Hernan Cortes (1485-1547) was a Spanish conquistador who, leading an army of 600 men supported by 20 horses and 10 small cannons, successfully invaded the Aztec Empire, which had a population of over 15 million. This conquest marked the beginning of the colonization of the Americas by the Spanish and later by other Western colonial powers. Cortes played a pivotal role in the Spanish acquisition of Mexican territories.
Cortes, born in 1485 to a noble family in southwestern Spain, studied law at the University of Salamanca at the age of 14. However, he grew tired of his studies and left school. In 1504, he found himself in what is now the Dominican Republic, aiming to reach the New World, i.e., the Americas. At 18, in 1511, he joined an expedition led by Diego Velazquez, the Governor of Cuba. Due to his valor displayed during the conquest, Velazquez appointed him as the mayor of Santiago.
In 1518, Velazquez tasked Cortes with leading an exploratory expedition to Mexico, a region previously visited by Spanish explorers. Cortes swiftly made preparations and set sail from Santiago on November 18, 1518, with ten ships, 600 Spaniards, about 100 indigenous allies, a few Africans, and weapons made of brass. Cortes explored the Yucatan coast before arriving in Tabasco, where subduing the locals was not too challenging. Although the indigenous population was wealthy, Cortes had gathered enough intelligence about the immense riches of the Aztec Empire. He later established the port of Veracruz and ordered the burning of ships to prevent any desertions among his hesitant soldiers. His sole objective was to acquire Aztec gold.
As Cortes advanced towards the Aztec capital, he defeated various tribes along the way. Some tribes, like the Toltecs and Tlaxcalans, who resented paying tribute to Aztec Emperor Montezuma, joined Cortes. As Cortes neared the Aztec capital, he became aware of the legends among the locals, describing bearded and fair-skinned gods, which they associated with him. Montezuma, alerted to the impending danger, attempted to halt Cortes, but due to the belief in the deity-like status of Cortes and the Spanish soldiers, whom they considered gods, the Aztecs were unable to effectively resist the Spaniards. This bewilderment was skillfully exploited by Cortes and his soldiers, resulting in the capture of the Aztec capital.
Meanwhile, Velazquez regretted sending Cortes to the New World, suspecting he had overstepped his bounds, and dispatched a Spanish army to apprehend him. Some historical sources suggest that Cortes deceived Velazquez to reach Mexico. Upon learning of this, Cortes hurriedly began collecting the spoils. He divided his soldiers, assigning a portion to guard the Aztec capital.
The incompetence of the soldiers left behind in the capital led to Aztec uprisings against the Spaniards. Cortes arrived to find the city in turmoil. In the ensuing chaos, the Spaniards were forced to retreat, and for a year, they engaged in skirmishes. Cortes even took Montezuma hostage, but due to the turmoil caused by the soldiers he left in the capital, the Aztecs rebelled. Cortes eventually retook the capital after a three-month siege, capitalizing on the advantage provided by cannons and firearms. Additionally, a significant factor in the reconquest was the devastating impact of European-introduced diseases, contributing to the fall of the Aztecs.
Cortes' triumphs reverberated in Spain, and he declared that he conducted the expedition not for personal gain, but in the name of Spain, by sending the Aztec treasures back to the country. Impressed by the extent and wealth of the conquered territories, King Charles V appointed Cortes as the governor of the newly acquired lands in 1522, accelerating the traffic between Spain and the New World. This led to an influx of settlers from continental Europe to these territories. Cortes granted lands to newcomers around Mexico City to expand their influence. During this period, he also embarked on expeditions to unite Honduras and Guatemala with Mexico.
However, Cortes faced increasing jealousy in Madrid, and his treasures were confiscated while his associates were imprisoned. In 1528, he was dismissed from the governorship and ordered to return to Spain. When Cortes returned to Mexico two years later, he found himself diminished in power. In 1536, leading expeditions towards the Pacific coast of Mexico, he seized the Gulf of California. In 1539, Cortes returned to the homeland, this time taking up arms against the Ottoman Empire. He confronted the Crusader army led by Andrea Doria, aimed at reclaiming Algiers, against Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha. Although Cortes displayed dedication, he could not escape defeat in the face of the Ottomans. In fact, he shared in the shame of the failed Algiers campaign, as his ship sank during the battle, narrowly escaping death. After the unsuccessful campaign in Algiers, Cortes fell out of favor and could never find the support for new adventures and explorations. He retired to his estate near Seville, bidding farewell to the sword he had wielded so ruthlessly, and lived there until his death at the age of 62 in 1547. In accordance with his will, he was transported to Mexico and buried there.
While he was originally known as Fernando or Hernando, he signed all his letters with the name Hernan Cortes. Cortes believed in the use of force as a political tool, and he was willing to employ it to achieve his goals, even if it meant the slaughter of thousands of civilians. The Spanish regard him as a skilled, intellectual, and capable military leader, despite his role in the deaths of many innocents. They also believe that Cortes undertook all these actions for the sake of Christianity. He did not hesitate to use force to spread Christianity in the lands he conquered. The indigenous Aztecs were astounded by the arrival of white Spanish conquerors with firearms and horses, witnessing firearms for the first time. They even believed that the white men were immortal, as one Spanish soldier had his head cut off without succumbing. Additionally, the easy collapse of such a vast empire (at that time, the Aztec population was estimated to be around 15 million) was facilitated by the introduction of European diseases, to which the indigenous people lacked immunity, leading to a devastating epidemic.
Aztec Emperor Montezuma offered Cortes a beverage he never let out of his hand, and Cortes and his men, who invaded the land bearing this drink, were profoundly affected by it. Montezuma sent the seeds of the plant used to make the beverage to Europe, and this new drink, quickly gaining popularity, spread throughout Europe under the name "coffee," thanks to Cortes. Cortes, in his days of decline, once found an opportunity to climb onto the cart carrying the king. When the king asked him who he was, Cortes replied, "I am the man who gives you more than your ancestors left you." Hernan Cortes fought alongside the renowned sea captain Andrea Doria against Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha in the attempt to recapture Algeria
from the Ottomans. In his memoirs, Barbarossa described Cortes as "this Cortes, the cruel, who roasted hundreds of thousands of people in fire with great effort in the New World, is an accursed infidel." Furthermore, Hernan Cortes was a cousin of Francisco Pizarro, who, like him, conquered Inca territories located further south.
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