Treaty of Zaragoza
Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain
What happened
King John III of Portugal and Emperor Charles V, ruling Castile, agreed the treaty. The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas had split the world's newly found lands between Spain and Portugal with a line in the Atlantic, but nobody knew where that line ran on the other side of the globe. Both countries claimed the Maluku spice islands. At Zaragoza they agreed a second line about 17 degrees east of the islands, and Portugal paid Charles V 350,000 gold ducats.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It settled who controlled the valuable spice islands. Together with Tordesillas, it divided the whole Earth between two kingdoms.
What came next
The Maluku Islands stayed Portuguese. Spain still went on to settle the Philippines, setting up a trading post at Manila in 1565.
Did you know?
Charles V could cancel the deal by paying the money back, but he never did.
Timeline
- 7 June 1494Treaty of Tordesillas.
- 1520Spanish and Portuguese expeditions meet in the Pacific.
- 22 April 1529Treaty of Zaragoza.
- 1565Spain sets up a trading post at Manila.