Treaty of Tordesillas Divides New World
In the late fifteenth century, Spain and Portugal competed fiercely for control of Atlantic trade routes and newly encountered territories following Columbus's voyages. Pope Alexander VI had previously issued bulls attempting to mediate by granting Spain rights to lands west of a certain meridian. On June 7, 1494, envoys from both kingdoms met in the Spanish town of Tordesillas and signed a treaty that shifted the line of demarcation 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. This agreement assigned all lands east of the line to Portugal and those to the west to Castile. The treaty received ratification from Spain later that summer and from Portugal in September, establishing a framework that guided colonial claims for generations.
Why it matters: The treaty formalized the first major European division of global exploration spheres, directly influencing the colonial boundaries of South America and the Caribbean. It set precedents for later agreements like the Treaty of Zaragoza and shaped the legal basis for Spanish and Portuguese empires that endured for centuries.