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.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| papal bull Inter caetera canonical | 2 |
| Papal Bulls of Demarcation | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
papal bull
ⓘ
pontifical decree ⓘ |
| addressedTo |
Catholic Monarchs
ⓘ
surface form:
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 |
Roman Catholicism
ⓘ
surface form:
Catholic Church
Holy See ⓘ |
| language | Latin ⓘ |
| laterSupersededInPracticeBy |
Treaty of Zaragoza
ⓘ
surface form:
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 (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Papal Bulls of Demarcation