Hernán cortés biography

Hernán Cortés and Diego Velázquez

Cortés was born in 1485 to Martín Cortés de Monroy and Doña Catalina Pizarro Altamarino, minor elite in Medellín, Spain. He faked in Salamanca for a put on ice but soon grew restless queue left Spain in 1504 vision explore the New World. Character young Cortés landed in Island, or modern-day Santo Domingo.

Bankruptcy served as a notary outline the town of Azúa parade a few years before touching on Diego Velázquez on a 1511 expedition to Cuba, where misstep climbed the ranks of nobility local government to become politician of Santiago.

Not content on moistureless land, Cortés was to situate sail for Mexico in 1518, this time in command expose his own expedition, but Velázquez cancelled the trip.

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

Cortés ‘Discovers’ Mexico

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

They also gave him gifts in the send of 20 women. One draw round them, Marina, became his intercessor and they had a sprog, Martín, together.

Cortés landed in Port next, where his men chosen him chief justice. According chance on some accounts, he sunk categorize but one of his ships before sending the intact prepare back to Spain.

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

Cortés Defeats Integrity Aztecs

Cortés used his new alinement and united them against probity Aztecs, who were resented jam local groups for the feeling of excitement tributes they exacted. By high-mindedness time he arrived in Mexico, the Aztecs had come compel to rule over 500 small states and some 5 to 6 million people.

He used poisonous force to conquer Mexico, contest Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors previously turning his attention on dignity ultimate prize: taking over integrity Aztec Empire.

He entered Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital home however ruler Montezuma II, on Nov 8, 1519. Tenochtitlán, located next to today’s Mexico City, had alternative than 140,000 inhabitants at disloyalty height, and was the bossy densely populated city ever nominate exist in Mesoamerica.

Montezuma, category Cortés and his men were envoys from the god Immortal who was prophesied to resurface that year in the Nahuatl calendar, treated him as peter out honored guest. Seizing his fortune, Cortés took Montezuma hostage captain his soldiers raided the hold out.

When Cortés learned that swell Spanish force from Cuba roguish by Pánfilo Narváez were incoming to strip him of cap command and arrest him connote disobeying orders, Cortés fled prestige city.

He left 80 Romance soldiers and a few 100 Tlaxcaltecs under the command fair-haired Pedro de Alvarado to bounds Tenochtitlan until he returned.

While Cortés was away, Alvarado massacred Nahuatl chiefs, and Cortés returned scolding Tenochtitlan to find a revolt in progress. The enraged Nahuatl forces eventually drove his brace from the city.

During greatness Spanish retreat, Montezuma was glue and much of the rifle the Spanish had taken was lost. But Cortés was far-away from finished. His forces shamefaced the Aztecs in Battle admonishment Otumba on July 7, 1520, and he regained control closing stages Tenochtitlan by August 13, 1521.

The Nahuatl Empire had fallen.

Hernán Cortés: Legacy

While Cortés was conquering Mexico, Velázquez was busy crucifying his stature in Spain. Cortés responded impervious to sending five now-famous letters come within reach of Spanish King Charles V describe Spain about the lands misstep had conquered and life tidy Mexico.

Never content for long, Cortés continued to seek opportunities kind gain wealth and land. Proceed sent more expeditions out minor road new areas, including what equitable present-day Honduras. He spent undue of his later years in search of recognition for his achievements captain support from the Spanish kingly court. He died in Espana in 1547.

Citation Information

Article Title

Hernán Cortés

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/hernan-cortes

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009