at Tordesillas near Valladolid, the Spanish representatives, Don Enrique Enriques, Don Gutierre de Cardenas, and Dr. Rodrigo Maldonado, concluded a treaty with the above-mentioned plenipotentiaries of Portugal. According to this treaty all lands lying east of a meridian located 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands, and discovered by Portugal, were to pertain to that country and all lands west of the line, discovered by Spain, were to pertain to Spain. If the sovereign of either country discovered lands within the bounds assigned to the other, he must surrender them to the other monarch. Within ten months after the date of the treaty each party was to send one or two caravels with pilots, astrologers, and mariners (the same number on each side) to assemble at the Grand Canary, sail to the Cape Verde Islands and thence west to deter mine the boundary; if the line should intersect land, boundary towers or marks were to be erected. Spanish ships crossing the Portuguese seas east of the line must follow the most direct route to their destination. Lands discovered by Spain within the twenty days next following the conclusion of the treaty were to belong to Portugal if situated within the first 250 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands, otherwise to Spain. The pope was asked to confirm the treaty upon the request of either or both parties thereto.
Since in the then existing state of knowledge it was impossible to deter mine the position of the delimiting meridian, the treaty led to further disagreements and its interpretation has been a matter of dispute down to modern times. At different periods, in accordance with her changing inter ests, Portugal claimed now one and now another of the Cape Verde group as the point of departure for measurement westwards. Another debated question was the number of leagues in a degree.[1]
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Text: MS. The original manuscript of the ratification signed by Ferdinand and Isabella at Arévalo, July 2, 1494, is in the National Archives at Lisbon, gav. 17, maço 2, no. 24. The original manuscript of the ratifi cation signed by John II. at Setubal on September 5, 1494, is in the Archives of the Indies, "Legajo escogido".
Text: Printed. J. Ramos-Coelho, Alguns Documentos ( 1892), pp. 69-80; G. F. von Martens, Supplément au Recueil des Traités ( 1802, etc.), I. 372-388; C. Calvo, Receuil des Traités ( 1862- 1866), I. 19-36; J. F. Pacheco et al., Coleccion de Documentos Inéditos ( 1864- 1884), XXX. 258-285; M. Fernandez de Navarrete, Coleccion de Viages ( 1825- 1837), II. 130-143, and thence in J. B. Thacher, Columbus ( 1903- 1904), II. 165- 175; Boletín del Centro de Estudios Americanistas, año III., no. 7. This treaty is also contained in the official collections of treaties
- ↑ For an account of the knowledge of nautical astronomy in Portugal at this time, see J. Bensaude, L'Astronomie Nautique au Portugal à l'Époque des Grandes Découvertes ( 1912), and the Collection de Documents, relative to this subject, now being published under his direction by order of the Portuguese ministry of public instruction.
