What was the purpose of the Treaty of Tordesillas?

The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, was primarily intended to resolve conflicts over newly discovered lands between the two leading maritime powers of the time, Spain and Portugal. The treaty established a longitudinal line in the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Azores and Cape Verde islands, which effectively divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between the two nations. Spain was granted rights to territory west of the line, while Portugal was given rights to the east, particularly influencing their colonial aspirations in the Americas and parts of Africa and Asia.

The significance of this division lay in its attempt to reduce competition and potential conflicts over overseas expansion, thereby allowing for a more organized approach to exploration and colonization. This facilitated the Spanish and Portuguese empires' expansion and significantly influenced the patterns of global trade, exploration, and settlement in the following centuries.