Spain and Portugal divided the New World by drawing a north-to-south line of demarcation in the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 leagues (555 kilometers or 345 miles) west of the Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of northwestern Africa and then controlled by Portugal.
The Magna Carta
The Magna Carta, or "Great Charter," affirmed that everyone is subject to the law -- even the king. It was an agreement between King John and the nobility in 1215, but its listing of rights provided instrumental founding principles for the wider establishment of rights for all citizens in the centuries following -- including the rights guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States.
The Modern Era spanned at this time. Hope this helps.