Tales of the Treaty Trivia Quiz

Answer: Christopher Columbus

Before receiving funding from the King and Queen of Spain, Columbus had unsuccessfully tried to sell his plan to reach the east by sailing west to the King of Portugal, John II. While some sources say that he was forced to land in Lisbon due to a storm on his return to Spain, others indicate that Columbus just couldn't resist temptation to stop and tell John what he had found before he returned to Spain after his first voyage.

This set off a flurry of activity in Portugal - a nasty letter was sent to the Catholic Monarchs, and an armada was being prepared to go to the New World and claim the land in the name of Portugal.

Answer: True

In 1479 the Treaty of Treaty of Alcáçovas, that was signed to end the War of the Castilian Succession and confirmed by the pope, had ceded Portugal all of the land south of the Canary Islands, which was controlled by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, of Spain. Technically that included all land south irregardless of the hemisphere in which the land was located.

After the discovery of the New World in 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella knew that they did not have the military power to defeat Portugal if an armed conflict over their new claims occurred; at the same time, however, they weren't willing to give up their territories.

It was time for mediation.

Answer: Pope Alexander VI

There honestly was no way that Pope Alexander VI could have known what he was dividing up when he drew up the Treaty of Tordesillas. He was born in the town of Xativa near Valencia in modern-day Spain, and, considering his papal reputation, might have been more sympathetic with Spain than he was with Portugal in drawing the line.

He did redraw the line at Portugal's request, but had to have known that Spain could not have fought a sustained war successfully at the time. As an interesting side note, it took Spain several years to appreciate what they had been given; for a long time they regretted signing the Treaty, as it took about twenty more years to find the wealth in the New World.

Answer: Line of Demarcation

According to the original agreement, the Line of Demarcation, sometimes called the Papal Line of Demarcation, was 100 leagues, about 320 miles, west of the Cape Verde Islands. The original papal bull, or decree, only mentioned Spain in regards to claiming the land; Portugal, unhappy with the placement of the line, asked for negotiations to continue.

They were afraid that the line might hamper their lucrative trade around the coast of Africa. In the end, a new Line of Demarcation was drawn approximately 270 leagues west of the original line.

The new line was about halfway between the Cape Verde Islands and the land that had been newly claimed by Spain. Pope Julius II sanctioned the change in 1506.

Answer: Spain was given the right to claim most of the land in the New World.

In reality, even after the line was renegotiated, Spain ended up with the lion's share of the land, extending their culture and influence over a wider area. Of course, considering the amount of gold and silver that was taken from the New World by Spain, Spain also experienced more economic gain in the New World, as Portugal's share of the land in South America did not yield that kind of wealth.

It must also be mentioned that, according to the accepted practice of the time, when Columbus set foot in modern Guyana in 1498, claiming that land and all it touched for the King and Queen of Spain, he essentially laid the Spanish claim for all of North and South America, as it was all connected.

It also must be stated, however, that Spain claimed a lot of land it never had any intention of settling.

In order to hold on to claims, colonies had to be settled.

Answer: Brazil

Pedro Cabral claimed Brazil for Portugal in 1500, and it remained a colony until 1808, when the capital was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. In 1815 Brazil became part of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. However, by 1822 the independent Empire of Brazil was established. Today Brazil is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world, and many elements of Portuguese culture, such as the Roman Catholic religion and architectural styles, remain.

Answer: Protestant Reformation

When the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed in 1494, Roman Catholicism was the main European religion, and the pope wielded much power there. Even so, it seems like excluding all the other countries from the colonization of the New World would have caused a bit of a ruckus.

As it turned out, the countries that later would become players in the New World drama were otherwise occupied in 1494. When they did send out explorers, such as John Cabot's voyage for England in 1497, they stayed well to the north, away from the Spanish shipping lanes and sphere of influence. Once the Protestant Reformation began, however, the pope no longer had status in countries such as the Netherlands and England. Even in France, which remained a strong Catholic nation, the king, said to have been Francis I (1494-1547), made the statement, "Show me Adam's will!" when speaking about the Treaty of Tordesillas.

In addition, by the time other countries began to arrange voyages of exploration and settlement in the New World, the power of Spain and Portugal was beginning to wane.

In 1750 the Treaty of Madrid voided the Treaty of Tordesillas, and Spain and Portugal made peace over some disputed areas of land ownership.

Answer: They could not occupy any territory already ruled by a Christian ruler.

One has to take a moment to consider why this clause was added to the Treaty of Tordesillas. Certainly it was early enough in the Age of Exploration that there wouldn't be an opportunity to run into any territory that had already been claimed by a Christian ruler. Even with the limited trade in Asia at the time, the pope had to have known that any people encountered would not be Christian.

The answer has to be that no one really knew what was out there. Perhaps by sailing west, one would come into contact with a European land? The pope must have wanted to make it clear that he would not tolerate any wars or conflicts between Christian countries over territorial claims. Ultimately the coming of Christian missionaries didn't bode well for the native people found in South America.

Answer: Moluccas

Although the Treaty did not name a certain meridian, it did state that one would be determined by a joint voyage of Spain and Portugal; that joint voyage never occurred. Each country could go as far in their direction as they pleased - Spain west and Portugal east - and even if they crossed paths, it was okay as long as they didn't try to claim the other's territories. Portugal claimed the Moluccas, which is in present day Indonesia, in 1518.

It was the only place where cloves could be obtained, and when Magellan's men visited the island group in 1518, Spain decided that it was too valuable to just give up without a fight. Spain claimed that the Treaty of Tordesillas had, in fact, divided the world into hemispheres and the Moluccas was in Spain's part.

In 1524 the Treaty of Zaragoza resolved the conflict; Portugal agreed to exchange a sum of gold, and Spain recognized Portugal's right to the land.

Answer: False

The Treaty of Tordesillas achieved two very different results for the two countries involved. While Spain controlled an enormous empire for a time in the Americas, Portugal's claim was much more diverse, including colonies in Africa, India, and other Asian locations.

Interestingly, Portugal was the one who encroached on Spain's claim in the New World, pushing further and further inland. At the time, Spain didn't launch a complaint; Portugal was basically pushing into an area which held no interest to them.