The Treaty of Tordesillas on show for the first time in the city where it was signed

On the 525th anniversary of the signing, the Acting Minister of Culture and Sport, José Guirao, opened the exhibition and launched the commemorative events that have been organised over three days in Tordesillas. They include an international conference on the Treaty of Tordesillas (Tratado de Tordesillas) and Atlantic policy, open days, guided evening visits to the nearby General Archive of Simancas, concerts and a historical recreation of the signing of the treaty.

The Treaty of Tordesillas, which since 2007 has been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, put an end to the disputes between the two kingdoms by establishing a new dividing line running from pole to pole, 370 leagues from the Cape Verde islands. The Fisheries Treaty (Tratado de Pesquerías) was also signed on the same day, setting out the boundaries of the Kingdom of Fez and fishing rights off the coast of West Africa.

Speaking to the media, Minister José Guirao noted the transcendent importance of the agreement and the process that led to its signing. "For the first time two European states divided territories and oceans through dialogue and pacts, and without recourse to arms," he said.

An exhibition with eight key documents for modern history

Ministerio de Cultura y DeporteAs well as the original treaty in Portuguese and the copy translated into Spanish, the exhibition displays two letters dated 1493 sent by King John II to Ferdinand the Catholic. In one, the first known written testimony of the discovery of America, the Portuguese king announces the arrival of Columbus in Lisbon and the sending of an ambassador to the Castilian court to negotiate Atlantic expansion. In the other letter, the Portuguese king undertakes to stop any further caravels from sailing until two months after the Portuguese emissaries inform the Catholic Monarchs. The two unpublished documents belong to the Maldonado family, the Counts of Villagonzalo, and have been entrusted for safekeeping to the Historic Archive of the Nobility (Archivo Histórico de la Nobleza). Visitors to the exhibit will also see two letters from Christopher Columbus: one of them written in his own hand and addressed to Isabella the Catholic, dealing with matters related to the Indies; and the other informing a royal scribe of the details of his first visit to the Indies. Both are stored in the General Archive of Simancas (Archivo General de Simancas). Two other documents complete the exhibition: the Fisheries Treaty, which is in the National Historical Archive (Archivo Histórico Nacional), and the matrimonial agreements between Emperor Maximilian and the Catholic Monarchs for the marriage of Infanta Joanna and Archduke Philip, and of Prince John and Margaret. They provide an example of foreign policy arranged by the Catholic Monarchs through marriage alliances.

The celebrations include an international conference on the treaty and its political influence

Starting on 7 June, the city of Tordesillas will also host the international conference The Treaty of Tordesillas and the Atlantic policy of the Castilian and Portuguese crowns. It will for two days bring together Spanish and Portuguese specialists and researchers in a dozen presentations and discussions to analyse the importance of the treaty for the foreign policy of the two monarchies.

The commemorative acts of the 525th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas, organised together with the city's local council, will be supplemented with numerous activities programmed locally, in the Fairs Museum (Museo de las Ferias) of Medina del Campo and the nearby General Archive of Simancas. They include guided evening visits to the archive on Friday the 7th and a historical recreation of the signing of the treaty, which will begin on Saturday the 8th in the evening.

Commemorative exhibition of the 5th centenary of the first round-the-world expedition

The celebrations include the opening in Tordesillas on Friday the 7th of the exhibition "El sueño. De la idea al proyecto" (The Dream: from Idea to Project), organised by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and the Ministry of Culture and Sport to commemorate the start of the first circumnavigation of the world 500 years ago. The exhibition, curated by Antonio Fernández Torres, is arriving at Tordesillas as a decisive location for the organisation and launching of this great journey in the history of exploration.

Activities on the International Archives Day

The acts commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas coincide with the International Archives Day, held on 9 June with the theme "Designing the Archives of the 21st Century".

In response to this theme, the state archives have organised open days and guided visits until the 10 June: on 7 June, at the General Archive of Simancas, the Archive of the Crown of Aragon in Barcelona, the National Historical Archive in Madrid and the Historical Archive of the Nobility in Toledo; on 9 June, at the General Archive of Simancas; and on 10 June at the General Government Archive in Alcalá de Henares.

Non official translation