Cortéz was not master of Mexico. By modern Western standards, the Aztec nation of Mexico was a barbarian one, then again, so was the conquistador army of … By the time Cortéz died, twenty six years later on this day in 1547, the native peoples of central America were living under the rule of Spain. Cortes reported that the Aztecs had city-states that were comparable, for government and organisation, to the ones in the Italian peninsula in his time. Hernán cortés kinder. Cortés received a repartimiento (gift of land and Indian slaves) and the first house in the new capital of Santiago. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Hernan Cortes died of pleurisy (inflammation of the lung) on December 2, 1547. 11 terms. Rumours were spread that he had murdered his wife, complaints made about this highhanded style, plots hatched against him. Leaving a garrison in Tenochtitlán of 80 Spaniards and a few hundred Tlaxcaltecs commanded by his most reckless captain, Pedro de Alvarado, Cortés marched against Narváez, defeated him, and enlisted his army in his own forces. Experience of the rough-and-tumble of New World politics advised Cortés to move fast, before Velázquez changed his mind. By 1511 he had recovered, and he sailed with Diego Velázquez to conquer Cuba. Author of. Corrections? When Moctezuma died in June 1520, the Aztecs finally rose up and drove the Spanish out. One of Cortés’ men contracted smallpox from a member of the force from Cuba. Cortés sailed to another spot on the southeastern Mexican coast and founded Veracruz, mainly to have himself elected captain general and chief justice by his soldiers as citizens, thus shaking off the authority of Velázquez. 1556332. Cortés eventually rejoined his Tlaxcalan allies and reorganized his forces before again marching on Tenochtitlán in December 1520. He set out for the east coast port of Valencia with the idea of serving in the Italian wars, but instead he âwandered idly about for nearly a year.â Clearly Spainâs southern ports, with ships coming in full of the wealth and colour of the Indies, proved a greater attraction. In fact, he did not burn them, but he did dismantle them because he wanted to keep the important parts. It was also larger and more populous than many Spanish cities, including Seville, Granada, Toledo and Valencia. By modern Western standards, the Aztec nation of Mexico was a barbarian one, then again, so was the conquistador army of Hernando Cortéz that destroyed it in 1521. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Similarly one may ask, how did Cortez die? Hernán Cortés Spanish Conquistador Born Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro 1485 Medellín, Castile Died Dec. 2, 1547 (at age 61–62) Castilleja de la Cuesta, Castile Nationality Castilian Source of Fame Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), also known as Hernando Cortés was a Spanish Conquistador, born in Medellin, which is in On his return, he found the Spanish garrison in Tenochtitlán besieged by the Aztecs after Alvarado had massacred many leading Aztec chiefs during a festival. The Spaniardsâ retreat from the capital was performed, but with a heavy loss in lives and most of the treasure they had accumulated. “Hernán Cortés generates conversation on both sides of the Atlantic. Some reports indicate that he studied at the University of Salamanca for some time. Pleurisy . 2011-11-01 13:33:02 2011-11-01 13:33:02. December 2, 1547 . He was 62 years old. In 1504, Cortés left Spain to seek his fortune in the New World. After subduing the neighbouring territories he laid siege to the city itself, conquering it street by street until its capture was completed on August 13, 1521. Omissions? The man who conquered Mexico died on December 2nd, 1547. The reaction of Velázquez was predictable; his jealousy aroused, he resolved to place leadership of the expedition in other hands. On the mainland Cortés did what no other expedition leader had done: he exercised and disciplined his army, welding it into a cohesive force. In the meantime, Velázquez was mounting an insidious political attack on Cortés in Spain through Bishop Juan RodrÃguez de Fonseca and the Council of the Indies. On 8 November 1519, Spanish explorer Hernán Cortes reached Tenochtitlan – capital of the Aztec Empire. Hernan Cortes died of pleurisy (inflammation of the lung. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Hernán Cortés (left) meeting Montezuma II, undated illustration. The ability of Cortés as a leader is nowhere more apparent than in his quick grasp of the situationâa grasp that was ultimately to give him more than 200,000 Indian allies. In 1522, after finally conquering the Aztec Empire, Cortes received … âThey had little wealth, but much honour,â according to Cortésâs secretary, Francisco López de Gómara, who tells how, at age 14, the young Hernán was sent to study at Salamanca, in west-central Spain, âbecause he was very intelligent and clever in everything he did.â Gómara went on to describe him as ruthless, haughty, mischievous, and quarrelsome, âa source of trouble to his parents.â Certainly he was âmuch given to women,â frustrated by provincial life, and excited by stories of the Indies Columbus had just discovered. Hernan Cortes . He contracted syphilis and, as a result, missed the ill-fated expeditions of Diego de Nicuesa and Alonso de Ojeda, which sailed for the South American mainland in 1509. 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