Hernándo Pizarro
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 an 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 too 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.
"Hernando Pizarro."
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. © 1994, 2000-2005, on Infoplease. [
1]
*
Letter from Hernando Pizarro to the Royal Audience of Santo Domingo, in Reports on the Discovery of Peru
