Spain formally recognized English territorial claims in the Americas, ending decades of Caribbean conflict and legitimizing England's possession of Jamaica.
Key Facts
- Date agreed
- July 1670
- Also known as
- Godolphin Treaty
- Conflict ended
- Anglo-Spanish Caribbean War begun in 1654
- Key territory confirmed
- Jamaica recognized as English possession
- Prior Spanish claim basis
- Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Since 1654, England and Spain had been at war in the Caribbean, during which England seized Jamaica. Spain had long maintained exclusive claim over the Americas under the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, refusing to recognize any other European power's territorial rights in the region, creating persistent diplomatic and military tension.
In July 1670, England and Spain signed the Treaty of Madrid, also called the Godolphin Treaty, agreeing to settle all disputes in the Americas. The treaty was negotiated to formalize the territorial status quo that had developed in the Caribbean and broader Americas through English colonization and conquest.
The treaty proved highly favorable to England, as Spain officially recognized England's adverse possession of territories in the Caribbean and throughout the Americas, including Jamaica. This broke Spain's centuries-old claim to exclusive sovereignty over the New World and set a legal precedent for English colonial holdings in the region.
Political Outcome
Spain recognized English territorial claims in the Americas, including Jamaica, ending the Caribbean conflict begun in 1654.
Spain claimed exclusive sovereignty over the Americas (except Portuguese Brazil) under the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas.
England's Caribbean and American possessions were legally recognized by Spain, ending Spanish monopoly claims.