papal bull Inter caetera
E26552
The papal bull Inter caetera was a 1493 decree by Pope Alexander VI that granted Spain rights to newly discovered lands west of a demarcation line in the Atlantic, profoundly shaping early European colonial claims in the Americas.
Aliases (1)
- Inter caetera ×46
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
papal bull
→
pontifical decree → |
| addressedTo |
Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile
→
|
| author |
Pope Alexander VI
→
|
| category |
1493 documents
→
Documents of the Catholic Church → History of colonization of the Americas → Papal bulls of Pope Alexander VI → |
| concerns |
European colonization of the Americas
→
division of newly discovered lands outside Europe → |
| dateIssued |
1493-05-04
→
|
| demarcationLineDirection |
north–south
→
|
| demarcationLineDistanceFromAzoresOrCapeVerde |
100 leagues west
→
|
| effectOnIndigenousPeoples |
undermined indigenous sovereignty in European legal thought
→
|
| established |
demarcation line in the Atlantic Ocean
→
|
| followed |
Columbus’s first voyage to the Americas
→
|
| geographicalScope |
Atlantic Ocean and lands westward toward the Indies
→
|
| grantedRightsTo |
Crown of Castile
→
Spain → |
| grantedToSpain |
rights to lands west of the demarcation line not already in Christian possession
→
|
| hasConsequences |
Spanish claims over much of the Americas
→
rivalry and negotiations between Spain and Portugal → |
| historicalImpact |
contributed to European imperial partition of the Atlantic world
→
shaped early Spanish colonial empire in the Americas → |
| influenced |
Treaty of Tordesillas
→
|
| issuedBy |
Catholic Church
→
Holy See → |
| language |
Latin
→
|
| laterSupersededInPracticeBy |
Treaty of Tordesillas demarcation line
→
|
| legalDoctrineContext |
Doctrine of Discovery
→
|
| legalStatusAtTime |
binding papal authorization for Catholic monarchs
→
|
| limitedPortugalTo |
lands east of the demarcation line
→
|
| moralCriticism |
criticized by later scholars and activists as legitimizing colonial dispossession
→
|
| papacyOfAuthor |
Alexander VI papacy
→
|
| partOf |
series of Alexander VI bulls on overseas expansion
→
|
| placeOfIssue |
Rome
→
|
| preservedIn |
Vatican Apostolic Archive
→
|
| purpose |
to resolve competing claims of Spain and Portugal over newly discovered lands
→
|
| recognized |
Portuguese rights in Africa and the East so far as not contrary to the bull
→
|
| relatedDocument |
Dudum siquidem
→
Eximiae devotionis → |
| relatedTo |
Treaty of Tordesillas
→
|
| subjectMatter |
jurisdiction over non-Christian lands
→
|
| theologicalJustification |
evangelization of non-Christian peoples
→
|
| typeOfGrant |
exclusive rights of exploration and conquest
→
|
| yearIssued |
1493
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Treaty of Tordesillas
→
|
replaced |