1494: How a Family Feud in Medieval Spain Divided the World in Half

Stephen R. Bown is one of those generalist authors who focuses on historical events or stories and makes them come alive. 1494 is a great melange of historic tales and personalities tied together by the theme of the Treaty of Tordesillas, when Pope Alexander VI divided the world between Spain and Portugal. This is not a dry read, but an engaging one with chapters on Queen Elizabeth's famous privateer (Francis Drake), the Spanish Ferdinand and Isabella's piety that led Europe into one of the world's bloodiest periods of religious wars, and the most enthralling tellings of Columbus' discoveries in the New World I have yet to read...and has motivated me to go on to read Silvio Bedini's [b:The Christopher Columbus Encyclopedia|15184640|The show more Christopher Columbus Encyclopedia|Prentice Hall|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|20839946].

In short, the perfect easy-to-read book for someone interested in the stories and lives of the men and women who made 15-16C history--and in my mind a great gift for anyone who thinks history is boring...because how can the story of mankind not be incredibly fascinating, especially when it includes such heroes and villains as you'll find within the pages of 1494. show less

I picked this book up because I wanted to understand the history of the Treaty of Tordesillas. The book aims to tell the history of the treaty from its inception to its desuetude, focusing on the microhistories of the historic individuals who were central to the Treaty. The first half of this book accomplishes this goal well -- it really _is_ the story of how a family feud in Spain divided the world in half. The second half of the book is far less successful, and losing focus and telling the story of interesting people associated with the early days of exploration, but not tying those stories to the central thread of the treaty itself. It's hard to tell the story of the reformation through Grotius, for instance, and his personal life show more was interesting but not closely connected to the treaty the way Isabella's was. The book is competently written but not amazingly written. The author draws on other, better historians but doesn't show a deep grasp of the sources. It's not a bad book but I wouldn't recommend it if you were only going to read one book on this topic. Apparently Hugh Thomas is a better place to start. show less

I'm on the fence as to what to give this - a 3 or a 4. On the one hand it's engaging and fascinating, but on the other it is a bit fluffy. I could have done with a little more detail, footnoting and maps. The last point in particular bogged me. A book about the age of exploration with ONLY ONE MAP. Weak.

If you have an interest in figures like Columbus, Isabella and Magellan,as well as the treaty that divided the world between the two superpowers of the late 15th century and how that shaped geopolitics up to even recently this is certainly a good introduction. But if you want to really get into the history of the period, you'll want to pick up something else to supplement or instead of this.

1494 is a fascinating account of the foundation of the Treaty of Tordesillas by Pope Alexander VI and its global, political and economic consequences. As the author explains, this is a ‘big picture’ view of the events that led to the establishment of the Portuguese and Spanish super-powers and their jostling to monopolise the riches of the known and expanding world. The tumultuous lives of monarchs, adventurers, clergy, pirates and philosophers are all brought to light together with the countless native populaces whose lives were impacted so dramatically during this time. This is a great book for the lay person who wants to get a solid historical overview of the period and not get too bogged down on the specifics of events. I gave show more this book three and a half stars, for both the rolling chronicle and relaxed writing style of the author. show less

This is a good narrative overview of the events and ideas surrounding the Treaty of Tordesillas, where Portugal and Spain, at the Pope's prodding, divided the non-Christian world between them. Excellent background material.