Pedro Alvares Cabral's fleet departed Lisbon bound for India, swinging far west

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Cabral Discovers Brazil: Portugal Claims New World

Pedro Alvares Cabral's fleet departed Lisbon bound for India, swinging far west across the Atlantic and making landfall on the Brazilian coast. This accidental discovery fell within Portugal's territorial claims under the Treaty of Tordesillas, giving the crown legal justification to colonize the largest territory in South America.

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March 9, 1500

526 years ago

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Cabral Discovers Brazil: Portugal Claims New World

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