Treaty of Tordesillas

Ferdinand, Isabella, and Prince Juan ratify the Treaty of Tordesillas

The signature formula is stark: "I, the King. I, the Queen. I, the Prince." The treaty had expressly required the heir's own sanction.

Arévalo, 2 July 1494

At Arévalo on 2 July 1494, Ferdinand, Isabella and their heir Prince Juan examined, approved, confirmed and ratified the agreement their representatives had executed at Tordesillas twenty-five days earlier.

The three swore on the Cross and Gospels to observe the treaty for themselves, their heirs, their kingdoms and their subjects.

Three signatures and a lead seal

The instrument was signed "I, the King; I, the Queen; I, the Prince," and ordered sealed with a hanging lead seal on coloured silk threads.

Prince Juan was not present merely as a witness. The treaty had expressly required the monarchs' son and heir to sanction their ratification.

The Portuguese ambassadors Ruy de Sousa, João de Sousa and Aires de Almada were present when the monarchs and prince swore.

Half a bargain until September

The ratified terms recognised the 370-league demarcation and the respective Portuguese and Castilian zones negotiated on 7 June.

Full reciprocal confirmation still awaited Portugal. João II ratified at Setúbal on 5 September 1494.

Calling this Spain's ratification is anachronistic shorthand: Ferdinand and Isabella ruled a composite monarchy, and the treaty's overseas allocation was framed principally as Castilian.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 6 sources 2 audit passes Date corrected

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet, rewritten from that sheet, then audited against it by a different model. How the pipeline works →

Date corrected. The research places this at 1494-07-02.

What the sources leave uncertain

The listed event supplied only the year, but both the surviving ratification text and Spain’s Ministry of Culture give the exact date and place: Arévalo, 2 July 1494.
Calling this “Spain’s” ratification is anachronistic shorthand. Ferdinand and Isabella ruled a composite monarchy, and the treaty’s overseas allocation was principally to Castile—not a unitary modern Spanish state.