Diplomacy Versus Geopolitics: The Establishment of the British Colony of Carolina Inside the Spanish Florida and the Treaty of Madrid of 1670

Abstract

The article analyses the Treaty of Madrid of 1670 also known as the Treaty of Godolphin signed between Spain and Great Britain focusing on the fact that establishing the new and long Spanish-British frontier resulted in the acknowledgement of the colony of Carolina by Spain. The diplomatic agreement meant that Spain recognised the dominions that Britain held in North America and the Caribbean but at the same time put a stop to the aspirations of the British empire whose character was unquestionably predatory. This paper also seeks to demonstrate that the subsequent British expansion in these territories was entirely illegal, despite the excuses which invoked international law. The recognition of the British sovereignty by Spain meant that all territory not dominated by the British was Spanish. The violation of the Godolphin Treaty of 1670 by the British did not stem from lack of a precise border line. It was due to the fact that Florida―the territory over which the British colonies in North America were established―was of secondary geopolitical importance to Spain.