West European Studies

During the 15th century, the popes granted special rights in the Orient to Portugal. The decrees in 1492 and 1506 divided the newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal. All rights of colonization and missions were reserved for Portugal in the East. Spain claimed the territories west of the Canaries. The Portuguese Crown established an office for the control of ecclesiastical affairs in the far-flung colonies. This was called the Padroado. The Padroado reported directly both to the Pope and the Portuguese Crown for instruction. It received religious (and sometimes political) instructions from the pope. The Portuguese Crown granted some religious order special rights to own property. Non-Portuguese missionaries were permitted in Portuguese territories if they recognized the preeminent authority of the Padroado. When the Spaniards sailed around the Cape Horn, they sought to increase their influence in the Moluccas and the Philippine Islands. It was this rivalry which became the source of confusion in Catholic missions in the East. The Padroado retained ecclesiastical authority but the pope dissolved the organization in the early 17th century. What is the implication of the dissolution of the Padroado

The expulsion of the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula was beneficial to the Portuguese. It would essentially open the ports of the South  an opportunity for more explorations in the South. At the close of the 15th century, Portuguese captured small territories from the Moors in North Africa. These territories became small Portuguese towns which became the center of commerce and exploration. It was said that Prince Henry the Navigator created the first caravel in a North African town. Explorations in the latter half of the 15th century led to small territorial acquisitions in Western and Southern Africa. At the close of the 17th century, Portugal controlled the Canary Islands, Western Sahara, portions of West Africa, and strips of North African territory. What is the force behind Portuguese expansionism in Africa