papal bull Romanus Pontifex
E582722
The papal bull Romanus Pontifex is a 1455 decree by Pope Nicholas V that granted Portugal exclusive rights over lands it "discovered" along the African coast, helping to establish the legal and theological foundations for European colonial expansion.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Romanus Pontifex | 0 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
15th-century document
ⓘ
papal bull ⓘ |
| author | Pope Nicholas V NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| authorized |
Portuguese monopoly over trade in Guinea
ⓘ
enslavement of non-Christian peoples under certain conditions ⓘ seizure of lands of non-Christians ⓘ |
| beneficiaryState | Portugal NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| confirmed |
Portuguese rights over conquered lands south of Cape Bojador
ⓘ
Portuguese rights over lands along the West African coast ⓘ earlier grants to Portugal ⓘ |
| dateOfIssue | 1455 ⓘ |
| encouraged |
conversion of non-Christians
ⓘ
spread of Christianity ⓘ |
| followedBy | Inter caetera NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geographicScope |
Atlantic Ocean
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Guinea region NERFINISHED ⓘ West African coast ⓘ |
| grantedExclusiveRights |
conquest of lands not ruled by Christian princes
ⓘ
fishing in specified Atlantic waters ⓘ navigation in specified Atlantic and African waters ⓘ trade in specified Atlantic and African regions ⓘ |
| grantedTo |
King Afonso V of Portugal
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Kingdom of Portugal NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalImpact |
consolidation of Portuguese overseas empire
ⓘ
development of European colonial law ⓘ legitimation of European domination over non-European peoples ⓘ |
| influenced |
European imperial legal frameworks
ⓘ
later papal bulls on colonization ⓘ |
| issuedIn | Rome NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| justified |
Portuguese control of trade routes
ⓘ
Portuguese military campaigns in Africa ⓘ |
| language | Latin ⓘ |
| legalBasisFor |
European colonial expansion
ⓘ
Portuguese claims along the African coast ⓘ Portuguese maritime expansion ⓘ |
| motivatedBy |
competition with other European powers
ⓘ
desire to control gold and spice trade ⓘ |
| papacyOfIssue | Pope Nicholas V NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| predecessorDocument | Dum Diversas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| preservedIn | Vatican archives NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedToDoctrine |
Doctrine of Discovery
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
just war theory ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
colonial expansion
ⓘ
maritime exploration ⓘ missionary activity ⓘ |
| theologicalBasisFor |
Christian dominion over non-Christian lands
ⓘ
subjugation of non-Christians ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.