The Treaty of Tordesillas: Dividing the New World Between Spain and Portugal

1494 Agreement That Shaped Colonial Empires

The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) drew a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. Lands east of the line went to Portugal; lands west to Spain. This papal‑mediated deal aimed to resolve disputes after Columbus’s voyages and gave Portugal a claim to Brazil (which bulges east of the line) while Spain secured most of the Americas.