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TreatyofZaragoza
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TheTreatyofZaragoza,orTreatyofSaragossa,
alsoreferredtoastheCapitulationofZaragoza,
wasapeacetreatybetweentheSpanishCrownand
Portugal,signedon22April1529byKingJohnIII
andtheEmperorCharlesV,intheAragonesecity
ofZaragoza.Thetreatydefinedtheareasof
Castilian(Spanish)andPortugueseinfluencein
Asia,inordertoresolvethe"Moluccasissue",
whichhadarisenbecausebothkingdomsclaimed
theMoluccasislandsforthemselves,assertingthat
itwaswithintheirareaofinfluenceestablishedby The1494TordesillasTreatymeridian(purple)andthe
theTreatyofTordesillasin1494.Theconflict Moluccasantimeridian(green),setbytheTreatyof
beganin1520,whenexpeditionsofbothkingdoms Zaragoza,1529
reachedthePacificOcean,becausenoagreed
meridianoflongitudehadbeenestablishedinthe
orient.

Contents
1 Background:the"MoluccasIssue"
1.1 ConferenceofBadajozElvas
2 Treaty
3 Seealso
4 Notes
5 References
6 Externallinks

Background:the"MoluccasIssue"
In1494CastileandPortugalsignedtheTreatyofTordesillas,dividingtheworldintotwoareasofexploration
andcolonisation:theCastilianandthePortuguese.ItproclaimedameridianintheAtlanticOcean,withareas
westofthelineexclusivetoSpain,andeastofthelinetoPortugal.

In1511,Malacca,thenthecentreofAsiantrade,wasconqueredforPortugalbyAfonsodeAlbuquerque.
Gettingtoknowthesecretlocationofthesocalled"spiceislands"theBandaIslandsintheMoluccas,then
thesingleworldsourceofnutmegandcloves,andthemainpurposeforthetravelsintheIndianOcean
AlbuquerquesentanexpeditionledbyAntniodeAbreuinsearchoftheMoluccas,particularlytheBanda
islands.Theexpeditionarrivedinearly1512,passingenroutethroughtheLesserSundaIslands,beingthefirst
Europeanstogetthere.[1]BeforereachingBanda,theexplorersvisitedtheislandsofBuru,AmbonandSeram.
Later,afteraseparationforcedbyashipwreck,Abreu'svicecaptainFranciscoSerro,sailedtothenorthand,
buthisshipsankoffTernate,whereheobtainedalicensetobuildaPortuguesefortressfactory:theFortede
SoJooBaptistadeTernate.

Lettersdescribingthe"SpiceIslands",fromSerrotoFerdinandMagellan,whowerefriendsandpossibly
cousins,helpedMagellanpersuadetheSpanishcrowntofinancethefirstcircumnavigationoftheearth.[2][3]On
6November1521,theMoluccas,"thecradleofallspices",werereachedfromtheeastbyMagellan'sfleet,

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sailingthenunderJuanSebastinElcano,attheserviceoftheSpanishCrown.BeforeMagellanandSerro
couldmeetintheMoluccas,SerrodiedontheislandofTernate,almostatthesametimeMagellanwaskilled
inthebattleofMactaninthePhilippines.[4]

AftertheMagellanElcanoexpedition(15191522),CharlesVsentasecondexpedition,ledbyGarcaJofrede
Loasa,tocolonisetheislands,basedontheassertionthattheywereintheCastilianzone,undertheTreatyof
Tordesillas.[5]Aftersomedifficulties,theexpeditionreachedtheMoluccas,dockingatTidore,wherethe
Spanishestablishedafort.TherewasinevitableconflictwiththePortuguese,whowerealreadyestablishedin
Ternate.Afterayearoffighting,theSpanishsufferasdefeatbut,despitethat,nearlyadecadeofskirmishes
overthepossessionoftheislandsensued.

ConferenceofBadajozElvas

In1524,bothkingdomsorganisedthe"JuntadeBadajozElvas"to
resolvethedispute.Eachcrownappointedthreeastronomersand
cartographers,threepilotsandthreemathematicians,whoformeda
committeetoestablishtheexactlocationoftheantimeridianof
Tordesillas,andtheintentionwastodividethewholeworldinto
twoequalhemispheres.

ThePortuguesedelegationsentbyKingJooIIIincludedAntnio
deAzevedoCoutinho,DiogoLopesdeSequeira,LopoHomem,a
cartographerandcosmographer,andSimoFernandes.The
plenipotentiaryfromPortugalwasMercurioGtine,andthosefrom
SpainwereCountMercurioGtine,GarciadeLoaysa,Bishopof
MapoftheMoluccas,showingTernateand Osma,andGarcadePadilla,grandmasteroftheOrderof
Tidore Calatrava.FormerPortuguesecartographerDiogoRibeiro,was
partoftheSpanishdelegation.[6]

Theboardmetseveraltimes,atBadajozandElvas,withoutreachinganagreement.Geographicknowledgeat
thattimewasinadequateforanaccurateassignmentoflongitude,andeachgroupchosemapsorglobesthat
showedtheislandstobeintheirownhemisphere.[7]JohnIIIandCharlesVagreedtonotsendanyoneelseto
theMoluccasuntilitwasestablishedinwhosehemispheretheweresituated.

Between1525and1528PortugalsentseveralexpeditionstotheareaaroundtheMoluccas.GomesdeSequeira
andDiogodaRochaweresentbythegovernorofTernateJorgedeMenesestotheCelebes(alsoalreadyvisited
bySimodeAbreuin1523)andtothenorth.TheexpeditionerswerethefirstEuropeanstoreachtheCaroline
Islands,whichtheynamed"IslandsdeSequeira".[8][9]ExplorerssuchasMartimAfonsodeMelo(152224),
andpossibleGomesdeSequeira(15261527),sightedtheAruIslandsandtheTanimbarIslands.[10]In1526
JorgedeMenesesreachednorthwesternPapuaNewGuinea,landinginBiakintheSchoutenIslands,andfrom
therehesailedtoWaigeoontheBird'sHeadPeninsula.

Ontheotherhand,inadditiontotheLoasaexpeditionfromSpaintotheMoluccas(15251526),theCastilians
sentantheexpeditionthereviathePacific,ledbylvarodeSaavedraCern(1528)(preparedbyHernn
CortsinMexico),inordertocompetewiththePortugueseintheregion.MembersoftheGarciaJofrede
LoasaexpeditionweretakenprisonerbythePortuguese,whoreturnedthesurvivorstoEuropebythewestern
route.lvarodeSaavedraCernreachedtheMarshallIslands,andintwofailedattemptstoreturnfromthe
MoluccasviathePacific,exploredpartofwestandnorthernNewGuinea,alsoreachingtheSchoutenIslands
andsightingYapen,aswellastheAdmiraltyIslandsandtheCarolines.

On10February1525,CharlesV'syoungersisterCatherineofAustriamarriedJohnIIIofPortugal,andon11
March1526,CharlesVmarriedkingJohn'ssisterIsabellaofPortugal.Thesecrossedweddingsstrengthened
thetiesbetweenthetwocrowns,facilitatinganagreementregardingtheMoluccas.Itwasintheinterestsofthe

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emperortoavoidconflict,sothathecouldfocusonhisEuropeanpolicy,andtheSpaniardsdidnotknowthen
howtogetspicesfromtheMoluccastoEuropeviatheeasternroute.TheManilaAcapulcoroutewasonly
establishedbybyAndrsdeUrdanetain1565.

Treaty
TheTreatyofZaragozalaiddownthattheeasternborderbetweenthetwodomainzoneswas297.5leagues
(1,763kilometres,952nauticalmiles)[note1],or17east,oftheMalukuIslands.[12]Thetreatyincludeda
safeguardclausewhichstatedthatthedealwouldbeundoneifatanytimetheemperorwishedtorevokeit,
withthePortuguesebeingreimbursedthemoneytheyhadtopay,andeachnation"willhavetherightandthe
actionasthatisnow."Thatneverhappenedhowever,becausetheemperordesperatelyneededthePortuguese
moneytofinancetheWaroftheLeagueofCognacagainsthisarchrivalFrancisIofFrance.

ThetreatydidnotclarifyormodifythelineofdemarcationestablishedbytheTreatyofTordesillas,nordidit
validateSpain'sclaimtoequalhemispheres(180each),sothetwolinesdividedtheEarthintounequal
portions.Portugal'sportionwasroughly191oftheEarth'scircumference,whereasSpain'sportionwas
roughly169.Therewasa4marginofuncertaintyastotheexactsizeofbothportions,duetothevariation
ofopinionaboutthepreciselocationoftheTordesillasline.

Underthetreaty,Portugalgainedcontrolofalllandsandseaswestoftheline,includingallofAsiaandits
neighbouringislandssofar"discovered",leavingSpainwithmostofthePacificOcean.Althoughthe
Philippineswasnotmentionedinthetreaty,Spainimplicitlyrelinquishedanyclaimtoitbecauseitwaswell
westoftheline.Nevertheless,by1542,KingCharlesVhaddecidedtocolonisethePhilippines,assumingthat
Portugalwouldnotprotesttoovigorouslybecausethearchipelagohadnospices.Althoughhefailedinhis
attempt,KingPhilipIIsucceededin1565,establishingtheinitialSpanishtradingpostatManila.Ashisfather
hadexpected,therewaslittleoppositionfromthePortuguese.

Seealso
141stmeridianeast
IndonesiaPapuaNewGuinearelations
SouthAustraliaVictoriaborderdispute

Notes
1.Usingtheleguanutica(nauticalleague)offourRomanmilestotalling5.926km,usedbySpainfornavigation
duringthe15thand16thcenturies.[11]

References
1.Hannard(1991),page7Milton,Giles(1999).Nathaniel'sNutmeg.London:Sceptre.pp.5and7.ISBN9780340
696767.
2.R.A.Donkin,"Betweeneastandwest:theMoluccasandthetrafficinspicesuptothearrivalofEuropeans"(https://
books.google.com/books?id=B4IFMnssyqgC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false),p.29,Volume248of
MemoirsoftheAmericanPhilosophicalSociety,DIANEPublishing,2003ISBN0871692481
3.Hannard,WillardA.(1991).IndonesianBanda:ColonialismanditsAftermathintheNutmegIslands.Bandanaira:
YayasanWarisandanBudayaBandaNaira.
4.DuarteBarbosaManselLongworthDamesFernodeMagalhes.ThebookofDuarteBarbosa:anaccountofthe
countriesborderingontheIndianOceanandtheirinhabitants.NewDelhi:ISBN8120604512
5.TheexpeditionofGarcaJofredeLoasa(15251526)aimedtooccupyandcolonisetheMoluccas.Thefleetofseven
shipsand450menincludedthemostnotableSpanishnavigators:JuanSebastinElcano,wholosthislifeinthis
expedition,andtheyoungAndrsdeUrdaneta.

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6.Therecordsofthecommittee,heldinthePortuguesenationalarchiveatTorredoTombo,includealetterwrittenby
LopoHomem,Portuguesecartographerandcosmographer,alludingtothequarrelbetweenthetwokingdomsoverthe
sovereignrightsofeach.
7.Asanexampleofthispartiality,thechiefadvisortoCharlesV,JeanCarondelet,possessedaglobebyFranciscus
MonachuswhichshowedtheislandsintheSpanishhemisphere.
8.AntonioGalvano,RichardHakluyt,CRDrinkwaterBethune,"Thediscoveriesoftheworld:fromtheiroriginalunto
theyearofourLord1555",TheHakluytSociety,1862,apartirdatraduoinglesade1601daedioportuguesaem
Lisboa,1563
9.ThereisamuchdisputedtheorythatCristvodeMendona(1522)andGomesdeSequeira(1525)werethefirst
EuropeanstodiscoverAustralia.
10.[1](http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/arch_00448613_1995_num_49_1_3038?_Prescripts_Sear
ch_tabs1=standard&)LuisFilipeF.R.Thomaz,TheimageoftheArchipelagoinPortuguesecartographyofthe16th
andearly17thcenturies,Persee,1995,Volume49pages:56
11.RolandCharon,"ThelinearleagueinNorthAmerica",AnnalsoftheAssociationofAmericanGeographers70(1980)
129153,pp.142,144,151.
12.EmmaHelenBlair,ThePhilippineIslands,14931803(http://www.fullbooks.com/ThePhilippineIslands14931803
3.html),part3

Externallinks
YasuoMiyakawa."ThechangingiconographyofJapanesepoliticalgeography,"(https://www.jstor.org/st
able/41147573)GeoJournal,Vol.52,No.4,Iconographies(2000),pp.345352.

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Categories: 1529inlaw HistoryofthePhilippines(15211898) Linesoflongitude Geopoliticalrivalry

16thcenturytreaties Boundarytreaties PeacetreatiesofPortugal PeacetreatiesofSpain
TreatiesoftheKingdomofPortugal TreatiesoftheSpanishEmpire PortugalSpainrelations
1529inSpain 1529inPortugal 1529treaties PortugalintheAgeofDiscovery
SpainintheAgeofDiscovery

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