历史小径·世界史英语30篇（5）
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The Treaty of Tordesillas: A Line Across the World
托尔德西里亚斯条约：横贯世界的分界线
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In 1494, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas under papal mediation to avoid war over new lands.
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A meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands divided the globe into two exclusive spheres of exploration.
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Everything east of the line—including Brazil—belonged to Portugal, while Spain claimed all lands to the west.
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Neither side consulted Indigenous peoples whose homelands now lay entirely within one colonial claim.
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The treaty reflected Europe’s growing confidence in global navigation and cartography during the Age of Discovery.
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Portuguese explorers soon reached India and China, while Spanish fleets crossed the Pacific to the Philippines.
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Though other powers like England and France ignored it, the agreement shaped colonial administration for centuries.
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Its legacy appears in modern borders, especially in Latin America’s linguistic divisions between Spanish and Portuguese.
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Maps drawn after 1494 often showed the line prominently, reinforcing imperial legitimacy through geography.
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Ultimately, the treaty revealed how diplomacy, religion, and mapping converged to reshape sovereignty worldwide.