What was the line of demarcation between Spain and Portugal?
The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas neatly divided the “New World” into land, resources, and people claimed by Spain and Portugal. The red vertical line cutting through eastern Brazil represents the divide.
What was the line of demarcation 1493?
The Line of Demarcation between Spanish and Portuguese territory was first defined by Pope Alexander VI (1493) and was later revised by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494). Spain won control of lands discovered west of the line, while Portugal gained rights to new lands to the east.
What line did the Treaty of Tordesillas move?
Meeting at Tordesillas, in northwestern Spain, Spanish and Portuguese ambassadors reaffirmed the papal division, but the line itself was moved to 370 leagues (1,185 miles) west of the Cape Verde Islands, or about 46°30′ W of Greenwich.
Who were the line of demarcation?
Line of Demarcation divides the New World between Spain and Portugal – JURIST. On May 4, 1493, Pope Alexander VI promulgated the Line of Demarcation, dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal in response the return of Christopher Columbus from his discovery of the American continents.
Why is the Treaty of Tordesillas important?
The significance of the Treaty of Tordesillas lies in that it was one of the first official documents partitioning the world into “spheres of influence” for colonization as well as the concept of freedom of the seas and territorial waters.
What is the meaning of Line of Demarcation?
1 : the marking of the limits or boundaries of something : the act, process, or result of demarcating something the demarcation of property lines.
What was the purpose of the Line of Demarcation?
The Line of Demarcation was one specific line drawn along a meridian in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 to divide new lands claimed by Portugal from those of Spain. This line was drawn in 1493 after Christopher Columbus returned from his maiden voyage to the Americas.
What land did Portugal get in the Treaty of Tordesillas?
Brazil
Any lands east of the line belonged to Portugal. That meant Spain claimed land stretching from what we know today as the state of California, through Mexico, the countries of Central America and the Caribbean Sea, and nearly all of South America. Portugal claimed what is now the largest nation in South America, Brazil.
Where did the Treaty of Tordesillas settle the dividing line between Castile and Portugal?
The Treaty of Tordesillas was signed on 7 June 1494. Essentially, the decision of Pope Alexander’s bull was maintained, but the line of demarcation was shifted a little westwards. To be precise, the line moved to 370 leagues west of Cape Verde, approximately 46 degrees 30′ West.
What was the line of demarcation and why was it established?
What is the meaning of demarcation line?
2 : something that marks or constitutes a boundary a demarcation line : a marked or perceived distinction between one area, category, etc., and another The ability to test a theory against physical evidence … has provided a useful demarcation between science and pseudoscience.— Norriss S.
Why did Spain and Portugal divide the world?
The Treaty of Tordesillas, June 7, 1494. On June 7, 1494, Spain and Portugal agreed to fix the boundary between their respective domains along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands. They established two areas in which they would have a monopoly over discovery, navigation, and trade.