June 7, 1494, the governments of Spain and Portugal agreed and signed the Treaty of Tordesillas* that divided the newly discovered lands and spheres of influence outside Europe between the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire. Spain and Portugal divided the “New World” by drawing a north-to-south line of demarcation in the Atlantic Ocean.
Since time immemorial, Asian products, notably silk and spices, found their way into European marts through several caravans and maritime routes. The Orient then was a region of mystery to the Europeans, who were stirred by wondrous tales of Asia’s fabulous riches told by the crusaders and by the medieval travelers — Marco Polo, Fr. John Plano Carpini, Fr. William of Rubruck, Fr. Odoric of Perdenoni and Fr. Giovanni Marignolli.
Towards the 15th century, the Ottoman Turks rose to power, crushed the Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land, and even surged toward Europe. On May 29, 1453, they captured Constantinople. The Christian defenders resisted heroically, but in vain. The gallant Emperor Constantine XI, last Christian sovereign of Constantinople, perished in battle.
The fall of Constantinople (1453) and the emergence of the Ottoman Turks closed the trade routes to the East; hence, the bold navigators of Europe began to blaze new routes across the seas.
Portugal and Spain outstripped other European nations in geographical discoveries. Under the inspired leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portuguese sea captains discovered new lands. In 1441, Antonio Gonzalvez (Gonzales) rounded Cape Blanco, Africa, and brought the first Negro slaves to Europe; in 1445 Dennis Fernandez discovered Cape Verde Islands; in 1487 Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope; and in 1498 Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, India, after rounding the Cape, thereby opening the eastern route to the Orient.
Spain, not to be outdone by Portugal, won maritime laurels. On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America for Spain. His voyage lifted Spain to a new height of glory. Between 1499 and 1503, Amerigo Vespucci after whom America was named, explored the New World** for Spain. On September 25, 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean, calling it the “South Sea.”
While Portugal was carving out a colonial empire in the East, Spain was building her colonial empire in the New World. These two Christian nations became keen rivals in colonizing new lands. To reconcile their conflicting interests, Pope Alexander VI issued two bulls on May 3, 1493, recognizing Portugal’s rights over Africa and Spain’s rights over all hands in the West.
The following day, the Holy Father issued a third bull, which fixed the first demarcation line, virtually dividing the world between Spain and Portugal. This imaginary line ran from the North to the South Pole, passing through the Atlantic Ocean at 100 degrees west to the Azores and Cape Verde Islands. All lands discovered east of the line were to belong to Portugal and all lands west of it, to Spain.
On September 26, 1498, Pope Alexander VI issued a fourth bull authorizing Spain to extend her sovereignty over all lands to be discovered in the East, including India.
The Portuguese king protested the papal arrangement, claiming that Portugal’s rights over the lands in the East, which were affirmed by previous Popes, were violated. Accordingly, to patch up their colonial difficulties, Spain and Portugal concluded the Treaty of Tordesillas on June 7, 1494. This treaty shifted the demarcation line to 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands, with all lands west of the line belonging to Spain and those east of it to Portugal.
Meanwhile, for eight years since the return of the Ship Victoria (one of five ships of Ferdinand Magellan’s fleet), Spain and Portugal quarreled over the Moluccas, each claiming ownership of these islands. To settle their rival claims, they concluded the Treaty of Zaragoza on April 22, 1529. According to this treaty, the Spanish king sold his rights over the Moluccas to Portugal for 350,000 gold ducats; and a new demarcation line was fixed at 297 ½ leagues east of the Moluccas, with all lands east of this line belonging to Portugal and all lands west to Spain.
Sources and References:
1. Gregorio F. Zaide, Sonia M. Zaide, History of the Republic of the Philippines, Metro Manila, 1983, 1987, pp. 52-53
2. Treaty of Tordesillas, National Geographic Society, Washington
3. Wikimedia Commons
* Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and Leon, central Spain.
**The “New World” is a term for the majority of Earth’s Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas. The term gained prominence in the early 16th century, during Europe’s Age of Discovery, shortly after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci concluded that America represented a new continent, and subsequently published his findings in a pamphlet he titled Mundus Novus
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