Question

How effective were the Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragoza in establishing which nations could control which territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia? Why?

(a) The Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragoza were not very effective in establishing which nations could control which territories because they were based on inaccurate maps and information about the geography of the world.
(b) The Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragoza were only effective for a short period of time because they were eventually ignored by other European powers.
(c) The Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragoza were very effective in establishing which nations could control which territories because they were based on international law and were enforced by the Catholic Church.
(d) The Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragoza were somewhat effective in establishing which nations could control which territories, but they were not completely effective because they did not address the issue of overlapping claims.

Answer 1

The Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragoza were initially significant but their effectiveness was limited and they were largely ignored by other European nations, leading to their eventual irrelevance as other powers established colonies and trading posts.

Step-by-step explanation:

The effectiveness of the Treaty of Tordesillas and the Treaty of Zaragoza in establishing control over territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia was mixed. Initially, these treaties were significant in dividing the world into two zones of influence between Portugal and Spain, with the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 giving Portugal everything west of a meridian between the Cape Verde Islands and the lands Columbus discovered, and the Treaty of Zaragoza in 1529 adjusting the division in the East. However, the treaties' effectiveness was limited given that they were based on incomplete knowledge of geography and were largely ignored by other European nations like England, the Netherlands, and France due to religious differences or indifference to the authority of the pope who sanctioned the treaties.

The Spanish and Portuguese dominance was further undermined by the fact that they did not recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples in their claimed territories. Over time, as Spain and Portugal's power waned in the 17th century, other European nations established their own colonies and trading posts, rendering the treaties largely irrelevant. The events show the transient nature of European agreements on territory during the Age of Exploration.