The Pope Once Granted The Entire Continent of South America To Spain
A bold and wild claim that was awkward for the rest of the world
In 1493, Pope Alexander VI made a sweeping declaration in the form of a papal bull. The new declaration declared that the Spanish monarchy was entitled to all lands and islands, discovered and yet to be discovered, south and west of an invisible line that ran pole to pole off the coast of the Cape Verde Islands. In effect, the declaration gave Spain a right backed by the church to all of the lands in South America.
The papal bull, known as the inter caetera, was the result of years of bribery, support, and deals between the Castillian monarchs and the church in Rome. The Spanish hoped to get the church to block Portuguese interests in the same regions that were being explored.
The declaration was met with skepticism from loyal Catholics and was scoffed by those who were not so heavily tied to the Roman Catholic church.
Powerful words
This was not the first, nor the last, land claim declaration that would make use of lines that run the entire…
