History of Hernando Cortez

Born around in Medellín, Spain, Cortés first served as a soldier in an expedition of Cuba led by Diego Velázquez in In Cortés was to command his own expedition to Mexico, but Velázquez cancelled it. Born in Medellín, Spain, conquistador Hernán Cortés (c.
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However, those two years at Salamanca , plus his long period of training and experience as a notary, first in Valladolid and later in Hispaniola , gave him knowledge of the legal codes of Castile that he applied to help justify his unauthorized conquest of Mexico. By this time, news of the exciting discoveries of Christopher Columbus in the New World was streaming back to Spain. This island is now divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Years in Hispaniola and Cuba

He spent the next year wandering the country, probably spending most of his time in Spain's southern ports of Cadiz , Palos , Sanlucar , and Seville. He finally left for Hispaniola in and became a colonist. The history of the conquistadores is rife with accounts of rivalry, jockeying for positions, mutiny, and betrayal. The expedition leader awarded him a large estate of land and Indian slaves for his efforts. This new position of power also made him the new source of leadership, which opposing forces in the colony could then turn to.

He ignored the orders and, in an act of open mutiny , went anyway in February He stopped in Trinidad, Cuba , to hire more soldiers and obtain more horses. Then he proceeded to Tabasco , where he met with resistance and won a battle against the natives. He received twenty young indigenous women from the vanquished natives, and he converted them all to Christianity.

In July , his men took over Veracruz. In Veracruz, he met some of the tributaries of the Aztecs and asked them to arrange a meeting with Moctezuma II , the tlatoani ruler of the Aztec Empire. The Otomis initially, and then the Tlaxcalans fought with the Spanish in a series of three battles from 2 to 5 September , and at one point, Diaz remarked, "they surrounded us on every side".

By the time he arrived in Tenochtitlan the Spaniards had a large army. On November 8, , they were peacefully received by Moctezuma II. Moctezuma gave lavish gifts of gold to the Spaniards which, rather than placating them, excited their ambitions for plunder. On July 1, Moctezuma was killed the Spaniards claimed he was stoned to death by his own people; others claim he was murdered by the Spanish once they realized his inability to placate the locals. During the Noche Triste June 30 — July 1, , the Spaniards managed a narrow escape from Tenochtitlan across the Tlacopan causeway, while their rearguard was being massacred.

The expedition to Mexico

After a battle in Otumba , they managed to reach Tlaxcala, having lost men. However, there may be more to the picture than this. The influence of Garay was effectively stopped by this appeal to the King who sent out a decree forbidding Garay to interfere in the politics of New Spain, causing him to give up without a fight. The proclamation of the king says in part:. We, respecting the many labors, dangers, and adventures which you underwent as stated above, and so that there might remain a perpetual memorial of you and your services and that you and your descendants might be more fully honored The grant specifies the iconography of the coat of arms, the central portion divided into quadrants.

In the upper portion, there is a "black eagle with two heads on a white field, which are the arms of the empire". Their marriage had been childless. There was an investigation into her death, interviewing a variety of household residents and others. During the Age of Discovery , the Catholic Church had seen early attempts at conversion in the Caribbean islands by Spanish friars, particularly the mendicant orders. If these people [Indians] were now to see the affairs of the Church and the service of God in the hands of canons or other dignitaries, and saw them indulge in the vices and profanities now common in Spain, knowing that such men were the ministers of God, it would bring our Faith into much harm that I believe any further preaching would be of no avail.

He wished the mendicants to be the main evangelists. Your Majesty should likewise beseech His Holiness [the pope] to grant these powers to the two principal persons in the religious orders that are to come here, and that they should be his delegates, one from the Order of St. Francis and the other from the Order of St. They should bring the most extensive powers Your Majesty is able to obtain, for, because these lands are so far from the Church of Rome, and we, the Christians who now reside here and shall do so in the future, are so far from the proper remedies of our consciences and, as we are human, so subject to sin, it is essential that His Holiness should be generous with us and grant to these persons most extensive powers, to be handed down to persons actually in residence here whether it be given to the general of each order or to his provincials.

The conqueror himself was said to have met the friars as they approached the capital, kneeling at the feet of the friars who had walked from the coast.

However, one of the first twelve Franciscans, Fray Toribio de Benavente Motolinia does not mention it in his history. Although as a human he was a sinner, he had faith and works of a good Christian, and a great desire to employ his life and property in widening and augmenting the fair of Jesus Christ, and dying for the conversion of these gentiles Through this captain, God opened the door for us to preach his holy gospel and it was he who caused the Indians to revere the holy sacraments and respect the ministers of the church.

The Conquerors - Cortez

In , year of the Conquest, Charles was attending to matters in his German domains and Bishop Adrian of Utrecht functioned as regent in Spain. The Licentiate then fell ill and died shortly after his arrival, appointing Marcos de Aguilar as alcalde mayor. The aged Aguilar also became sick and appointed Alonso de Estrada governor, who was confirmed in his functions by a royal decree in August Estrada sent Diego de Figueroa to the south.

Hernan Cortez biography - the New World

De Figueroa raided graveyards and extorted contributions, meeting his end when the ship carrying these treasures sank. Albornoz persuaded Alonso de Estrada to release Salazar and Chirinos. Denying he had held back on gold due the crown, he showed that he had contributed more than the quinto one-fifth required. He was received by Charles with every distinction, and decorated with the order of Santiago.

Hernan Cortez biography

The noble title and senorial estate of the Marquesado was passed down to his descendants until Although confirmed in his land holdings and vassals, he was not reinstated as governor and was never again given any important office in the administration of New Spain. During his travel to Spain, his property was mismanaged by abusive colonial administrators. He sided with local natives in a lawsuit.

The natives documented the abuses in the Huexotzinco Codex. He was accused of murdering his first wife. The proceedings of the investigation were kept secret. Had the Government declared him innocent, it would have greatly increased his popularity. Had it declared him a criminal, a crisis would have been precipitated by the accused and his party. He fought Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors and then set his sights on taking over the Aztec empire. He sent more expeditions out into new areas, including what is present-day Honduras.


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Worse, the people the Aztecs ruled hated their masters. They were willing to join the Spaniards in order to destroy the Aztecs. Montezuma sent Cortes presents including gold and warned him not to approach Tenochtitlan.

Hernando Cortés (1485-1547)

However the rich gifts merely whetted the Spaniards appetite. They made Cortes determined to capture the capital and take its treasures. When the Spaniards arrived Montezuma welcomed them as friends and housed them in a palace in the city. However after a week Hernando Cortes took the emperor hostage. Cortes demanded that Montezuma come with him and stay with the Spaniards - or face death.

The emperor gave in and from that moment he was a Spanish puppet. Although the Spaniards were very impressed by the engineering and architecture of Tenochtitlan they strongly disapproved of the idolatry and human sacrifice. Cortes ordered the Aztecs to stop the sacrifices, which made them very angry. Then the governor of Cuba sent a force to Mexico to arrest Cortes.

So Cortes went to the coast to meet them.