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CORTES, HERNAN

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Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 207 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CORTES, HERNAN or HERNANDO (1485-1547), See also:Spanish soldier, the conqueror of See also:Mexico, was See also:born at See also:Medellin, a small towr;.of See also:Estremadura, in 1485. He belonged to a See also:noble See also:family of decayed See also:fortune, and, being destined for the See also:law, was sent, at fourteen years of See also:age, to the university of See also:Salamanca; but study was distasteful to him, and he returned See also:home in 1501, resolved to enter upon a See also:life of See also:adventure. He arranged to accompany Ovando, who had been appointed to the command of See also:San Domingo, but was prevented from joining the expedition by an See also:accident that happened to him in a love adventure. He next sought military service under the celebrated Gonsalvo de See also:Cordoba, but a serious illness frustrated his purpose. At last, in 1504, he set out, according to his first See also:plan, for San Domingo, where he was kindly received by Ovando. He was then only nineteen, and remarkable for a graceful See also:physiognomy and amiable See also:manners, as well as for skill and address in all military exercises. He remained in San Domingo, where Ovando had successively conferred upon him several lucrative and See also:honourable employments, until 1511, when he accompanied Diego See also:Velazquez in his expedition to the See also:island. of See also:Cuba. Here he became alealde of See also:Santiago, and displayed See also:great ability on several trying occasions. An opportunity was soon afforded him of showing his See also:powers as a military See also:leader. Juan Grijalva, See also:lieutenant of Velazquez, had just discovered Mexico, but had not attempted to effect a See also:settlement. This displeased the See also:governor of Cuba, who superseded Grijalva, and entrusted the See also:conquest of the newly discovered See also:country to Cortes. The latter hastened his preparations, and, on the 18th of See also:November 1518, he set out from Santiago, with ro vessels, 600 or 700 Spaniards, 18 horsemen and some pieces of See also:cannon.

Scarcely had he set See also:

sail, however, when Velazquez re-called the See also:commission which he had granted to Cortes, and even ordered him to be put under See also:arrest; but the See also:attachment of the troops, by whom he was greatly beloved, enabled him to persevere in spite of the governor; and on the 4th of See also:March 1519 he landed on the See also:coast of Mexico. Advancing along the gulf, sometimes taking See also:measures to conciliate the natives, and sometimes spreading terror by his arms, he took See also:possession of the See also:town of Tobasco. The See also:noise of the See also:artillery, the See also:appearance of the floating for-tresses which had transported the Spaniards over the ocean, and the horses on which they fought, all new See also:objects to the natives, inspired them with astonishment mingled with terror and admiration; they regarded the Spaniards as gods, and sent them ambassadors with presents. Cortes here learned that the native See also:sovereign was called Montezuma; that he reigned over an extensive See also:empire, which had lasted for three centuries; that See also:thirty vassals, called caciques, obeyed him; and that his riches were immense and his See also:power See also:absolute. No more was necessary to inflame the ambition of the invader, who did not hesitate to undertake the conquest of this great empire, which could only be effected by combining stratagem and address with force and courage. He laid the See also:foundation of the town of See also:Vera Cruz, caused himself to be elected See also:captain-See also:general of the new See also:colony, and burned his vessels to cut off the possibility of See also:retreat and show his soldiers that they must either conquer or perish. He then penetrated into the interior of the country, See also:drew to his See also:camp several caciques hostile to Montezuma, and induced these native princes to facilitate his progress. The See also:republic of See also:Tlaxcala, which was hostile to Montezuma, opposed him; but he routed its See also:army, which had resisted all the forces of the Mexican empire, dictated See also:peace on moderate terms and converted the See also:people into powerful auxiliaries. His farther advance was in vain attempted to be checked by an ambuscade laid by the inhabitants of See also:Cholula, on whom he took See also:signal vengeance. Surmounting all other obstacles he arrived, with 6000 natives and a handful of Spaniards, in sight of the immense See also:lake on which was built the See also:city of Mexico, the See also:capital of the empire. Montezuma received him with great pomp, and his subjects, believing Cortes to be a descendant of the See also:sun, prostrated themselves before him. The first care of Cortes was to fortify himself in one of the beautiful palaces of the See also:prince, and he was planning how to possess himself of the riches of so opulent an empire, when intelligence reached him that a general of the See also:emperor, who had received See also:secret orders, had just attacked the See also:garrison of Vera Cruz and killed several of his soldiers.

The See also:

head of one of the Spaniards was sent to the capital. This event undeceived the Mexicans, who had hitherto believed the Spaniards to be immortal, and necessarily altered the whole policy of Cortes. Struck with the greatness of the danger, surrounded by enemies, and having only a handful of soldiers, he conceived and instantly executed a most daring project. Having repaired with his See also:officers to the See also:palace of the emperor, he announced to Montezuma that he must either accompany him or perish. Being thus See also:master of the per-son of the monarch, he next demanded that the Mexican general and his officers who had attacked the Spaniards should be de-livered into his hands; and when this had been done he caused these unfortunate men, who had only obeyed the orders of their sovereign, to be burned alive before the See also:gates 'of the imperial palace. During this cruel See also:execution Cortes entered the apartment of Montezuma, and caused him to be loaded with irons, in See also:order to force him to acknowledge himself a See also:vassal of See also:Charles V. The unhappy prince yielded, and was restored to a semblance of See also:liberty on presenting the fierce conqueror with 600,000 marks of pure See also:gold, and a prodigious quantity of See also:precious stones. Scarcely had he reaped the fruits of his audacity, however, when he was in-formed of the landing of a Spanish army, under See also:Narvaez, which had been sent by Velazquez to compel him to renounce his command. In this emergency Cortes acted with his usual decision and courage. Leaving 200 men at Mexico, under the orders of his lieutenant (See also:Alvarado), he marched against Narvaez, whom he defeated and made prisoner, and he then enlisted under his See also:standard the Spanish soldiers who had been sent to attack him: On his return to the capital, however, he found that the Mexicans had revolted against the emperor and the Spaniards, and that dangers thickened around him. Montezuma perished in attempting to address his revolted subjects; the latter, having chosen a new emperor, attacked the headquarters of Cortes with the utmost fury, and, in spite of the See also:advantage of firearms, forced the Spaniards to retire, as the only means of escaping destruction. Their See also:rear-guard, however, was cut in pieces, and they suffered severely during the retreat, which was continued during six days.

Elated with their success, the Mexicans offered . See also:

battle in the See also:plain of Otumba. This was what Cortes desired, andit proved their destruction. Cortes gave the signal for battle, and, on the 7th of See also:July 1520, gained a victory which decided the See also:fate of Mexico. Immediately afterwards he proceeded to Tlaxcala, assembled an See also:auxiliary army of natives, subjected the neighbouring provinces, and then marched a second See also:time against Mexico, which, after a gallant See also:defence of several months, was retaken on the 13th of See also:August 1521. These successes were entirely owing to the See also:genius, valour and profound but unscrupulous policy of Cortes; and the See also:account of them which he transmitted to See also:Spain excited the admiration of his countrymen. The extent of his conquests, and the ability he had displayed, effaced the censure which he had incurred by the irregularity of his operations; and public See also:opinion having declared in his favour, Charles V., disregarding the pretensions of Velazquez, appointed him governor and captain-general of Mexico, at the same time conferring on him the valley of See also:Oaxaca, which was erected (1529) into a marquisate, with a considerable See also:revenue. But although his power was thus confirmed by royal authority, and although he exerted himelf to consolidate Spanish domination throughout all Mexico, the means he employed were such that the natives, reduced to despair, took arms against the Spaniards. This revolt, however, was speedily subdued, and the Mexicans were everywhere forced to yield to the ascendancy of See also:European discipline and valour. Guatemotzin, who had been recognized as emperor, and a great number of caciques, accused of having conspired against the conquerors, were publicly executed, with circumstances of great See also:cruelty, by order of Cortes. Meanwhile the See also:court of See also:Madrid, dreading the ambition and popularity of the victorious See also:chief, sent commissioners to See also:watch his conduct and thwart his proceedings; and whilst he was completing the conquest of New Spain his goods were seized by the fiscal of the See also:Council of the Indies, and his retainers imprisoned and put into irons'. Indignant at the ingratitude of his sovereign, Cortes returned in See also:person to Spain to See also:appeal to the See also:justice of the emperor, and appeared there with great splendour. The emperor received him with every See also:mark of distinction, and decorated him with the order of St Iago.

Cortes returned to Mexico with new titles but diminished authority, a See also:

viceroy having been entrusted with the See also:administration of See also:civil affairs, whilst the military See also:department, with permission to push his conquests, was all that remained to Cortes. This See also:division of powers became a source of continual dissension, and caused the failure of the last enterprises in which he engaged. Nevertheless, in 1536, he discovered the See also:peninsula of See also:Lower See also:California, and surveyed a See also:part of the gulf which separates it from Mexico. At length, tired of struggling with adversaries unworthy of him, whom the court took care to multiply, he returned to See also:Europe, hoping to confound his enemies. But Charles V. received him coldly. Cortes 'dissembled, redoubled the assiduity of his attendance on the emperor, accompanied him in the disastrous expedition to See also:Algiers in 1541, served as a volunteer, and had a See also:horse killed under him. This was his last appearance in the See also:field, and if his See also:advice had been followed the Spanish arms would have been saved from disgrace, and Europe delivered nearly three centuries earlier from the See also:scourge of organized piracy. Soon afterwards he See also:fell into neglect, and could scarcely obtain an See also:audience. The See also:story goes that, having forced his way through the See also:crowd which surrounded the emperor's See also:carriage, and mounted on the See also:door-step, Charles, astonished at an See also:act of such audacity, demanded to know who he was. " I am a See also:man," replied the conqueror of Mexico proudly, " who has given you more provinces than your ancestors See also:left you cities." So haughty a See also:declaration of important services See also:ill-requited could scarcely fail to offend a monarch on whom fortune had lavished her choicest favours. Cortes, overwhelmed with disgust, withdrew from court, passed the See also:remainder of his days in solitude, and died, near See also:Seville, on the 2nd of See also:December 1547• The only writings of Cortes are five letters on the subject of his conquests, which he addressed to Charles V. The best edition of them is that of See also:Don Francisco See also:Antonio Lorenzana, See also:archbishop of Mexico, entitled Historia de Nueva-Espana escrita See also:por su esclarecido conquistador, Hernan Cortes, aumentada See also:con otros documientos y notas (Mexico, 1770, 4to), a See also:work the noble simplicity of which attests the truth of the See also:recital it contains.

An See also:

English See also:translation of the letters, edited by See also:Francis A. MacNutt, was published in 1908. The conquests of Cortes have been described with pompous elegance by Antonio de See also:Solis in his Historia de la conquista de Mejico (1684), and with more truth and simplicity by Bernardo See also:Diaz del See also:Castillo in his work under the same See also:title (1632). See also See also:Sir See also:Arthur See also:Helps's Life of Hernando Cortes (2 vols., See also:London, 1871), F. A. MacNutt's Fernando Cortes (" Heroes of the Nations " See also:Series, 1909), and the bibliography to MEXICO.

End of Article: CORTES, HERNAN

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