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Hernan Cortez was born on January 1, 1485. He was born in Medellín, Spain. His parents' names were Martin Cortes and Catalina Pizarro Altamirano. Hernan Cortez was born into a Spanish nobility.
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When Hernan Cortes was 14 years old,in 1499, he was sent to study at the University of Salamanca in west-central Spain to study law. But he wasn't happy at school, too restless to follow the rules. He did learn a little Latin, and became good at writing. In 1501 he returned from school.
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Cortes traveled to the West Indies where Velasques, the governor, gave him command of a fleet and sent on a voyage of discovery.
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In 1511 he joined Diego Velasquez’s, an aide of the Governor of Hispaniola, expedition to conquer Cuba. There, Cortés served as a clerk to the treasurer and later as mayor of Santiago.
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18th of November 1518, he set out from Santiago with 10 vessels, 600 or 700 Spaniards, 18 horsemen and some pieces of cannon.
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In 1519, he tricked the Aztecs into giving him a lot of gold when he first arrived in Mexico. One of the treasures he found was chocolate. After a three-month attack, Spanish forces under Hernán Cortés capture Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec empire. Cortés’ men leveled the city and captured Cuauhtemoc, the Aztec emperor.
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He got married April 2, 1529. His spouse was Catalina Suárez Marcaida. They had 10 kids. The girls names were Leonor Cortés Moctezuma, Catalina Pizarro, María Cortés de Moctezuma, María Cortés de Zúñiga, Juana Cortés de Zúñiga,and Catalina Cortés de Zúñiga. His boys names were Martín Cortés, Luis Cortés y Ramírez de Arellano, Luis Cortés, and Martín Cortés, 2nd Marquis.
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He was a great soldier. While he was in the military, his nickname was Killer because of how good he was.
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In 1540, Cortés retired to Spain. He spent much of his later years seeking recognition for his achievements and support from the Spanish royal court.
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Hernan Cortez died on December 2, 1547. He died of Pleurisy on his way back to Mexico. Hernan Cortes passed away near Seville when he was 62 years old.
