Treaty of Zaragoza

The Treaty of Zaragoza was a peace agreement between Castile and Portugal, signed on April 22, 1529. It was made by King John III of Portugal and Emperor Charles V of the Habsburg in the city of Zaragoza. This treaty helped decide which areas in Asia each country could control.

The treaty was needed because both Castile and Portugal wanted to control the Spice Islands, also called the Malukus and now part of Indonesia. They both believed these islands were in their area of influence, as agreed in an earlier treaty from 1494 called the Treaty of Tordesillas. This disagreement started in 1520 when ships from both countries reached the Pacific Ocean, and there was no clear line to decide who owned what in the far east.

By signing the Treaty of Zaragoza, the two countries settled their dispute and clearly defined their areas of influence in Asia. This helped prevent further conflicts and allowed both nations to focus on exploring and trading in their own parts of the world.

Background

In 1494, Portugal and Castile signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. This agreement set a line in the Atlantic Ocean to divide areas of control between the two countries. Lands west of the line belonged to Spain, and lands east belonged to Portugal. However, the exact position of this line was never clearly defined, leading to disagreements.

Later, Portuguese explorers found a sea route to India and began exploring the Indian Ocean. They reached important trading places like Malacca in 1511 and learned about the rich spice islands in what is now Indonesia. These islands were the source of valuable spices like nutmeg and cloves. When Spanish explorers, led by Ferdinand Magellan, arrived in the area, both countries claimed the islands, leading to conflicts over who had the right to control them.

Conference of Badajoz–Elvas

In 1524, two important kingdoms, Castile and Portugal, tried to solve a problem by holding a meeting called the Junta de Badajoz–Elvas. Each kingdom chose smart people like astronomers, map makers, and pilots to figure out where to draw a line on the world map. This line would split the world into two parts, deciding who controlled which areas.

The meeting happened in two places, Badajoz and Elvas, but they couldn't agree. They didn’t have good enough maps to know exactly where the line should go. Both sides used maps that showed the islands they wanted in their own part of the world. The kings decided not to send more people to a group of islands called the Moluccas until they could figure out who they belonged to.

Treaty

The Treaty of Zaragoza set the eastern border between two areas controlled by different countries. It placed the border 17 degrees east of the Maluku Islands, which meant these islands belonged to Portugal. In return, Portugal paid a large sum of money to the emperor. The treaty also included a special clause saying the agreement could be undone if the emperor changed his mind, but this never happened.

The treaty did not change an earlier agreement about how the world was divided. Because of this, Portugal’s part of the world was larger than Spain’s. Portugal got control of lands and seas west of the border, including Asia and nearby islands, while Spain kept most of the Pacific Ocean. Although the Philippines were not mentioned, Spain later began to colonize them, and this did not cause major problems with Portugal.