Biography of Hernando Pizarro - Hernan Pizarro Profile

Biography of Hernando Pizarro - Hernan Pizarro Profile Biography of Hernando Pizarro: Hernando Pizarro (ca. 1495-1578) was a Spanish conquistador and the brother of Francisco Pizarro. Hernando was one of five Pizarro brothers to journey to Peru in 1530, where they led the conquest of the mighty Inca Empire. Hernando was his brother Franciscos most important lieutenant and as such received a huge share of the profits from the conquest. After the conquest, he took part in the civil wars among the conquistadors and personally defeated and executed Diego de Almagro, for which he was later imprisoned in Spain. He was the only of the Pizarro brothers to reach old age, as the rest were executed, murdered or died on the battlefield. Journey to the New World: Hernando Pizarro was born sometime around 1495 in Extremadura, Spain, one of the children of Gonzalo Pizarro and Ines de Vargas: Hernando was the only legitimate Pizarro brother. When his elder brother Francisco returned to Spain in 1528 looking to recruit men for an expedition of conquest, Hernando swiftly joined up, along with his brothers Gonzalo and Juan and their illegitimate half-brother Francisco Martà ­n de Alcntara. Francisco had already made a name for himself in the New World and was one of the leading Spanish citizens of Panama: nevertheless, he dreamed of making a huge score like Hernn Cortà ©s had done in Mexico. The Capture of the Inca: The Pizarro brothers returned to the Americas, organized an expedition and departed from Panama in December of 1530. They disembarked on what is today the coast of Ecuador and began working their way south from there, all the while finding signs of a rich, powerful culture in the area. In November of 1532, they made their way inland to the town of Cajamarca, where the Spaniards caught a lucky break. The ruler of the Inca Empire, Atahualpa, had just defeated his brother Huascar in an Inca civil war and was in Cajamarca. The Spaniards persuaded Atahualpa to grant them an audience, where they betrayed and captured him on November 16, killing many of his men and servants in the process. The Temple of Pachacamac: With Atahualpa captive, the Spanish set out to loot the wealthy Inca Empire. Atahualpa agreed to an extravagant ransom, filling rooms in Cajamarca with gold and silver: natives from all over the Empire began bringing treasure by the ton. By now, Hernando was his brothers most trusted lieutenant: other lieutenants included Hernando de Soto and Sebastin de Benalczar. The Spaniards began to hear tales of great wealth at the Temple of Pachacamac, located not far from present-day Lima. Francisco Pizarro gave the job of finding it to Hernando: it took him and a handful of horsemen three weeks to get there and they were disappointed to find that there was not much gold in the temple. On the way back, Hernando convinced Chalcuchima, one of Atahualpas top generals, to accompany him back to Cajamarca: Chalcuchima was captured, ending a major threat to the Spanish. First Trip Back to Spain: By June of 1533, the Spaniards had acquired a massive fortune in gold and silver unlike anything seen before or since. The Spanish crown always took one fifth of all treasure found by conquistadors, so the Pizarros had to get a fortune halfway around the world. Hernando Pizarro was entrusted with the task. He left on June 13, 1533 and arrived in Spain on January 9, 1534. He was personally received by King Charles V, who awarded generous concessions to the Pizarro brothers. Some of the treasure had not yet been melted down and some original Inca artworks were put on public display for a while. Hernando recruited more conquistadors – an easy thing to do – and returned to Peru. The Civil Wars: Hernando continued to be his brothers most loyal supporter in the years that followed. The Pizarro brothers had a nasty falling-out with Diego de Almagro, who had been a major partner in the first expedition, over the division of loot and land. A civil war broke out between their supporters. In April of 1537, Almagro captured Cuzco and with it Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro. Gonzalo escaped and Hernando was later released as part of negotiations to end the fighting. Once again, Francisco turned to Hernando, giving him a large force of Spanish conquistadors to defeat Almagro. At the Battle of Salinas on April 26, 1538, Hernando defeated Almagro and his supporters. After a hasty trial, Hernando shocked all of Spanish Peru by executing Almagro on July 8, 1538. Second Trip Back to Spain: In early 1539, Hernando once again departed for Spain in charge of a fortune in gold and silver for the crown. He didnt know it, but he would not return to Peru. When he arrived in Spain, supporters of Diego de Almagro convinced the King to imprison Hernando at la Mota castle in Medina del Campo. Meanwhile, Juan Pizarro had died in battle in 1536, and Francisco Pizarro and Francisco Martà ­n de Alcntara were murdered in Lima in 1541. When Gonzalo Pizarro was executed for treason against the Spanish crown in 1548, Hernando, still in prison, became the last surviving of the five brothers. Marriage and Retirement: Hernando lived like a prince in his prison: he was allowed to collect the rents from his considerable estates in Peru and people were free to come and see him. He even kept a longtime mistress. Hernando, who was executor of his brother Francisco’s will, kept most of the loot by marrying his own niece Francisca, Francisco’s only surviving child: they had five children. King Phillip II released Hernando in May of 1561: he had been imprisoned over 20 years. He and Francisca moved to the city of Trujillo, where he built a magnificent palace: today it is a museum. He died in 1578. Legacy of Hernando Pizarro: Hernando was an important figure in two major historical events in Peru: the conquest of the Inca Empire and the brutal civil wars among the greedy conquistadors that followed. As his brother Franciscos trusted right-hand man, Hernando helped the Pizarros become the most powerful family in the New World by 1540. He was considered the friendliest and most smooth-talking of the Pizarros: for this reason he was sent to the Spanish court to secure privileges for the Pizarro clan. He also tended to have better relationships with the native Peruvians than his brothers did: Manco Inca, a puppet ruler installed by the Spanish, trusted Hernando Pizarro, although he despised Gonzalo and Juan Pizarro. Later, in the the civil wars among the conquistadors, Hernando won the crucial victory against Diego de Almagro, thus defeating the greatest enemy of the Pizarro family. His execution of Almagro was probably ill-advised - the king had raised Almagro to nobleman status. Hernando paid for it, spending the best years of the rest of his life in prison. The Pizarro brothers are not remembered fondly in Peru: the fact that Hernando was probably the least cruel of the lot isnt saying much. The only statue of Hernando is a bust that he commissioned himself for his palace in Trujillo, Spain. Sources: Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca London: Pan Books, 2004 (original 1970). Patterson, Thomas C. The Inca Empire: The Formation and Disintegration of a Pre-Capitalist State.New York: Berg Publishers, 1991.

Free Essays on The Wingfield Way

The Wingfield Way Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie gives readers a look into a truly dysfunctional family. At first it could seem as if their lives are anything but normal, but Amanda’s â€Å"impulse to preserve her single-parent family seems as familiar as the morning newspaper† (Presley 53). The Wingfield’s are a typical family just struggling to get by. Their problems, however, stem from their inability to effectively communicate with each other. Instead of talking out their differences, they resort to desperate acts. The desperation that the Wingfields embrace has led them to create illusions in their minds and in turn become deceptive. Amanda, Tom, and Laura are caught up in a web of desperation, denial, and deception, and it is this entrapment that prevents them, as it would any family, from living productive and emotionally fulfilling lives together. Amanda Wingfield’s life has not ended up as she would have wished. She states, â€Å"I wasn’t prepared for what the future brought me† (Williams 720). According to Delma E. Presley, â€Å"If Amanda appears desperate, she certainly has a legitimate reason† (37). First of all, she has a daughter, Laura, that is dependent upon her for everything. She is afraid that Laura will end up a â€Å"little birdlike [woman] without any nest- eating the crust of humility† for the rest of her life (Williams 700). She also has a son, Tom, who goes to the movies almost every night, or so he says. Amanda knows that the â€Å"movies don’t let out at two A.M.† (Williams 703). When he finally does come home, Tom is â€Å"stumbling† and â€Å"muttering to [himself] like a maniac† (Williams 703). Amanda desperately fears that he is beginning to take after his father’s ways. She is caring for â€Å"a fragile menagerie c omposed of two children† (Presley 24). The desperation of her situation leads her to become controlling, and she takes t... Free Essays on The Wingfield Way Free Essays on The Wingfield Way The Wingfield Way Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie gives readers a look into a truly dysfunctional family. At first it could seem as if their lives are anything but normal, but Amanda’s â€Å"impulse to preserve her single-parent family seems as familiar as the morning newspaper† (Presley 53). The Wingfield’s are a typical family just struggling to get by. Their problems, however, stem from their inability to effectively communicate with each other. Instead of talking out their differences, they resort to desperate acts. The desperation that the Wingfields embrace has led them to create illusions in their minds and in turn become deceptive. Amanda, Tom, and Laura are caught up in a web of desperation, denial, and deception, and it is this entrapment that prevents them, as it would any family, from living productive and emotionally fulfilling lives together. Amanda Wingfield’s life has not ended up as she would have wished. She states, â€Å"I wasn’t prepared for what the future brought me† (Williams 720). According to Delma E. Presley, â€Å"If Amanda appears desperate, she certainly has a legitimate reason† (37). First of all, she has a daughter, Laura, that is dependent upon her for everything. She is afraid that Laura will end up a â€Å"little birdlike [woman] without any nest- eating the crust of humility† for the rest of her life (Williams 700). She also has a son, Tom, who goes to the movies almost every night, or so he says. Amanda knows that the â€Å"movies don’t let out at two A.M.† (Williams 703). When he finally does come home, Tom is â€Å"stumbling† and â€Å"muttering to [himself] like a maniac† (Williams 703). Amanda desperately fears that he is beginning to take after his father’s ways. She is caring for â€Å"a fragile menagerie c omposed of two children† (Presley 24). The desperation of her situation leads her to become controlling, and she takes t...

Definition of Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Definition of Family - Essay Example It is also considered to be a basic and significant unit for bringing up children in a social manner. A family may be classified as a multifocal family in which a mother and the children are present, a conjugal family in which the husband, wife and their children from the members of the family and extended family in which apart from the parents and the children there are other members residing in the family who are originally the members of the parents in this family. A family in which only parents and their children live is called a nuclear family whereas extended families with a wide number of relationships are known as joint families. Family is an important unit of socialization. The term family is used to refer to inclusive categories like nationhood, community, humanism and global villages. A family forms the basic unit for all these categories in a society. Family is also considered to be a significant economic unit which is widely studied under family economics. Many sociological and biological theories have been presented by different scholars to support the concept and evolution of family in the society from the starting of the human civilization till the present day. The biological theory of evolution coined by Darwin is an important theory in the area of evolution of systems of family in the human societies. The concept of family has also evolved in phased of savagery barbarism and civilization as indicated by other anthropologists like Lewis H. Morgan. The concept of family as an important social unit has been recognized most widely in the civilization stage of human progress (Forbes 20). The transformation of the civilized society and a class based society from a primitive community is identified to have been largely driven by the evolution of family systems in the human societies. The function and structure of families are said to depend largely on the