Hernándo Pizarro

From Freepedia

Hernando Pizarro (1508-1608?) was a Spanish conquistador and one of the Pizarro brothers who ruled over Peru.

Hernando was born in Trujillo, (Extremadura), Spain. Unlike his other brothers, his birth was legitimate, and he was educated and gained influence in the Spanish court. In 1530 he departed for the New World with his half-brother Francisco Pizarro, and accompanied him during his conquests in Peru. In 1533 he was sent back to advance the Pizarro interests against Francisco's uneasy partner Diego de Almagro, as he had the best connections in the Spanish court. When he returned to Peru, he ruled with his other half-brothers (Juan and Gonzalo Pizarro) over the prized Inca capital of Cuzco with an iron fist. He helped the eventual suppression of Inca uprisings against their oppression, led by Manco Capac.

After Diego de Almagro returned from Chile on a fruitless gold-seeking expedition, he found that Hernando and his brothers were in control of Cuzco. As he had not yet obtained any credits for having been Francisco Pizarro's main partner in discovering Peru, he started to claim Cuzco as part of his share. Almagro fought the Pizarros, and captured Hernando and Juan in 1537, taking official possession of the city. Hernando was eventually released, however, and in 1538 he and Gonzalo returned with and army to confront Almagro. In the ensuing Battle of Las Salinas, the Pizarros won a decisive victory, capturing Almagro and the city.

In the fallout of the execution of Almagro later that year, and the general disorder caused by the Spanish infighting, in 1539 Hernando was again sent back to Spain, in an attempt to leverage his contacts in favor of the Pizarros. Their perceived treachery was to great, however, and despite Hernando's bribery, he was imprisoned for the next twenty years. He left prison in 1560 and generally dropped out of sight, reportedly dying at the age of 100.