Treaty of Alcaçovas

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The Treaty of Alcaçovas (also known as Treaty or Peace of Alcaçovas-Toledo) was signed between the kingdoms of Castile (Castilla, Spain) and Portugal on September 4, 1479 that put an end to the War of the Castilian Succession, a civil war begun in 1474 over the succession of the kingdom of Castile. By this agreement, ownership of the Canary Islands was transferred from Portugal to Castile in exchange for claims in West Africa.

The Peace of Alcaçovas-Toledo settled the question of the succession of Castile in favor of the Isabel, as well as the disputes between Castile and Portugal over the control of the Atlantic in which Castilian control of the Canary islands was recognized but which also gave Portugal the Azores, Madeira, the Cape Verde islands and "lands discovered and to be discovered...and any other island which might be found and conquered from the Canary islands beyond toward Guinea." This treaty, ratified later by a Papal bull in 1481, essentially gave the Portuguese free reign to continue their exploration along the African coast while guaranteeing Castilian sovereignty in the Canaries. It also prohibited Castilians from sailing to the Portuguese possessions without Portuguese licence. Noticeably, Aragon was not a signatory. The Treaty of Alcacovas established Castilian and Portuguese spheres of control in the Atlantic and settled, for a while, a period of open hostility, but it also created the basis for future claims and conflict.

Portugal's rival Castile had been somewhat slower than its neighbour to begin exploring the Atlantic, and it was not until late in the fifteenth century that Castilian sailors began to compete with their Iberian neighbours. The first contest was for control of the Canary Islands, which Castile won. It was not until the union of Aragon and Castille and the completion of the reconquista that the large nation became fully committed to looking for new trade routes and colonies overseas. In 1492 the joint rulers of the nation decided to fund Christopher Columbus' expedition that they hoped would bypass Portugal's lock on Africa and the Indian Ocean reaching Asia by travelling west.

[edit] Excerpt from treaty

... the said King and Prince of Portugal or the future sovereigns of Portugal or their kingdoms, in their possession or quasi possession all the trade, lands and barter in Guinea, with its gold-mines, or in any other islands, coasts or lands, discovered or to be discovered, found or to be found, or in the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo and Desierta, or in all the islands of the Azores, or the islands of Flores, as well as the islands of Cape Verde, or in all the islands hitherto discovered, or in all other islands which shall be found or acquired by conquest [in the region] from the Canary Islands down toward Guinea. For whatever has been found or shall be found, acquired by conquest, or discovered within the said limits, beyond what has already been found, occupied, or discovered, belongs to the said King and Prince of Portugal and to their kingdoms, excepting only the Canary Islands, to wit: Lancarote, Palma, Forteventura, Gomera, Ferro, Graciosa, Grand Canary, Teneriffe and all the other Canary Islands, acquired or to be acquired, which belong to the kingdoms of Castile. And in like manner, [they promised] not to disturb, trouble or molest any persons whomsoever, who, under any title or in any way or manner whatsoever, shall trade or traffic in or acquire by conquest the said trade of Guinea or that of the said coasts or lands, discovered or to be discovered, in the name or under the authority of the said king and prince or their successors. On the contrary, by these presents, they do promise and assure, in good faith and without deceit, the said king and prince and their successors, that they will not, of themselves or through others, order or consent, but rather forbid, that any of their people, native or subject, in any place or at any time, or in any case, specified or not specified, or any other foreign people who might be within their kingdoms and dominions, or who shall be equipped or provisioned in their ports, go to traffic in the said trade or in the islands or lands of Guinea discovered or to be discovered.

[edit] Miscellaneous

King Alfonso V of Portugal was married to the daughter of Enrique IV of Castile, Juana, about whom rumors of illegitimacy were spread and who was popularly known as Juana "la Beltraneja", because her father was alleged to be Beltrán de la Cueva. When Isabel, who was married to Prince Ferdinand of Aragon and whose claim to the crown was also disputed, was crowned Queen of Castile, civil war broke out. Portugal on one side championed the claim of Juana "la Beltraneja", while the Kingdom of Aragon championed the rights of Isabel. Portugal was finally defeated in the Battles of Toro in 1476 and Albuera in 1479.