Tordesillas divides opportunity as well as territory

The Treaty of Tordesillas allocated future commercial opportunity as well as territory. Portugal gained the sphere that included its route around Africa and, unexpectedly, Brazil, while Spain initially feared it had received the poorer bargain. Venice and Genoa received no comparable share despite their established role in Mediterranean trade. The arrangement helps explain why Portugal invested in bypassing taxed overland routes and making itself the European gateway for Indian goods.