Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés (1485–1547) was the Spanish conquistador whose 1519–1521 expedition toppled the Aztec Empire and brought central Mexico under Spanish rule. Born in Medellín, in the Extremadura region of Castile, to a family of minor nobility, he studied briefly at the University of Salamanca before sailing for the New World in 1504 in search of fortune.

After years on Hispaniola and Cuba, where he served under Governor Diego Velázquez and acquired land and encomiendas, Cortés was given command of an expedition to the Mexican mainland. He defied Velázquez's last-minute attempt to recall him, scuttled most of his ships at Veracruz to prevent retreat, and marched inland with roughly 500 men. Through a mix of force, diplomacy, and alliances with peoples chafing under Aztec rule, especially the Tlaxcalans, he reached the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and took the emperor Moctezuma II hostage.

The conquest was bloody and uneven. Cortés was driven out of the city on the Noche Triste of 1520 with heavy losses, but returned the following year, besieged Tenochtitlan, and oversaw its destruction in August 1521. Smallpox, brought by his men, devastated the defenders.

Named governor and captain general of New Spain, he led further expeditions into Honduras and Baja California but was steadily sidelined by royal officials. He returned to Spain, fought at the disastrous siege of Algiers in 1541, and died near Seville in 1547, wealthy yet embittered by lost influence.

The name Hernán is a Spanish short form of Hernando or Fernando, from Germanic frith (peace) and nanth (bold). He carried the name of a bold peacemaker into a career defined by neither.