emarcation Line,
and grants to Spain all lands west and south thereof which were not
already in the possession of any Christian prince. Still another Bull
(dated September 25 of the same year) authorizes Spain to extend her
sovereignty also over lands which shall be discovered to the East,
including India--thus practically annulling both the Demarcation Line
and previous concessions to Portugal. The latter power's remonstrances
against this infringement of her former rights lead to the Treaty of
Tordesillas (June 7, 1494), in which, by mutual agreement between the
sovereigns, a new line of demarcation is established to be drawn two
hundred and seventy leagues farther west than that of Alexander VI;
and another document (dated April 15, 1495) makes suitable arrangements
for a scientific and equitable determination of this boundary. The
final action of the Holy See in this matter is indicated by a Bull
of Leo X (_Praecelsae_, dated November 3, 1514) granted to Portugal; it
confirms all previous papal gifts to that power of lands in the East,
and grants to her both past and future discoveries and conquests,
there and elsewhere. Disputes arising between Spain and Portugal over
the ownership of the Moluccas or Spice Islands (see letters of Carlos
I to his ambassadors at Lisbon, February 4 and December 18, 1523;
and the treaty of Vitoria, February 19, 1524), the Junta of Badajoz
is convened (April 11-May 31, 1524) to settle this question; and that
body fixes the Line of Demarcation three hundred and seventy leagues
west of San Antonio, the most westerly of the Cape Verde Islands. (In
this connection are presented the opinions of Hernando Colon, Sebastian
Cabot, and other competent judges; and letters from Carlos I to the
Spanish deputies.) This settlement proving ineffectual, the Moluccas
are relinquished to Portugal by the treaty of Zaragoza (April 22,
1529), Spain retaining possession of the Philippine Islands, although
the terms of that treaty placed them outside of her jurisdiction.
Reverting to a somewhat earlier date, we note incidentally the Bull
of Alexander VI (_Eximiae_, November 16, 1501) which authorizes the
Spanish monarchs to levy tithes on the natives and inhabitants of
their newly-acquired possessions in the western world; and proceed to
a summary of the life and voyages of Fernao de Magalhaes (commonly
known as Magellan). Synopses are given of many documents published
by Navarrete, dated from 1518 to 1527: a
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