Hernan Cortes became a Spanish hero who conquered an ancient empire and set the stage for the Spanish to build their own empire.
He was known for his military genius and brutal tactics.
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After Mexico gained its independence, the Spanish removed his remains from Mexico to Sicily in order to protect them. They believed that they would be desecrated.
The Spanish Empire would eventually fade and be replaced by the English Empire and then the United States of America.
The Empire that Hernan Cortes began would change the language for most of the western hemisphere, and the remnants of the empire that he began still existed until the Spanish-American War that would eliminate Spain from the West.
The Spanish Empire still remains in the language they left behind.
Early Life (1485 - 1511)
1485: He was born to Martin Cortes de Monroy and his mother Catalina Pizarro Altamirano. According to sources about his family tree, it does not seem Hernan Cortes had any siblings. If he did, then they are not listed. On his mother's side, he was related to Francisco Pizarro, who would conquer the Incas.
1492: Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic Ocean and discovered a New World. This would open up unknown wealth for many European nations. Almost 500 years prior, Leif Ericson had sailed to what would become known as Canada. However, the Vikings never spoke of it to anyone about their discovery, and because of that, the discovery was credited to Columbus.
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1499 - 1504: At the age of 14, it was said that Cortes was a sickly child, but that would quickly change. By 16, he had grown and already showed signs of bravery and cruelty. At 19, he sailed to the New World and settled in Hispaniola, where he made an acquaintance with Governor Velazquez.
1511: In his early 20s, he gained notoriety during the conquest of Cuba. This would increase his standing in Cuba, and he would begin to build relationships with the elite classes. During this time, he became the lover of Governor Velazquez's sister-in-law, with whom he eventually married.
The Conquest of Mexico (1518 - 1526)
1518 - 1519: Hernan Cortes was ordered by the governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez, to stay on the island and not go on an expedition to the Yucatán Peninsula. However, Cortes ignored the orders and, in an act of open mutiny, set sail for the Yucatán Peninsula in February 1519. He stopped in Trinidad, Cuba, to hire more soldiers and obtain more horses. When he finally set sail for the Yucatan Peninsula, he had about 11 ships, 500 men, 13 horses, and a small number of cannons. He landed on the Yucatan Peninsula in Maya territory. When he landed, he met Geronimo de Aguilar, who lived among the Mayans as a prisoner and learned their language. Despite a lack of military experience, he effectively led his men in successive victories along the coast. It would be during this conquest of the Yucatan that he met Malinche, who was able to translate the Mayan language into the Aztec language. She would become the most valuable asset to Cortes.
Later that year, he would have his first meeting with Montezuma.
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1519 - 1521: Cortes would begin his conquest of the Aztecs in 1519. He would make important allies with natives who despised the Aztecs and conduct the Cholula Massacre, which was the destruction of the second-largest city of the Aztecs. After its fall, he continued toward the Aztec capital.
He was welcomed peacefully into Tenochtitlan. Montezuma planned to lavish the Spanish with gifts and then learn his enemy's weaknesses. His plan failed, and Cortes took control of Montezuma and then controlled the Aztec empire for a short period of time. However, his time was cut short when he had to rush back to the Yucatan and defeat a conquistador who was sent by Governor Velazquez to defeat him. He won the victory and then rushed back to Tenochtitlan.
Montezuma was killed by the Spanish or his own men, and the Aztecs ambushed Cortes and his men. He barely escaped and lost all of the gold he had acquired, and many of his men were brutally killed. He regrouped, and during this time, smallpox spread among the Aztecs and wiped out much of their population, leaving them vulnerable.
Cortes then attacked again and, this time, used European warfare to put the city under siege. He built ships in the lake in order to bombard the city in order to avoid urban warfare.
The city fell, and with it, the Aztec Empire.
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1522 - 1526: In 1522, Hernan Cortes began to organize a conquest of Honduras.
In 1524, Hernan Cortes led an expedition to Honduras to defeat Cristobal de Olid, who had claimed Honduras for himself under the influence of Diego Velazquez, the governor of Cuba. Cortes was concerned that Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor, might lead an insurrection in Mexico if he were left behind, so he brought him with him to Honduras. However, Cuauhtemoc was executed during the journey in a controversial move. Cortes was enraged by Olid's treason and issued a decree to arrest Velazquez, whom he believed was behind Olid's actions. This only served to further alienate Cortes from the Crown of Castile and the Council of Indies, who were already concerned about his growing power.
This led to a power struggle between Cortes and Velazquez that would result in multiple allegations and lawsuits against Cortes. He then returned to Spain to defend his reputation.
Final Years (1528 - 1547)
1528 - 1529: Hernan Cortes returned to Spain to appeal to the justice of his king, Charles V. He left Juan Altamirano and Alonso Valiente in Mexico to act as his representatives during his absence. Cortes presented himself in great splendor before Charles V's court. By this time, Charles had returned from his travels, and Cortes forthrightly responded to the charges against him. He denied that he had held back any gold from the crown, and in fact, he showed that he had contributed more than the required one-fifth. He had also spent lavishly to build the new capital of Mexico City on the ruins of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, which had been leveled during the siege that brought down the Aztec empire.
King Charles V gave him many distinctions and titles. He also remarried a Spanish noblewoman prior to returning to Mexico.
1530: He returned to Mexico with his new titles.
1531 - 1532: Hernan Cortes explored the Pacific coast of Mexico and up into California.
1534: He acquired many silver mines
1535 - 1537: Don Antonio de Mendoza was appointed as viceroy of New Spain and created a division of power with Hernan Cortes, who had been governor of the colony since 1521. This division of power led to continual dissension between the two men and caused the failure of several enterprises in which Cortes was engaged. When Cortes returned to Mexico in 1537, he found the country in a state of anarchy. He reasserted himself and brought the country under control.
1536: He led an expedition to the Baja Peninsula of California.
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1541: He returned to Spain and eventually took part in the Algiers expedition.
1547: He died of pleurisy in Spain. He was in his early 60s at his death. During his life, he expanded the Spanish Empire more than anyone prior to him and laid the foundation for the Spanish to control the 16th century.