October
27
/ 2016
Controversy surrounds the knowledge the Portuguese had about Brazil before they entered into the Treaty of Tordesillas. The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, was a treaty between Castile (Spain) and Portugal, which divided the lands discovered in the New World. Marking Territory The line of demarcation was 370 leagues (about 1277 miles or 2055km) west of the Cape Verde Islands, ruled at the time by Portugal, and the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola - which Christopher Columbus found on his original voyage to the New World. Pursuant to this treaty, the islands east of the meridian 370 leagues belonged to Portugal, and the islands west belonged to Spain. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"28395","attributes":{"alt":"Front page of the Treaty of Tordesillas.","class":"media-image","height":"700","style":"width: 510px; height: 700px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"510"}}]] Front
