What did the Treaty of Tordesillas establish?

• A. A line dividing South America between Portugal and Spain.
• B. An alliance between Portugal and Spain to colonize Africa.
• C. A treaty ending the war between Portugal and Spain.
• D. A pact to merge the crowns of Portugal and Spain.

Answer: (A)

Think of the Treaty of Tordesillas as drawing a boundary to settle competing claims between Spain and Portugal as they explored and claimed new lands. In 1494, the two powers agreed on a line about 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. Everything to the west of that line belonged to Spain, and everything to the east belonged to Portugal. This division helped prevent open conflict by clarifying who could colonize which parts of the newly found world, and it particularly shaped the Americas—most notably, Brazil ended up under Portuguese control because it lies east of the line. The treaty wasn’t about forming an alliance, ending a war, or merging crowns; it was about dividing non-European lands to avoid rivalry.