Growing Rebellion

In my absence, there were many religious issues going on in Europe. I heard news of a man named Martin Luther who went against the Catholic Church and posted a document called the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door of Wittenburg. I was appalled to hear that not only him, but many other people were rebelling against our beliefs and it greatly troubled me in my time away from home. Later, I heard that this man they call Luther, was excommunicated from the church for heresy and the refusal of recanting his critical statements towards the church. Even though this all happened in Germany, news still spread all over the continent of this movement called the Reformation. Although Spain remained faithfully Catholic, many northern countries were converting into this new religion called Lutheranism. Emperor Charles V attempted to fight against Germany, but became very distracted by neighboring countries. Charles V had many enemies like the Habsburg emperor, the Valois king of France, and Pope Clement VII. His attempt to overcome them made him grow tired and Lutheranism continued to spread in Germany. The people of Germany were supposed to have loyalty toward the emperor, but they ignored their duty. Charles also tried to settle the problem in Augsburg but this made their forces grow stronger and fight more defensively. They formed an alliance called the Schmalkaldic League and this was a threat to the emperor. Emperor Charles V grew tired of trying to maintain religious orthodoxy and gave up his position of Holy Roman Emperor.

Source: Spielvogel

Overseas Voyages

I cannot fathom how I would have gotten to the New World without the help and innovations of past explorers and intellectuals. It would be impractical to go out to sea without a map or a handy compass. There once was an astronomer by the name Ptolemy, and he developed a map called the Geography. It was still fairly new when I was alive, being available in Latin from 1477. Although it only showed three major landmasses – Europe, Asia, and Africa – it ultimately led us to the New World. Even though the New World had been explored by past explorers, there was still much of it unknown to Europe. I’ve been told of a past where the earth was believed to be flat and the development of maps was virtually useless for overseas voyages. Not only would a map be practical on an overseas voyage, but the ship and navigation are crucial to a successful journey. The Chinese mastered the use of the axial rudder and learned to use sails with a square rig. They also developed a way to have ships that could be in naval warfare and support a lot of weight. This helped because it helped carry cannons and large amounts of goods across the sea. Also, my crew and I used a compass to help navigate through the Atlantic Ocean. This helped us explore the seas confidently and give us more knowledge on how the wind patterns were in the ocean. By the time we set out to Mexico, we knew of the wind patterns and mastered the sailing techniques.

Source: Spielvogel

Glory to God

Why is it so important that Spain must conquer Mexico? There is irony in the title of my blog, because although there were three driving forces to the exploration of the New World, I only wish to raise one up into concern. One can say money and fame are important, but not only they were the reason why not just I, but many other explorers, has sought to search and claim new foreign lands. However, I believe it is our religious zeal that gives us that crusading mentality to drive our beliefs into their native land. It is our duty to ensure that they

“are introduced into and instructed in the holy Catholic faith.”

It is our only job to show them how they must live and convert them into following our ways. Through our efforts,

“the devotion, trust and hope which they now have in their idols turned so as to repose with the divine power of the true God… they would work miracles.”

 One can argue that it is foolish to put religious matters over economic gain, but we should not intertwine spiritual and secular affairs too close together. Although conquering lands gained not only land, but gold, the primary goal is the converting of the Indians. Also, we do not strive for grandeur or glory but to grow in the knowledge of the outside world and what it can offer Spain, and the entire continent of Europe. Ultimately, I wish that through this intellectual curiosity and spirit of exploration, that only God will be glorified.  

Source: Spielvogel

Quest for Conquest

In 1519, I went off to the Gulf of Mexico to explore the new land for Spain. There my army and I found a city called Tenochtitlan, and we were welcomed by the inhabitants of the area. We allied with groups that were tired of the oppression of a vicious group called the Aztecs. As we came to the area where the Aztecs inhabited, they greeted us with much honor. They believed that we were messengers of their god, Queztalcoatl, and gave us many gifts of gold and hospitality. Their leader, Moctezuma even gave us a palace while we were in the city. This gave us an easy way into the core of their empire. We took Moctezuma hostage and seized the city as a property of Spain. Many inhabitants tried to revolt, but shortly after their attempts, they were driven out of the city by my army. There was a war in the great city of Tenochtitlan, and I lost many men, but the Aztecan people had a drastic amount of people killed or dead. They were not immune to the diseases we brought and many of them experienced things like small pox. We conquered the Aztecs not just by our strength in war, but just our very presence ceased their existence. Our armies replaced their foolish pyramids, temples, and palaces with Spanish government buildings and churches for our Emperor Charles V. With the mighty power of Spain, we were able to conquer this so-called “mighty Aztec Empire” and claimed northern Mexico as Spanish control.

Source: Spielvogel

Mi Vida

Hola! Me llamo Hernan Cortes. I was born in Medellin, Spain in 1485. My parents, Martin Cortes and Catalina Pizarro Altamirano, were both in the middle class and lived scarce lives. Despite my sickly childhood, I still went to the University of Salamanca to study. However, I shortly returned home to pursue my own interests. I was drawn to the New World and wanted to pursue an adventurous lifestyle. My connections to famous explorers helped me get started in my dream of being an explorer. My father, Martin Cortes, was a distant relative of Nicolas de Ovando. I went to Santo Domingo with Ovando and he took me as an employee and gave me many important office positions. My family connections did not just end there, but I am also the cousin once removed of Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Incas. Although some people described me as restless and mischievous, this was taken out of context because I was frustrated with the life I lived in the small provincial town of Medellin. My desire to be out exploring in the world also came from the rebellious teenager in me. Many things have come against my path that prevented me from going to the New World, but they didn’t succeed in stopping me. Despite the unlucky events that happened, my trips to the New World also had its benefits. For example, when I went to Santo Domingo with Nicolas de Ovando, I received a great deal of land and power over the Indians.  I was also forced into my marriage with Catalina because of Velazquez and our family affairs. Shortly after my marriage, I was set to be in charge of an expedition to Mexico. There, I conquered the Aztecs and helped the Spanish gain control of northern Mexico. After my voyage to Mexico, King Charles I, also known as Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, appointed me as governor, general, and chief justice of “New Spain.” However, even though I was chosen to be governor and chief general, I still shared power with four other royal officials. I went through many trips back and forth from Mexico to Spain. There were many issues occurring in both countries and these issues led to the end of my expeditions. Although I had a lot of money, I used so much of my gold for expeditions, and became bankrupt by the time I was advanced in my years. I spent my last days in Mexico, was stricken with dysentery and died on December 2, 1547. Many believed that I died as a wealthy, bitter man. I asked to have my body rest in Mexico, but it was moved several times. I am famous for my expedition and conquest of Mexico and also wrote five reports to Emperor Charles V about my experience in Tenochtitlan. I hope that it did not only tell the Holy Roman Emperor how life in Tenochtitlan was like, but also other intellectuals who are also as interested in the New World as I was.    

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1n_Cort%C3%A9s