Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas which divides the New World between the two countries.
Historical Context
After Columbus returned from his first voyage in 1493, both Spain and Portugal feared the other would claim dominance over newly discovered Atlantic lands. Pope Alexander VI — himself a Spaniard — issued papal bulls granting Spain exclusive rights to the lands Columbus had found, drawing a line 100 leagues west of the Azores. Portugal's King John II refused to accept this, fearing it gave Spain too much and threatened Portugal's established African trade routes and its claim to lands in the west. Both crowns agreed to negotiate directly, leading to the Treaty of Tordesillas.
Did You Know?
The Treaty of Tordesillas unexpectedly handed Portugal the future territory of Brazil, even though no European had yet set foot there. When Pedro Álvares Cabral arrived on the Brazilian coast in 1500, it fell just east of the treaty line — which is why Brazil speaks Portuguese today while virtually every other country in South and Central America speaks Spanish.
The Agreement
On June 7, 1494, Spanish and Portuguese diplomats meeting in the Castilian town of Tordesillas agreed to move the dividing meridian to 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. Lands to the east — including Africa, India, and Brazil — would belong to Portugal; lands to the west — nearly all of the Americas — would belong to Spain. Pope Alexander VI ratified the agreement, giving it the force of church law. Other European powers, notably England and France, rejected the treaty entirely, ignoring it as they pursued their own colonial ambitions.
Lasting Impact
The Treaty of Tordesillas shaped the language and culture of an entire hemisphere. Spain colonized most of the Americas, spreading the Spanish language, law, and Catholicism across the continent. Portugal colonized Brazil and developed a maritime empire extending to Africa, India, and East Asia. Though the treaty's authority gradually waned as Dutch, English, and French colonies appeared in regions both powers claimed, it remained officially in force for over a century. In 2007, UNESCO inscribed the treaty in its Memory of the World Register as a document of global cultural significance.