27. One of Alexander’s Papal Bulls endorsed slavery in the New World
In 1493, Alexander attempted to quell tensions between Portugal and Spain over territory in the New World. He issued a Papal Bull called Inter Caetera, which divided the new lands up between the two nations. However, it also endorsed slavery in the New World. Alexander ordered them to conquer lands so that ‘barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith [Catholicism] itself’. Alexander explicitly legitimized slavery, giving Spain and Portugal permission ‘to bring under your sway the said mainlands and islands with their residents and inhabitants.