Treaty of Tordesillas
The agreement settling the dispute between Spain & Portugal for land in the Americas.
The Treaty of Tordesillas was a 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided the newly discovered lands outside of Europe between the two powers along a meridian located 370 leagues (1770 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands. Pope Alexander VI mediated the treaty to prevent conflict between the two Catholic nations over control of the newly discovered territories.
The treaty granted Spain a monopoly on all lands to the west of the agreed-upon meridian, including the Americas. Meanwhile, Portugal was granted control over all lands to the east of the line, including modern-day Brazil, Africa, and India.
This treaty enabled Spain and Portugal to expand their empires and explore previously unknown parts of the world without fear of conflict with each other. However, other European nations, such as England, Netherlands and France, would later challenge this division of territory and begin their own overseas empires.
Overall, the Treaty of Tordesillas was one of the most significant agreements in the Age of Exploration as it established the first modern international division of territory outside of Europe and helped to shape the contemporary world map.
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