Treaty of Tordesillas

Also known as Papal Line of Demarcation

treaty dividing territory between Portugal and Spain

AI overview

The Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement between Portugal and Spain that divided newly discovered territories in the world between the two nations. It mattered because it shaped which European powers would colonize different parts of the Americas and other regions, influencing global history for centuries to come.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Described at

Portugal 1017 - Portugal - Lisbon - Biblioteca Nacional (Portugal) - MSS. 5, n. 25 - Reading Room - vHMML

Digitized manuscripts archives and rare books from Europe the near East and Northern Africa

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Country Portugal;) VIAF City Lisbon;) VIAF Repository Biblioteca Nacional (Portugal)'});) VIAF Shelfmark MSS. 5, n. 25 Current Status In situ Type of Record Manuscript Extent 7 leaf(ves) Century(ies) 15th century Language(s) Spanish;) Bibliography Francisco Correia, “Compilação de fontes manuscritas da BN para a história económica portuguesa, séculos XII-XVI,” Revista da Biblioteca Nacional 9/1 (1994): 67-138; José Manuel Garcia, “A minuta do tratado de Tordesilhas,” Oceanos 18 (1994): 62-67; BETA manid 5252 External Facsimile Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal HMML Proj. Num. Portugal 1017 Permanent Link Processed By HMML Surrogate Format Microform Access Restrictions On-site only or order a scan Rights Type Manuscript Place of Origin Tordesillas, Spain Century(ies) 15th century Year Range 1494 Date Precise 1494 June 06 Support Paper Support Dimensions 31.3 x 21.5 cm Writing System Roman;) Script(s) Chancery;) Item 1 Item Location fol. 1r-7v Title Minuta do Tratado de Tordesilhas Uniform Title Tratado de Tordesillas (1494 June 7)'});) VIAF Alternate Title Minutes of the Treaty of Tordesillas Associated Name Spain. Sovereign (1479-1504 : Fernando V and Isabel I)'});) VIAF Language(s) Spanish;) Country Portugal;) VIAF City Lisbon;) VIAF Repository Biblioteca Nacional (Portugal)'});) VIAF Shelfmark MSS. 5, n. 25 Current Status In situ Type of Record Manuscript Extent 7 leaf(ves) Century(ies) 15th century Language(s) Spanish;) Bibliography Francisco Correia, “Compilação de fontes manuscritas da BN para a história económica portuguesa, séculos XII-XVI,” Revista da Biblioteca Nacional 9/1 (1994): 67-138; José Manuel Garcia, “A minuta do tratado de Tordesilhas,” Oceanos 18 (1994): 62-67; BETA manid 5252 External Facsimile Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal HMML Proj. Num. Portugal 1017 Permanent Link Processed By HMML Surrogate Format Microform Access Restrictions On-site only or order a scan Rights Type Manuscript Place of Origin Tordesillas, Spain Century(ies) 15th century Year Range 1494 Date Precise 1494 June 06 Support Paper Support Dimensions 31.3 x 21.5 cm Writing System Roman;) Script(s) Chancery;) Item 1 Item Location fol. 1r-7v Title Minuta do Tratado de Tordesilhas Uniform Title Tratado de Tordesillas (1494 June 7)'});) VIAF Alternate Title Minutes of the Treaty of Tordesillas Associated Name Spain. Sovereign (1479-1504 : Fernando V and Isabel I)'});) VIAF Language(s) Spanish;) Please choose the category or categories for your comments. This will help us route the information to the proper HMML staff member. Thank you for respecting the cultural heritage of the institutions and families that have opened their libraries to the world.

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Article

The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in Tordesillas, Spain, on 7 June 1494, and ratified in Setúbal, Portugal, divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile, along a meridian 370 leagues (1,281 mi; 2,062 km) west of the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa. That line of demarcation was about halfway between Cape Verde (already Portuguese) and the islands visited by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage (claimed for Castile and León), thought then to be Cipangu and Antillia, but in fact Cuba and Hispaniola; the treaty itself does not mention Cipangu or Antillia.

The lands to the east would belong to Portugal and the lands to the west to Castile, modifying an earlier bull by Pope Alexander VI. The treaty was created on 7 June 1494, then ratified by Spain on 2 July 1494, by Portugal on 5 September 1494, and by Pope Julius II on 24 January 1506. The other side of the world was divided a few decades later by the Treaty of Zaragoza, signed on 22 April 1529, which specified the antimeridian to the line of demarcation specified in the Treaty of Tordesillas. Portugal and Spain largely respected the treaties, while the Indigenous peoples of the Americas did not acknowledge them.