ABSTRACT
In the early teens of the seventeenth century a royal visitador, Antonio Pereira Lopes de Berredo, delivered to the crown a report on the three North African pragas of Ceuta, Tangier and Mazagao. In it he concluded that the three possessions were of little value to the Monarchy, and cost too much to maintain. In the early seventeenth century both Portugal and Spain were predisposed to a policy of no imperial retreat, come what may. To most incumbents, the governorship of Tangier was less an end in itself than a stepping stone to more important and prestigious offices elsewhere. Part of its attraction was that it provided opportunities to prove one’s ability and worthiness, both administratively and militarily, in a difficult and volatile environment. Occasionaly, much larger military or amphibious operations were undertaken, usually against Muslim corsairs or European privateers.
