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Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was ruler of both the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and the Spanish Empire (as Charles I of Spain) from 1516, as well as of the lands of the former Duchy of Burgundy from 1506. He stepped down from these and other positions by a series of abdications between 1554 and 1556.<br/><br/>

Through inheritance, Charles brought together under his rule extensive territories in western, central, and southern Europe, and the Spanish viceroyalties in the Americas and Asia. As a result, his domains spanned nearly 4 million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles), and were the first to be described as 'the empire on which the sun never sets'.
Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was ruler of both the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and the Spanish Empire (as Charles I of Spain) from 1516, as well as of the lands of the former Duchy of Burgundy from 1506. He stepped down from these and other positions by a series of abdications between 1554 and 1556.<br/><br/>

Through inheritance, Charles brought together under his rule extensive territories in western, central, and southern Europe, and the Spanish viceroyalties in the Americas and Asia. As a result, his domains spanned nearly 4 million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles), and were the first to be described as 'the empire on which the sun never sets'.
The Treaty of Zaragoza, also referred to as the capitulation of Zaragoza, was a peace treaty between Spain and Portugal signed on 22 April of 1529 by King John III and the Emperor Charles V, in the city of Zaragoza. The treaty defined the areas of Spanish and Portuguese influence in Asia to resolve the 'Moluccas issue', when both kingdoms claimed those islands for themselves, considering it within their exploration area established by the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. The conflict first developed in 1520, when the expeditions of both kingdoms reached the Pacific Ocean, since there was not a set limit to the east.
Supervised by Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI, the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the world in half—into Spanish and Portuguese territories.<br/><br/>

Following Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama's success in discovering a sea route around Africa to India in 1498, King Manuel I commissioned Pedro Alvares Cabral to lead a second voyage of 13 ships and 1,500 men to India. Although he intended to stay close to the west coast of Africa, Cabral sailed far off course and accidentally chanced upon the coast of South America.<br/><br/>

According to the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494, any land falling within 370 leagues [2.060 km] west of the Cape Verde Islands was to belong to Portugal, whereas any land discovered west of this meridian would be Spanish territory, as decreed by Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI. The coastline of Brazil therefore fell within the Portuguese sphere of influence and was colonized by Manuel I.<br/><br/>

However, following Portugal’s discovery of the Spice Islands of the Moluccas in 1512, Spain contested the line of demarcation. The issue was never fully settled, but the Treaty of Zaragoza in 1529 attempted to resolve the matter by setting the ‘antemeridian’ as 17 degrees to the east of the Moluccas, thus preventing the Spanish from claiming the Spice Islands.
Supervised by Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI, the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the world in half—into Spanish and Portuguese territories. However, following Portugal’s discovery of the Spice Islands of the Moluccas in 1512, Spain contested the line of demarcation. The issue was never fully settled, but the Treaty of Zaragoza in 1529 attempted to resolve the matter by setting the ‘antemeridian’ as 17 degrees to the east of the Moluccas, thus preventing the Spanish from claiming the Spice Islands.  
This 1522 map favors the Spanish claim, with the antemeridian cutting through Siam, Malacca and Sumatra, hundreds of miles west of the Moluccas.