# Hernán Cortés

_Spanish conquistador_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/hernan-cortes
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Hernán Cortés, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (c. 1485 – 2 December 1547) was a Spanish conquistador, military commander, explorer, captain general, and writer, best known for his expedition that led to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of what is now mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century. Cortés had been part of the generation of Spanish explorers and conquistadors who began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas (the broader European colonization of the Americas).

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 1485 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Medellín ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P19))
- **Died:** 2 December 1547 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P570))
- **Place of death:** Castilleja de la Cuesta ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Spain; Mexico ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P27))
- **Occupation:** explorer; governor; conquistador; writer; Conqueror ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P106))
- **Spouse:** Catalina Suárez Marcayda; Juana Ramirez de Arellano y Zúñiga ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P26))
- **Positions held:** Viceroy of New Spain (25 June 1526 – 3 July 1526); Viceroy of New Spain (30 December 1521 – 12 October 1524); Viceroy of New Spain (13 August 1521 – 24 December 1521) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P39))
- **Awards:** Order of Santiago ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326#P166))

## About

Born in Medellín, Spain, to a poor family of nobility, Cortés chose to pursue adventure and riches into the New World. He went to Hispaniola and later to Cuba, where he received an encomienda (the right to the labour of certain subjects). For a short time, he served as alcalde (magistrate) of the second Spanish town founded on the island. In 1519, he was elected captain of the third expedition to the mainland, which he partly funded. His enmity with the governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, resulted in the recall of the expedition at the last moment, an order which Cortés ignored.

Arriving on the continent, Cortés executed a successful strategy of allying with some American Indians against others, using the divide and conquer tactic. He also used Amerindian woman, Doña Marina, as his personal interpreter. She later gave birth to his first son. When the governor of Cuba sent emissaries to arrest Cortés, he fought them and won, using the extra troops as reinforcements. Cortés wrote letters directly to the king asking to be acknowledged for his successes instead of being punished for mutiny. After he overthrew the powerful Mesoamerican Aztec Empire, Cortés was awarded the title of marqués del Valle de Oaxaca, while the more prestigious title of viceroy was given to a high-ranking nobleman, Antonio…

## Questions

**When was Hernán Cortés born?**  
Hernán Cortés was born on 1485 in Medellín.

**What positions has Hernán Cortés held?**  
Positions held by Hernán Cortés include: Viceroy of New Spain (1526–1526); Viceroy of New Spain (1521–1524); Viceroy of New Spain (1521–1521).

## Related

- [Abel Tasman](https://diginpl.com/people/abel-tasman)
- [Alexander von Humboldt](https://diginpl.com/people/alexander-von-humboldt)
- [Alexei Leonov](https://diginpl.com/people/alexei-leonov)
- [Alfred Russel Wallace](https://diginpl.com/people/alfred-russel-wallace)
- [Alfred Wegener](https://diginpl.com/people/alfred-wegener)
- [Amerigo Vespucci](https://diginpl.com/people/amerigo-vespucci)
- [Arthur C. Clarke](https://diginpl.com/people/arthur-c-clarke)
- [Christopher Columbus](https://diginpl.com/people/christopher-columbus)
- [David Livingstone](https://diginpl.com/people/david-livingstone)
- [Ernst Haeckel](https://diginpl.com/people/ernst-haeckel)
- [Ferdinand Magellan](https://diginpl.com/people/ferdinand-magellan)
- [Francis Xavier](https://diginpl.com/people/francis-xavier)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Hernán Cortés](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1n_Cort%C3%A9s) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): हर्नान कोर्टस](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8_%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%E0%A4%B8) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q7326](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7326) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Retrato de Hernán Cortés.jpg by Unknown artist Unknown artist (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Retrato_de_Hern%C3%A1n_Cort%C3%A9s.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Hernán Cortés, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Retrato de Hernán Cortés.jpg — Unknown artist Unknown artist, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Hernán Cortés". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/hernan-cortes. Retrieved 5 November 2026.