The Papal Bull That Split the World: 1493

In 1493, Pope Alexander VI issued a series of papal bulls that drew a line down the Atlantic Ocean, granting Spain all lands west of it and Portugal everything to the east. This episode opens with a Spanish scribe in Tordesillas, 1494, as ambassadors from Spain and Portugal haggle over a line that would shape global colonization for centuries. Lucas and Luna explore the world before 1492: the interconnected trade routes of the Silk Road, the powerful empires of the Aztecs and Incas, the wealthy kingdoms of West Africa like Mali and Songhai, and the flourishing city-states of the Swahili Coast. They discuss the Treaty of Tordesillas, its roots in earlier papal bulls like Romanus Pontifex, and its lasting impact. They preview how future episodes will examine the collision of worlds, the rise of colonialism, and the reshaping of global power dynamics. This is a story of ambition, faith, and the drawing of arbitrary lines that still echo today. #TreatyOfTordesillas #PopeAlexanderVI #1493 #Colonialism #AgeOfExploration #Spain #Portugal #SilkRoad #MaliEmpire #SonghaiEmpire #Aztecs #Incas #SwahiliCoast #InterCaetera #RomanusPontifex #WorldHistory #FexingoHistory #History #EuropeanImperialism #BerlinConference Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo