From the archives





Slave Market Museum



Slave trade and annual income of a royal tax collector in fifteenth-century Lagos  

We ordered a review of all the income and expenditure of Joam Gonçalvez Batevia, our tax collector in our fiscal district of Lagos, from 1490 to the present; and it resulted that overall 9,924,874 réis was recorded as income, namely: 1,394,460 réis in 1490 from the fiscal district and tuna fishing; 851,752 réis in 1493 from the fiscal district and tuna fishing; 1,002,589 réis in 1494; 1,273,707 réis in 1495 from the fiscal district and tuna fishing; 1,832,376 réis from the fiscal district and tuna fishing; and 3,570,030 réis from the sale of 739 pieces of slaves that he received.  
 
(Letter of release from King Manuel I to João Gonçalves Batevia, royal tax collector in Lagos, 8 March 1498, in Lisbon, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, Chancellaria de D. Manuel, liv. 31, fl. 97v)  


Original


Mandámos ora tomar conta a Joam Gonçalvez Batevia, nosso almoxarife de nosso almoxarifado de Lagos, de todo o que recebeo e despendeo os annos passados de 490 até ora; sobre o qual se mostrou carregarem em receita ao todo 9:924:874 reaes per esta guisa, a saber: 1:394:420 rs. o anno de 490 da renda do almoxarifado e almadravas; e 851:752 do anno de 93 do almoxarifado e almadravas; e 1:002:589 do anno de 94; e 1:273:707 rs. do anno de 95 do almoxarifado e almadravas; e 1:832:376 rs. o anno de 496 do almoxarifado e almadravas; e os 3:570:030 rs. per venda de 739 peças de escravos que recebeo.



Mark