The Treaty of Tordesillas

The treaties are one of the most important elements of our history, since they all cause a great amount of changes in the countries that sign these agreements, and even in others that suffer collaterally their influence. To know one of the most important in the History of Spain In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to offer you a summary of the Treaty of Tordesillas.

We begin this summary of the Treaty of Tordesillas talking about the causes of the signing of this document. The Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement signed in the city ​​of Tordesillas by Isabel Y Ferdinand, kings of Aragon and Castile, and by Juan II king of Portugal. This being a contract that not only influenced the already existing possessions at that time, but also marked the way in the conquest of America for the two regions.

Treaty of Alcaçovas

To mark the antecedents of the Tordesillas treaty, we must talk about one of the agreements signed by both parties some time ago, and which is usually considered as an important antecedent, being this

the treaty of Alcaçovas. This agreement was signed by Isabel and Fernando and by the King of Portugal, Alfonso V, father of Juan II, and it meant the end of the War of the Spanish Succession that he had pitted Isabel against her niece for the throne of Castile and the division of various territories of both powers. The great importance of the agreement lies in the clauses that spoke about unconquered lands, which allowed Portugal to later dominate colonies on American lands.

Columbus trip

Another key background to the treaty was the Columbus's first voyage, being authorized by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, after the refusal of the King of Portugal that he thought that the objective of Columbus was impossible. After discovering Portugal that Columbus had located new lands in America He asked Castile and Aragon for their land rights due to the Alcaçovas treaty, which was denied by the Hispanic kings.

The Alexandrian Bulls

The last of the antecedents on the subject were the Alexandrian bulls, being requested by the Catholic Monarchs to the Pope Alexander VI, this being a character of Aragonese descent and therefore with a great relationship with the kings Hispanic. In bulls there were rights to Castile to conquer the American lands and apply the Catholic religion to the people of this new territory. This important antecedent was what caused the establishment of Christianity in the American colonies and was the main defense of Castile when negotiating with Portugal.

Continuing with the summary of the Treaty of Tordesillas we will now enter to discover what exactly this agreement was.

After the return of Columbus from America, the king of Portugal asked for all the American lands who were at south of the Canary Islands, this being one of the most important sections of the Alcaçovas treaty. Due to this, the Portuguese king tried to send some emissaries to the American continent to get to know these new lands in depth, while he was negotiating with Castile. The signing of the Alexandrian bulls led to the loss of any Portuguese rights in America and to a new confrontation between the crowns of Portugal and Castile.

Negotiations between the two kingdoms began shortly after the knowledge by Portugal of the existence of the lands their main asset being the threat of a war that Castile, threatened by the French and Turks, did not know if it could overcome.

After months of negotiation finally the agreement was signed in Tordesillas, known as one of the most important in the history of both states. The main topics of this agreement were the following:

• Establish an imaginary line that separate the lands that Portugal could conquer and those that could only be dominated by the Castilians.
• Both crowns promised don't go over the lines and not exploring lands to which they had no rights.
• The Spanish received the right to navigate Portuguese waters, although always with the obligation to deliver the lands found to Portugal.
• Portugal got a large amount of land to what we now call Brazil, thinking that the Portuguese already knew these lands by sending explorers while the agreement was being negotiated.
• The treaty led to a peace between both powers which was essential for Castile, since the Turkish and French threat was a reality.
• The treaty formed the first frontier both in sea and in water between two crowns.

To conclude this summary of the Treaty of Tordesillas we must talk about the great consequences which brought with it the signing of the agreement, being essential to understand subsequent European politics. The main consequences of the Treaty of Tordesillas are the following:

• A great increase in maritime travel in the Atlantic, with many explorers who left for America in search of land.
• The limit set in the treaty was difficult to execute, being very difficult to be sure that distances were maintained.
• The mixed race between Americans, Castilians and Portuguese it was an important consequence.
• The conquest of America was important in the economic plane, thanks to the important resources found there that served to return to Castile a much greater power. This is thought to be one of the main causes of Spain's subsequent great economic power.
• The main religion of America was the Christianity, being very important the papal bulls that gave the conquest rights. There were many religious orders that asked to go to America to be able to evangelize their population, obtaining important benefits as a result.
• This treaty was not the last of those signed to manage the division of America, this being a long process.