It is admitted that the Treaty of Methuen (1703) served as the background for Ricardo´s theory of international trade, published in 1817, corroborating the economic terms of this treaty. 

However, this treaty was preceded by other Anglo-Portuguese treaties during the time of the Restoration, which subjugated the country´s economic interests to the dictates of England and paved the way for the Treaty of Methuen in a new European geopolitical context.

This book is an economic critique of the Theory of Comparative Advantages and also of Ricardo´s economistic bias, which disregarded the economic, historical, geopolitical and social factors that made it possible to sign the contract, without the economic benefits for Portugal, contrary to the author´s theoretical forecast.