, as well as the international prestige of Ribeira das Naus, which he characterizes as “worth more than all of Paris”, due to the technology and know-how contained there. Despite the hyperbolic tone, Gil Vicente uses this character to state quite modern ideas – that successfully sailing the world is related to having the best shipbuilding techniques, and that the act of gaining fame and wealth is a consequence of having control over the ocean. And, while doing so, this forefather of Portuguese theatre sets the scene for historians of science to look at Early Modern literary texts as documents where the connection between science and empire is already being built. [Joana Lima]