Research Paper On Hernando De Soto

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Introduction
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador and an explorer of the mid 1500’s. He discovered the Mississippi River and helped in the conquest of Central America and Peru.
Hernando de Soto was born around 1500 in Spain. He was a member of The explorer Francisco Pizzaro’s expedition in the 1530’s and helped to conquer Peru. Then he set out again in 1539 to North America where he discovered the Mississippi River. On May 21, 1542, Hernando died of fever in Ferriday, Louisiana.

(Portrait of Hernando de Soto, 1538) Primary source

Early Life
Hernando de Soto was born in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain. He was born in a well-known family, but they struggled for money. A man named Pedro Arias Dávila made it possible for Hernando to go to university. His father and mother wished for him to become a lawyer so that the family would be supplied with money. However, De Soto was drawn to the riches and fame of the west Indies, and decided to become an explorer. He was then invited to join the expedition led by Dávila …show more content…

During the exploration of Peru, de Soto found a road that lead to the city of Cuzco, the capital of Peru.
Hernando was a vital part in organising and commanding the attack on Cuzco, which the Spanish came out on top of. Hernando de Soto returned to Spain in 1536 where he married Dávila’s (His sponsor who allowed him to go to university) daughter. De Soto’s profits from the conquest of the Incan Empire amounted to around 18,000 ounces of gold.
Discovery of the Mississippi River
Even though De Soto had settled down and was living comfortably, he was drawn to the stories of Cabeza de Vaca’s exploration of Florida and other places. He sold all his possessions and assembled a 10 ship fleet expedition to North America. De Soto had a crew of 700 men all chosen for their fighting

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