Battles & Campaigns · 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
Tordesillas, Valladolid, Spain
What happened
The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, and King John II of Portugal. After Columbus sailed for Castile, Castile and Portugal disagreed over who could claim lands outside Christian rule. The treaty drew a line 270 leagues west of an earlier line set by the Pope. Lands east of the line went to Portugal, and lands west of it to Castile.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It settled the dispute between the two kingdoms that began after Columbus's voyage. Portugal's share included eastern Brazil, which Pedro Álvares Cabral reached in 1500.
What came next
The Treaty of Zaragoza in 1529 set a second line in Asia, east of the Moluccas. The Treaty of Madrid of 1750 declared the Tordesillas treaty replaced.
Timeline
- 7 June 1494The treaty is signed at Tordesillas.
- 5 September 1494Portugal ratifies the treaty.
- 1500Cabral reaches Brazil.
- 24 January 1506Pope Julius II approves the treaty.
- 22 April 1529The Treaty of Zaragoza is signed.