[3] Detractors, including Luís da Cunha, argued that the influx of English woollens led to the decline of the Portuguese wool industry.

[7] Furthermore, some believed that the treaty did not confine Portugal's trade;[3] instead, it played a pivotal role in augmenting the overall prosperity of the nation through increased commerce[1] and stronger ties with England.

Both were negotiated for England in Lisbon by John Methuen[17] (c. 1650–1706), who served as a member of Parliament, Lord Chancellor of Ireland,[18] Privy Counsellor, envoy and then ambassador extraordinary to Portugal.

The first, signed in May, was a military alliance that cemented allegiances in the War of Spanish Succession, and was a 4-party treaty negotiated by Karl Ernst, Graf von Waldstein for the emperor, Francisco van Schonenberg (AKA Jacob Abraham Belmonte, c.q.

The Tory Party in England was concerned about the cost of the war, and felt that naval warfare was a much cheaper option, with greater potential for success.

In 1779, Ireland was granted "free trade", but Portugal imposed higher tariffs on Irish textile imports than on English ones, arguing it was outside the terms of the Methuen treaty.

As the dispute dragged on, Ireland imposed higher tariffs on Portuguese goods, and the Irish Volunteers' 1782 Dungannon resolutions included calls for a boycott of its wines.