Ratifications of Portuguese Expansion: Historical Context

1 — Ratifications of Portuguese expansion by the Holy See

Sharing of the Discovered Lands - Ratifications of Portuguese expansion by the Holy See

1. Context and authority of the Holy See

In the Middle Ages and early Modern Age, the Holy See occupied a position superior to other Christian nations. As a supranational authority, its moral influence was recognised and reaffirmed — including through tributes and embassies of submission.

It was accepted that it was up to the Roman Curia to distribute among Catholic princes the mission of Christianisation, by peaceful or violent means, in the islands and lands of non-Christians. This attribution implied the recognition of the sovereignty of princes over the areas they conquered.

2. Royal requests and first claims (14th century)

Still in the 14th century, foreshadowing Portugal’s future maritime expansion, Dom Afonso IV appealed to Pope Clement VI to claim rights over the Fortunate Islands (Canary Islands).

3. The conquest of Ceuta and the crusade bull (1418)

With the capture of Ceuta, the kingdom’s overseas activities began. In 1418, Pope Martin V granted Dom João I, through the bull Sane charissimus, the character of a crusade to the Moroccan enterprise, with all the legal and religious implications that this entailed.

4. Rex Regum and the legitimisation of conquests (1436)

To continue the campaign, Dom Duarte also sought papal approval. In 1436, Eugene IV, through the bull Rex Regum, declared that ‘the lands conquered by him from the infidels would be subject to Dom Duarte and his successors,’ legitimising the possession of the conquered lands.

5. The Order of Christ and Atlantic expansion (1442)

Prince Henry and the Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ played a central role in the expansion towards the Indies.

In 1442, through the bull Etsi suscepti, Prince Henry was authorised to retain, administer and bequeath lands (Portuguese or otherwise) donated to the Order, as well as islands in the Ocean.

This authorisation favoured the settlement and exploration of Madeira, Porto Santo, the Azores and Cape Verde.

6. Models of colonisation and economic practices

The Order of Christ’s activities in these archipelagos served as an initial model for the colonisation of Brazil: the establishment of the hereditary captaincy system, the cultivation of sugar cane and the use of slave labour.

7. Papal limitations and claims by Castile (1443)

In 1443, a new version of the bull Rex Regum reserved exceptions in favour of Castile and León, responding to claims by King John II of Castile over lands that, according to him, belonged to his predecessors. These areas would be excluded from the conquests considered to have been taken ‘from the infidels’.

8. Expansion of privileges and spiritual jurisdiction (1454–1456)

The Order of Christ obtained new papal confirmations. In 1454, Nicholas V, through the bull Romanus Pontifex, granted it spiritual jurisdiction over territories from Cape Non (also referred to as Cape Bojador), along the coast of Guinea, and as far as the Indies.

In 1456, Callistus III, through the bull Inter Caetera, consolidated these claims, citing islands in the Ocean, areas from the Capes Bojador and No, throughout Guinea and ‘as far as the Indies’.

9. Treaty of Alcáçovas and possession of the Canary Islands (1479)

The exception linked to Castile was formalised in the Treaty of Alcáçovas (1479), after a war that marked the end of the reign of Dom Afonso V. Portugal recognised Castile’s possession of the Canary Islands, without, however, compromising the continuity of Portuguese overseas expansion.

10. Final confirmations and encouragement of discoveries (1481–1486)

In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV approved these provisions by the bull Sæterni Regis. In 1486, Innocent VIII, by the bull Orthodoxæ fidei, encouraged Dom João II to continue Portuguese discoveries.