Nicholas V

“ By the bull Rex regum, January 5, 1443, Eugenius IV. had taken neutral ground in the dispute between Portugal and Castile concerning their rights in Africa; by the bull Dum diversas, June 18, 1452, Nicholas V. granted King Alfonso general and indefinite powers to search out and conquer all pagans, enslave them and appropriate their lands and goods. [21] The bull Romanus pontifex, on the other hand, settled the dispute between Portugal and Castile in favor of the former, and, apparently for the first time, [22] granted Portugal exclusive rights in a vast southerly region. ”

“ It confirmed the bull Dum diversas, specified the district to which it applied--Ceuta, and the district from Capes Bojador and Não through all Guinea, and "beyond towards that southern shore"--and declared that this, together with all other lands acquired by Portugal from the infidels before or after 1452, belonged to King Alfonso, his successors, and Prince Henry, and to no others. ”

“ It further declared that King Alfonso, his successors, and Prince Henry might make laws or impose restrictions and tribute in regard to these lands and seas, and that they and persons licensed by them might trade there with the infidels, except in the prohibited articles, but that no other Catholics should trade there or enter those seas or harbors under pain of excommunication or interdict. ”

“ Also by the laudable endeavor and industry of the said infante, very many inhabitants or dwellers in divers islands situated in the said sea, coming to the knowledge of the true God, have received holy baptism, to the praise and glory of God, the salvation of the souls of many, the propagation also of the orthodox faith, and the increase of divine worship. ”

“ Ex inde quoque multi Guinei et alii nigri vi capti, quidam etiam non prohibitarum rerum permutatione, seu alio legitimo contractu emptionis ad dicta sunt regna transmissi; quorum inibi in copioso numero ad Catholicam fidem conversi extiterunt, speraturque, divina favente clementia, quod si hujusmodi cum eis continuetur progressus, vel populi ipsi ad fidem convertentur, vel saltem multorum ex eis anime Christo lucrifient. ”

“ Moreover, as spiritual fathers of all the peoples of the earth, the Popes had long undertaken to regulate the relations--including the commercial relations--between Christians and unbelievers. The Lateran Council of 1179 prohibited the sale to the Saracens of arms, iron, wood to be used in construction, and anything else useful for warfare. Certain later popes prohibited all commerce with the infidels. ”

“ And we decree that whosoever shall infringe these orders [shall incur the following penalties] , besides the punishments pronounced by law against those who carry arms and other prohibited things to any of the Saracens, which we wish them to incur by so doing; if they be single persons, they shall incur the sentence of excommunication; if a community or corporation of a city, castle, village, or place, that city, castle, village, or place shall be thereby subject to the interdict ”

“ The Cape Verde Islands were discovered in 1456, shortly after the issue of this bull. Azurara, Guinea (ed. Beazley and Prestage) , 11. ix, lxxxv, lxxxvi, xcii-xcvi. ↑ The early voyages sent out by Prince Henry along the west coast of Africa were connected with the crusade which after the conquest of Ceuta the Portuguese carried on against the Saracens in Morocco (see Beazley, "Prince Henrv of Portugal and the African Crusade of the Fifteenth Century", in the American Historical Review, XVI. 11-23) . ”

“ And in order to con­ fer a more effectual right and assurance we do by these presents forever give, grant, and appropriate to the aforesaid King Alfonso and his succes­ sors, kings of the said kingdoms, and to the infante, the provinces, islands, harbors, places, and seas whatsoever, how many soever, and of what sort soever they shall be, that have already been acquired and that shall here­ after come to be acquired, and the right of conquest also from the capes of Bojador and of Não aforesaid. ”

“ A large number of these have been converted to the Catholic faith, and it is hoped, by the help of divine mercy, that if such progress be continued with them, either those peoples will be converted to the faith or at least the souls of many of them will be gained for Christ. ”

“ See below, Doc. 3. ↑ According to Ruy de Pina, "that conquest" was the "islands of Cipango and Antilia". Vignaud points out ( Histoire Critique, I. 368 ff.) that there is no evidence that the Indies were mentioned in this interview, but, as Vander Linden remarks, Columbus placed the island of Cipango in the "sea of the Indies". American Historical Review, XXII. 12, note 30. ↑ Elmina, on the Gold Coast; known also as S. Jorge da Mina, or, in English, St. George of the Mine. In 1482 Diogo d'Azambuja, acting under royal orders, built a fort there to protect Portuguese commerce. ”

“ And if anyone, by whatever authority, shall, wittingly or unwittingly, attempt anything inconsistent with these orders we decree that his act shall be null and void. Moreover, because it would be difficult to carry our present letters to all places whatsoever, we will, and by the said authority we decree by these letters, that faith shall be given as fully and permanently to copies of them, certified under the hand of a notary public and the seal of the episcopal or any superior ecclesi­ astical court, as if the said original letters were exhibited or shown ”

“ It will be noticed that this bull sanctions the enslaving of the infidels. Two interesting bulls respecting slaves from the Canary Islands, printed in appendix II. of Carácter de la Conquista y Coloni­ zación de las Islas Canarias: Discurios leídos ante la Real Academia de la Historia ( 1901) by Don Rafael Torres Campos, show that Eugenius IV., the immediate prede­ cessor of Nicholas V., not only wished to protect from slavery and annoyance those aborigines who had embraced the faith, but also expressed a fear that dread of captivity would deter others from conversion. ”

“ Romanus pontifex, regni celestis clavigeri successor et vicarius Jhesu Christi, cuncta mundi climata omniumque nationum in illis degentium qualitates paterna consideratione discutiens, ac salutem querens et appetens singulorum, illa propensa deliberatione salubriter ordinat et disponit que grata Divine Majestati fore conspicit et per que oves sibi divinitus creditas ad unicum ovile dominicum reducat, et acquirat eis felicitatis eterne premium, ac veniam impetret animabus ”

“ This statement concerning the goal of the Portuguese is opposed to Vignaud's conclusion that up to 1486 the Portuguese were seeking the Indies of Prester John in Africa. ↑ Cadamosto, the Venetian, called the Portuguese caravels the best sailing ships at sea. ”

“ Ac pro potioris juris et cautele suffragio, jam acquisita et que imposterum acquiri contigerit, provincias, insulas, portus, loca, et mana, quecunque, quotcunque, et qualiacunque fuerint, ipsamque conquestam a capitibus de Bojador et de Nom predictis Alfonso Regi et successoribus suis, regibus dictorum regnorum, ac infanti prefatis, perpetuo donamus, con­ cedimus, et appropriamus per presentes. ”

“ Qui vero contrarium fecerint, ultra penas contra deferentes arma et alia prohibita Sarracenis quibuscunque a jure promulgatas, quas illos incurrere volumus ipso facto, si persone fuerint, singulares excommunicationis sententiam incurrant, si communitas vel uni­ versitas civitatis, castri, ville, seu loci, ipsa civitas, castrum, villa, seu locus interdicto subjaceant eo ipso ”

“ Hostium is for ostium. ↑ The first natives captured beyond Cape Bojador were brought to Portugal by Antam Gonçalves in 1441 or 1442. Azurara, Guinea, chs. 12 and 13. ↑ This word appears in this same form in the Corpus Juris Canonici, Decretal. Gregor. IX., lib. V., tit. VI., c 6, ed. E. Friedberg, who gives as variant forms lignamina and ligneamina. ↑ A royal charter, dated Oct. 22, 1443, forbidding any one to pass beyond Cape Bojador without a license from Prince Henry, is printed in Algs. Docs., pp. 8-9. ↑ The Papal bull of June 18,1452 ( Nicholas V.) . ”