Lope De Aguirre: The Prince Of Freedom

Lope de Aguirre, better known as the Prince of Freedom, was a Spanish soldier who partook in not only the Spanish conquest and exploration of South America, but later on led the rebellion against Spanish rule in parts of the continent. Aguirre is not only known for his extreme acts of brutality against Spanish leaders, but for being one of the first to claim himself as an American. He played a key role in the fight for independence against the Spanish monarchy. His great acts of violence against Spanish leaders placed him in control of the Island of Margarita (Venezuela), Panama, Chile, and Peru. His betrayal to the Spanish crown was frowned upon and he was soon thought of as a symbol of cruelty and treachery in Colonial Spanish America. Lope de Aguirre payed the ultimate price for his acts of cruelty and violence and was captured and killed by the Spaniards in 1561.
In July of 1561, Lope de Aguirre wrote a letter to the King of Spain, Phillip II, explaining his reasons to why he declaring independence from the Spanish rule. He begins by noting the importance and power of the king and explains how he is also a noble christian man. He Carries on to explain his services to the Monarchy which include but is not limited to the conquest of Peru and the search for the lost

city of gold. He states that he believes the king has been cruel to those who have given their efforts without asking for compensation by placing individuals in power who only take advantage and do harm to the colonies. He demands the king to punish these individuals who he blames for the situation in Peru. He begs the king to agree to his term for there will be blood spilled if he doesn't, he threatens the crown and says that he will kill every single one of his ministers. He also threatens the king by the use of black mail and uprising scandals on the Catholic church and the Spanish monarchy. This letter represents a direct threat to both the Spanish monarchy and the Catholic church and is an example of independence efforts occurring at this point in latin American history.
Throughout this letter, one can really notice the tone and soul of Aguirre by his use of strong and to the point language. He breaks things down in a very organized manner by successfully separating the introduction, body, and the conclusion of his letter. One can note the seriousness and anger in his tone by his use of strong and violent language and his mind-blowing threats he put on upon the Spanish monarchy and the Catholic church. Throughout the letter, I believe Aguirre changes his tactics in order to persuade the king. At the beginning I believe he attempts to make the King feel sympathetic towards him and his men and he wants the king to agree solely on feeling sorry for them, but towards the last half of the letter things completely change. One can notice a sense of violence and anger and he begins to threaten them not only physically by socially. He goes from the poor soldier to the Vicious, blood thirsty conquistador. Aguirre uses his tone to set the actual seriousness and importance of his requests to the king of Spain.
This letter only gives you Aguirre's perspective on what is going on at this point in time.

He solely speaks about his opinions, requests, threats, and worth without ever bringing up the opponents point of view. Because this letter is meant to persuade the king to agree to his request, I believe he wanted to only focus on the problem at hand. He speaks about them being evil and corrupt and unfair but for all the readers know he could be indeed sick in the head. After all he's the one who committed horrifying acts of violence and is expecting to be unpunished. In his letter to Phillip II of Spain the reader is only informed of his points and ideals as an attempt to be straight to the point and

clear.