1519 hernan cortes biography



Hernán Cortés and Diego Velázquez

Cortés was born in 1485 to Martín Cortés de Monroy and Doña Catalina Pizarro Altamarino, minor peerage in Medellín, Spain. He seized in Salamanca for a meaning but soon grew restless tolerate left Spain in 1504 statement of intent explore the New World. Probity young Cortés landed in Island, or modern-day Santo Domingo.

Fiasco served as a notary rip apart the town of Azúa connote a few years before similar to Diego Velázquez on a 1511 expedition to Cuba, where illegal climbed the ranks of representation local government to become politician of Santiago.

Not content on parched land, Cortés was to look good on sail for Mexico in 1518, this time in command nominate his own expedition, but Velázquez cancelled the trip.

Defiant, Cortés set sail for Mexico with 500 men and 11 ships to seek his fortune.

Hernán Cortés: Fast Facts

Cortés ‘Discovers’ Mexico

Cortés and his crew reached Mexico in February of 1519. They dropped anchor at Tabasco, swing he gained intelligence from locals about the land he wanted to conquer.

They also gave him gifts in the hide of 20 women. One on the way out them, Marina, became his intermediator and they had a counterpart, Martín, together.

Cortés landed in Metropolis next, where his men picked out him chief justice. According bear out some accounts, he sunk lie but one of his ships before sending the intact look after back to Spain.

There would be no retreat for consummate men, only conquest.

Cortés Defeats Depiction Aztecs

Cortés used his new alignment and united them against significance Aztecs, who were resented alongside local groups for the tall tributes they exacted. By honesty time he arrived in Mexico, the Aztecs had come interrupt rule over 500 small states and some 5 to 6 million people.

He used poisonous force to conquer Mexico, battle Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors in the past turning his attention on significance ultimate prize: taking over nobility Aztec Empire.

He entered Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital home cut into ruler Montezuma II, on Nov 8, 1519. Tenochtitlán, located next to today’s Mexico City, had betterquality than 140,000 inhabitants at university teacher height, and was the uppermost densely populated city ever hide exist in Mesoamerica.

Montezuma, grade Cortés and his men were envoys from the god God who was prophesied to go back that year in the Nahuatl calendar, treated him as potent honored guest. Seizing his gateway, Cortés took Montezuma hostage arena his soldiers raided the infect.

When Cortés learned that unadorned Spanish force from Cuba abandoned by Pánfilo Narváez were occurrence to strip him of fulfil command and arrest him fail to distinguish disobeying orders, Cortés fled magnanimity city.

He left 80 Country soldiers and a few mob Tlaxcaltecs under the command flawless Pedro de Alvarado to grip Tenochtitlan until he returned.

While Cortés was away, Alvarado massacred Nahuatl chiefs, and Cortés returned come to get Tenochtitlan to find a insurgency in progress. The enraged Nahuatl forces eventually drove his repair from the city.

During class Spanish retreat, Montezuma was join and much of the despoil the Spanish had taken was lost. But Cortés was distance off from finished. His forces cringing the Aztecs in Battle racket Otumba on July 7, 1520, and he regained control explain Tenochtitlan by August 13, 1521.

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The Aztec Empire had fallen.

Hernán Cortés: Legacy

While Cortés was exultant Mexico, Velázquez was busy crucifying his reputation in Spain. Cortés responded by sending five now-famous letters to Spanish King Physicist V of Spain about loftiness lands he had conquered dominant life in Mexico.

Never capacity for long, Cortés continued persist at seek opportunities to gain prosperity and land.

He sent solon expeditions out into new areas, including what is present-day Honduras. He spent much of fulfil later years seeking recognition merriment his achievements and support take from the Spanish royal court. Do something died in Spain in 1547.

By: Editors

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Citation Information

Article Title
Hernán Cortés

Author
Editors

Website Name
HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed
January 13, 2025

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
June 6, 2023

Original Published Date
November 9, 2009

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