Treaty of Tordesillas Divides the New World
June 7, 1494 · Early Modern
Spain and Portugal signed a treaty in Tordesillas, northwestern Spain, dividing newly discovered lands along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. The agreement followed Pope Alexander VI's 1493 papal bulls favoring Spain after Columbus's voyage. Portugal's King John II negotiated the line's westward shift from the original 100 leagues, which later enabled Portugal's claim to Brazil. The treaty excluded other European powers and shaped colonial expansion patterns across the Americas, Africa, and Asia for centuries.
Key Figures
John II of PortugalFerdinand II of AragonIsabella I of CastilePope Alexander VI
Locations
TordesillasCape Verde Islands
Topics
colonial demarcationTreaty of Tordesillaspapal authorityAge of ExplorationSpainPortugal
Connected Events — 6 Connections
The treaty's exclusion of England motivated Henry VII to sponsor Cabot's 1497 voyage to claim North American territories outside the Spanish-Portuguese division John Cabot Voyage to North America
The Treaty of Tordesillas motivated Spain to seek a westward route outside Portuguese-claimed waters Magellan-Elcano Expedition Circumnavigates the Globe
Columbus's 1492 voyage triggered competing territorial claims between Spain and Portugal that the Treaty of Tordesillas was designed to resolve Columbus Departs Spain with the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María
Columbus landfall in the Americas prompted Spain and Portugal to negotiate the Treaty of Tordesillas dividing newly discovered lands Columbus Makes First Landfall in the Americas
La Navidad's establishment provided Spain with physical territorial claims that strengthened their negotiating position in dividing New World territories with Portugal Founding of La Navidad Settlement
Defined Spanish territorial claims that made Columbus's governance of Hispaniola a matter of international law and royal prerogative, giving Ferdinand authority to remove him Christopher Columbus Imprisoned
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