Biography cortes expedition hernando

Cortes was born in Medellin, Spain, in His father was an army captain — of the lesser nobility, but poor. Cortes was sent away to be educated — hopefully, to be a lawyer. However restless with studying and life in small-town Spain, Cortes wished to travel to the Americas. He would undoubtedly have heard about the expedition of Christopher Columbus to the Americas.

This journey created a wave of excitement about the possibilities of discovering wealth and power in the new lands to the west, and Cortes wished to be at the forefront of this new era. Cortes was ambitious and was often considered haughty and proud by his contemporaries. He took part in the conquest of Hispaniola and Cuba, which gave him a reward of land and Indian slaves.

He also became clerk to the treasurer, where his administration and political skills brought him to the attention of the governor of New Spain, Diego Velazquez. When news reached Hispaniola of untold riches on lands to the west, Velazquez allowed Cortes to mount an expedition to the mainland of Mexico. Inwith great enthusiasm and meticulous planning, Cortes assembled a fleet of six ships and men and set sail within a month.

But, fearing such an eventuality, Cortes had already set sail to Mexico. His men disembarked on the biography cortes expedition hernando near the city of Veracruz, where he gathered information about the great wealth which lay in the capital. Cortes had tremendous determination to march inland and conquer the Aztec Empire. However, facing overwhelming odds, not all his men felt the same and there was a reluctance to join Cortes on this seemingly impossible task with the odds stacked against the Spanish.

There was no turning back. Library of Congress. Retrieved 25 August Letras Libres. Editorial Vuelta. Archived from the original on 20 July Retrieved 23 July Retrieved 19 February Famous Hispanics. Archived from the original on 24 October Retrieved 12 March Catholic Encyclopedia. November 30, The Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, American Cinematographer.

Los Angeles: American Society of Cinematographers. March Rolling Stone Australia. Letters — available as Letters from Mexico translated by Anthony Pagden. Yale University Press, Available online in Spanish from an edition. Mexico The History of the Conquest of New Spain. Nahuatl-Spanish trans. Expanded and updated ed. Beacon Press. Berkeley: University of California Press Hispania Victrix; First and Second Parts of the General History of the Indies, with the whole discovery and notable things that have happened since they were acquired until the yearwith the conquest of Mexico and New Spain University of California Press, Prescott, William H.

Boruchoff, David A. Brooks, Francis J. Chamberlain, Robert S. Chisholm, Hughed. Cambridge University Press. Cline, Howard F. Library of Congress, Robert Moorman. Elliott, J. Fifth Series 41— Frankl, Victor. Himmerich y Valencia, Robert. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc. Konetzke, Richard.

Biography cortes expedition hernando

Madrid Levy, Buddy. Mexico MacNutt, F. New York and London Madariaga, Salvador de. Marks, Richard Lee. Alfred A. Knopf, Mathes, W. Michael, ed. The Conquistador in California: Dawson's Book Shop, Maura, Juan Francisco. Santiago de Chile Miller, Robert Ryal. Petrov, Lisa. University of Wisconsin—Madison, William H. They also gave him gifts in the form of 20 women.

According to some accounts, he sunk all but one of his ships before sending the intact one back to Spain. There would be no retreat for his men, only conquest. By the time he arrived in Mexico, the Aztecs had come to rule over small states and some 5 to 6 million people. He used deadly force to conquer Mexico, fighting Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors before turning his attention on the ultimate prize: taking over the Aztec Empire.

This was to be his last major expedition. He traveled to Spain to plead his case to the king, but he was not reappointed to his governorship. He spent much of his later years desperately seeking recognition for his achievements and support from the Spanish royal court. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Was Christopher Columbus a Hero or Villain? Christopher Columbus.