Treaty of Tordesillas facts for kids

The Treaty of Tordesillas was an important agreement made in 1494 between two powerful countries, Portugal and Spain. They decided to divide all the newly discovered lands in the Americas between themselves. They did this without asking the people who already lived there.

At that time, Pope Alexander VI was the Pope, and he was from Spain. He drew an imaginary line on a map. This line was about 2,193 kilometers west of the Cape Verde Islands. The Pope said that Portugal would get all the land to the east of this line. Spain would get all the land to the west of the line.

King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile were the rulers of Spain. They signed this treaty in a Spanish town called Tordesillas. That's how the treaty got its name!

This agreement greatly changed how Spain and Portugal explored the world. It helps explain why Brazil in South America speaks Portuguese. All the other countries in South America that were once Spanish colonies now speak Spanish. These Spanish-speaking areas later became many different independent countries, like Argentina and Colombia. This treaty was a very big deal during the Age of Discovery.

Dividing the World

Spain used this treaty to say that the Falkland Islands belonged to them. They said this when France set up a colony there in 1764. Spain believed the islands were on their side of the imaginary line.

So, Spain controlled the lands west of the line. Portugal controlled the lands east of the line.

What Happened Later?

At the start of the 1600s, other European countries like Great Britain (in 1600) and the Netherlands (in 1602) also started exploring the world. They didn't agree with the Treaty of Tordesillas. Because of this, the treaty was mostly ignored or "cancelled" over time.

By then, Portugal didn't have enough resources to keep control of all its colonies in Asia. It also lost its lead in world trade. Later, countries like France, Denmark, Sweden, and even the United States joined in. They all wanted to gain a foothold in South and East Asia.

Images for kids

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  Lines dividing the non-Christian world between Castile and Portugal: the 1494 Tordesillas meridian (purple) and the 1529 Zaragoza antimeridian (green)

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  Portuguese India Armadas and trade routes (blue) since Vasco da Gama's 1498 journey and the Spanish Manila-Acapulco galleons trade routes (white) established in 1568

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  Early Tordesillas lines in South America (1495–1545)

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  Cantino planisphere depicting the meridian, 1502

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  Dutch map of the Moluccas (north is at right)

See also

In Spanish: Tratado de Tordesillas para niños