Hernán Cortés Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Hernán Cortés, marquis del Valle de Oaxaca
OCCUPATION: Explorer, Military Leader
BIRTH DATE: c. 1485
DEATH DATE: December 02, 1547
PLACE OF BIRTH: Medellin, Spain

PLACE OF DEATH: Castilleja de la Cuesta, Spain

more about Hernán

Best Known For

Hernán Cortés, marquis del Valle de Oaxaca, was a Spanish conquistador who overthrew the Aztec empire and won Mexico for the crown of Spain.

Print Cite This

Hernán Cortés

APA Style

Hernán Cortés. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 04:52, May 22, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320

Harvard Style

Hernán Cortés [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320, May 22

MLA Style

" Hernán Cortés." 2012. Biography.com 22 May 2012, 04:52 http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320

MHRA Style

' Hernán Cortés', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320 [accessed May 22, 2012]

Chicago Style

" Hernán Cortés," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320 (accessed May 22, 2012).

CBE/CSE Style

Hernán Cortés [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 May 22]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320.

Bluebook Style

Hernán Cortés, http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320 (last visited May 22, 2012).

AMA Style

Hernán Cortés, http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320 (last visited May 22, 2012).

Synopsis

Born in 1485, Hernán Cortés, marquis del Valle de Oaxaca, was a Spanish conquistador who overthrew the Aztec empire (1519-1521) and won Mexico for the crown of Spain. Of honorable lineage, Cortes set sail with at the age of 19 and continued to led expeditions to Cuba, and later Mexico. He strategically aligned some native peoples against others to overthrow them. He died in Spain in 1547.

Profile

Soldier, explorer, conquistador. Born around 1485 in Medellín, Spain. Cortés first served as a soldier in an expedition of Cuba led by Diego Velázquez in 1511. In 1519 Cortés was to command his own expedition to Mexico, but Velázquez cancelled it. Cortés ignored the order and traveled with about 500 men and 11 ships to Mexico.

Cortés became allies with some of the native peoples he encountered, but with others he used deadly force to conquer Mexico. He fought Tlaxacan and Cholula warriors and then set his sights on taking over the Aztec empire. He marched to Tenochitilán, the Aztec capital and home to ruler Montezuma II. Cortés took Montezuma hostage and his soldiers raided the city. Cortés left the city after learning that Spanish troops were coming to arrest him for disobeying orders. He returned to Tenochitilán to find a rebellion in progress. The Aztecs eventually drove the Spanish from the city, but Cortés returned again to defeat them and take the city in 1521. After this victory, Cortés continued to seek opportunities to gain wealth and land. He sent more expeditions out into new areas, including what is present-day Honduras. He spent much of his later years seeking recognition for his achievements and support from the Spanish royal court. He died in Spain in 1547.