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Family - Spanish nobility
his parents were Martín Cortes de Monroy and Catalina Pizarro Altamarino
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Education - Well educated
attended University of Salamanca
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Career - Spanish Conquistador and Explorer
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Famous as : the Spanish
conqueror of Mexico and the Aztec Empire
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Mistaken for Quetzalcoatl
the light skinned, bearded God-King of the Aztecs - the 'Winged God -
Feather Serpent'
- Cortes conquers the Aztec
nation of 5 million with less than 1000 soldiers
. Facts, Timeline & History
about the life of Hernando Cortes - Spanish Conquistador and Explorer
The following are additional facts
and a timeline about the life and history of Hernando Cortes:
- 1485: Hernando Cortes
was born in 1485 in Medellin, Extremadura, Spain
- His parents were Martin
Cortes de Monroy and Catalina Pizarro Altamirano
- 1499: Hernando Cortes
was attended the University of Salamanca
- 1501: Failed at Law and
left University
- 1502: Cortes heard the stories about the New World
and joined the expedition to the West Indies led by Nicolas de Ovando
with Diego Velazquez
- Hernando Cortes was
under the command of a man called Quintero
- 1502: The Ovando voyage
consisted of 2500 settlers and 30 ships
- The Ovando expedition
reached Hispaniola and the young Hernando Cortez proved popular with
his mentor Quintero and Nicholas de Ovando
- Cortes proved to be an
excellent soldier under the command of Spanish soldier named Diego
Velazquez (1460-1532)
- 1511: Diego Columbus,
the new governor of Hispaniola, resolved to conquer the island
of Cuba and selected Diego Velazquez as commander of the expedition
- 1511: The expedition to
Cuba consisted of four vessels with 300 men. Hernando Cortes was
chosen to accompany Velazquez on the expedition
- Cuba was quickly
subjugated by the Spanish expedition force
- 1513: The town of Bayamo
on Cuba was established
- 1514: The towns of
Trinidad, Santo Espiritu, Puerto Principe, and Santiago de Cuba were
founded
- 1514: Hernando Cortes
settles on the island of Cuba and becomes a rancher
- 1518 May 1: A fleet
under Juan de Grijalva left Santiago de Cuba explores the coast of
Mexico and sends back favorable reports to Velazquez
- 1518: Velazquez decides
to explore further and chooses Hernando Cortes to captain an
expedition to establish a colony in Mexico
- 1519: February 19, 1519,
with a force of 600 men, and less than 20 horses Cortez sets sail
for Mexico.
- 1519: Hernando
Cortes and his soldiers sailed to the Yucatan Penisula and march
inland to Tenochtitlan
- 1519 March: Cortes lands
in Mexico, and suppresses the town of Tabasco. He meets a woman
called Malinche who becames his mistress, guide and interpreter
- Cortes establishes the
town of La Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz. To prevent any possibility of
desertion and retreat he literally burns all of his boats
- Cortes learns about the
fabulous riches of the Aztec Empire and marches his troops inland to
discover the land of the Aztecs
- Cortes forces an
alliance with the Aztec Indians of Tlaxcala and learns about their
customs, culture and religion
- Cortes learns of
Quetzalcoatl the 'Winged God - Feather Serpent'. This Aztec legend
was about a light skinned, bearded God-King of Civilisation and
learning who was revered by the Aztecs as Christians revered Jesus
Christ
- The arrival of Cortes
and his Spanish soldiers coincided perfectly with the predicted
return of the God-King Quetzalcoatl
- Cortes heads further
inland and reaches the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs
believe that Cortes could be Quetzalcoatl their light skinned,
bearded God-King
- November 1519: Montezuma
II, the Aztec king does not stop Cortes and his force from entering
Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital which houses thousands of Aztecs
- Cortes meets no
resistance and establishes a headquarters inside Tenochtitlan
- To maintain his position
he takes Montezuma as hostage and forces him to swear allegiance to
King Charles V of Spain
- Meanwhile Velasquez had
sent 1,400 soldiers to arrest Cortes. Hernando Cortes decides to
march to the coast to do battle with the soldiers but instead he
persuades them to join him
- 1520: Cortes is attacked
by thousands of Aztec warriors on his return to Tenochtitlan. The
Aztec attack was prompted by the slaughter of 600 Aztec nobles
whilst Cortes was away
- Cortes tries to calm the
Aztecs by releasing Montezuma but the Aztecs stone him to death
- 1520: Hernando Cortes
and his soldiers are forced out of Tenochtitlan
- 1521: Hernando Cortes
returns to Tenochtitlan with reinforcements
- 1521 August 13 Plague
strikes the Aztec population and Tenochtitlan falls to Cortes
- Hernando Cortes
conquered 5 Million Aztecs with less than 1000 soldiers
- 1528: Cortes returns to
Spain and was given the title "Marques del Valle de Oaxaca."
- 1530: Hernando
Cortes returned to the New World and settles in Cuernavaca, Mexico
- 1533: Hernando
Cortes makes his final expedition and discovers Baja in California
- 1534: Hernando Cortes
explored California for a year before returning to Mexico
- 1540: Hernando Cortes
returns home to Spain for the last time
- 1541: Spain fears the
power that Hernando Cortes has in the New World - Cortes is denied
any government post in Mexico and his reputation is smeared by
rumours that he murdered his wife, Catalina Xuarez but he is given
permission to fight against the Moors and the Pirates of Algiers
- 1547: Cortez died on
December 2, 1547 near Seville
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