Warrior 040
Conquistador (meaning "Conqueror" in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who achieved the Conquista (this Spanish term is generally accepted by historians), i.e. brought much of the Americas and Asia Pacific under Spanish colonial rule between the 15th and 17th centuries. The Genoese Columbus's discovery of the New World in 1492 afforded Spain a headstart in Colonization of the Americas, i.e. North, South America, continental Central and the Caribbean regions; the whole area was designated the West Indies, as the explorers originally presumed they had reached the (inexistent) Atlantic coast of the Asia-Pacific Far East, which was being reached and soon colonized as 'East Indies', notably the archipelago of the Philippines and Guam.
The leaders of Spanish expeditions to the New World called themselves conquistadores, a name expressing the similarity to the recently accomplished reconquista, the Christian crusades to (re)conquer the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim Moors (711-1492). They also evoked the name of Santiago Matamoros ("St James the Moor-killer") before going into battle against the pagan Native population of the Americas, who were considered rightless as long as not converted to catholicism, so their lands were annexed as terra nullius with papal blessing, the only rival claim to be taken seriously was that of the Portuguese, settled after papal arbitration in the treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. Many conquistadores were poor, including some nobles (hidalgos) seeking a fortune in the West Indies, since there were limited prospects in Europe, as previously in crusades in the Old World. The honor rules for nobility banned them from manual work. Many were also fleeing the religious repression caused by the Spanish Inquisition.
List of Famous Conquistadors and Explorers
* Hernán Cortés (Mexico, 1518-1522, Honduras, 1524, Baja California, 1532-1536)
* Francisco Pizarro (Peru, 1509-1535)
* Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (southwestern United States, 1540-1542)
* Diego de Almagro (Peru, 1524-1535, Chile, 1535-1537)
* Vasco Núñez de Balboa (Panama, 1510-1519)
* Juan Ponce de León (Puerto Rico, 1508, Florida, 1513 and 1521)
* Pedro de Alvarado (Mexico, 1519-1521, Guatemala 1523 -1527, Peru, 1533-1535, Mexico, 1540-1541)
* Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (southwestern United States, 1527-1536, South America, 1540-1542)
* Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón (United States east coast, 1524-1527)
* Sebastián de Belalcázar (Ecuador and Colombia, 1533-1536)
* Gonzalo Pizarro (Peru, 1532-1542)
* Juan Pizarro, (Peru, 1532-1536)
* Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (Yucatán, 1517)
* Martín de Goiti, (Manila, Philippines, 1570-1571)
* Juan de Grijalva (Yucatán, 1518)
* Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (Colombia, 1536-1537, Venezuela, 1569-1572)
* Miguel López de Legazpi, (Philippines, 1565-1571)
* Francisco de Montejo (Yucatan, 1527-1546)
* Juan de Salcedo, (Northern Philippines, 1570-1576)
* Nikolaus Federmann (Venezuela and Colombia, 1537-1539).
* Pánfilo de Narváez (Florida, 1527-1528)
* Diego de Nicuesa (Panama, 1506-1511)
* Cristóbal de Olid (Honduras, 1523-1524)
* Francisco de Orellana (Amazon River, 1541-1543)
* Hernando de Soto (southeastern United States, 1539-1542)
* Inés Suárez, (Chile, 1541)
* Martín de Ursua, Peten region of Guatemala, 1696-1697
* Pedro de Valdivia (Chile, 1540-1552)
* Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (Cuba, 1511-1519)
* Pedro Menendez de Aviles (Florida, 1565 - 1567)
from Wikipewia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquistador
Warrior 040
The Conquistador
1492–1550
Author:
John Pohl
Illustrator:
Adam Hook
Paperback; November 25 2001; 64 pages; ISBN: 1841761753
Description: Many accounts portray the conquest of the New World as a remarkable military achievement, with Cortés' vastly outnumbered but better armed Spaniards defeating hordes of superstitious savages. However, the reality of these events is far more complex and no less significant. The first Conquistadors who had sailed in search of prosperity, inspired by dreams of unlimited riches, soon became disillusioned and restless. With disease rampant, resources exhausted, and the Caribbean populations dwindling, they had little alternative but to find new territories and peoples to exploit. This title shows how, bolstered by influxes of war-hardened veterans from Europe and an army of over 30,000 allied Indian troops, they came to rely on and perfect what they knew best - killing for profit, and without mercy.
Size:
28,63 Mb
Link:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JYXQSMAN