1494

In 1493, Columbus's triumphant return to Spain ignited a rivalry over oceanic dominance between Spain and Portugal, leading Pope Alexander VI to issue a decree that established the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. This treaty created an imaginary line in the Atlantic, dividing the known world between the two Catholic nations, a decision that would reshape global power dynamics and instigate centuries of espionage, piracy, and conflict. The treaty also sparked an ongoing struggle for "the freedom of the seas," a concept later championed by legal theorist Hugo Grotius, which laid the groundwork for international law.