-
Jan 1, 1485
Birth
Born in a town in Medellin, Spain. His father was Martin Cortes and hew as known as a fair man. His mother Catalina Pizarro Altamirano. As a child, Cortes was sick most of the time, but he received an excellent education. (Not exact day and month) -
Jan 1, 1499
Early Teens
He studied spanish law, and that later helped him when he became a conquistador. After 2 years he dropped out without telling his parents because it wasn't right for him, and went back to his home. Back in his home he was always in trouble witht he authorities. He signed up to go on an expedition with the governor of Hispaniola. (Not exact day and month) -
Jan 1, 1503
Young Adult
Cortes would go see his secret girlfriend and he would get there by running along rooftops. While running acroos the rooftops he fell and broke his leg which prevented him from going on the expedition to the New World. While recovering from his leg injoury he got a fever which kept him in his bed for weeks. Life had to go on so they sailed without him. His only chance to go to the New World was gone. (Not exact day and month) -
Jan 1, 1504
A Fresh Start
When he was 19 he went to Italy to fight in the war between the Spainish and the French, but on his way there he started gambling and drinking so he never entered the war. (Not exact day and month) -
Jan 1, 1504
Second Chance
He ended up getting another chance to go to the New World with and after a rough voyage, he ended up in Santo Domingo on the island of Hispaniola. On the island he was wanted by Nicolas de Ovando. At the time the governor wasn't on the island. People told him he needed to settle down and try to farm. He told them he came to find gold and not corn. Since he did have common sense, he turned into a farmer. (Not exact day and month) -
Jan 1, 1511
Captain's Pet
He was invited on an expedition to Cuba by Valazquez, becuase Valazquez knew he wanted to go to the New World. Valazquez wasn't a very good fighter so all of the fighting was left to Cortes, who was the lieutenant, because of this Cortes had a record for being bold. Then he settled in the south of the island, near the new town of Santiago de Cuba. (Not exact day and month) -
Jan 1, 1517
A New Leader
1517-1518 He went to explore the lands that were west of Cuba and when he returned back to Santiago de Cuba, he had some news. Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba said that his land which was called Yucatan was full of gold and potential slaves, two things that Cuba lacked. Cortes gave him a fair amount of gold to prove there was a lot of gold. He decided they needed a third larger voyage of conquest. They set out on a fleet to sail west and the obvious leader was Cortes. Not exact day/month) -
Jul 1, 1518
Out with the old, In with the new
At hs own expense, Cortes lead five boats and he also prepared an army for the expedition which had 500 to 800 soldiers with 16 horses, they also had a few cannons and guns. Cortes was taking all the credit for valazquez's ashievments. So Valazquez didn't like that so he replaced Cortes. (Not exact day/month) -
Nov 18, 1518
Secret Sailing
Cortes decided to set sail at the dead of night. Since he left unprepared he didn't have all the supplies he needed. Along the way he stopped in small towns and every time he stopped people told him he Grijalbea returned and that Cortes had to turn back and report to Valazquez. -
Dec 1, 1518
Lies and Hatred
The ship landed on the island of Cozumel. COrtes and his men found an adandonded native village and looked for the gold but there wasn't any, all they found was cotton, cloth and trinkets. He gathered abunch of Natives and told them he wanted to change them into christians. he told them they had to practice christianity or they would get bad consequences. (Not exact day/month) -
Mar 19, 1519
Sail Again
Cortes set sail again. he wanted to go to better land. They landed on the river Tabasco, which they wanted to call Grijalva river. The city of Tabasco was taken over by the Spainish. (Not exact day) -
Mar 25, 1519
The Spanish Sucess
The Battle of Cintla broke out between the natives and the Spanish. The natives were much weaker in their unprotective quilted cotton armour. The Spainish were much more successful in their heavy steel armour and helmets. Though many of the Spanish soldiers were injured, the Tabascan natives were defeated in the end. After the battle, the Spanish soldiers took advantage of their success and took over the Mexican mainland. -
May 1, 1519
Acquanintances With The Aztecs
Cortes and his Spanish army set sail yet again. They reached the island that is currently called San Juan de Ulua. There, they found the Aztecs. At first, many of the Aztec's subject cites were eager to support the Spanish to get away from the Aztec rule. (not exact day/month) -
Jan 1, 1521
The Defeat
After being run out by the Aztecs, Cortes returned to receive a victory. This time, he was victorious and claimed the city as his. (Not exact day/month) -
Dec 1, 1547
The Death of Cortes
After his years of battling and exploring were over, Cortes went back to Spain, where he died of dysentry.
He lived a very successful life as a great Spanish conquistador. Because of his great military skills, he was able to take down the Montezuma Empire and much more. He showed everyone that he was a fearless leader. He definitely made Spain proud of hime and his accomplishments. (Not exact day)
