Gonzalo Pizarro

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Gonzalo Pizarro

Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso (1502 – April 10, 1548) was a Spanish

Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
conquistador

Conquistador

Conquistador is the name given to the Spaniards soldiers, leaders, List of explorers, and adventurers involved in the conquest of the Americas following the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492....
and younger half-brother of Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro Gonz?lez, 1st Marqu?s de los Atabillos was a Spain conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of Peru....
, the conqueror of the Inca Empire

Inca Empire

The Inca Empire was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cuzco in modern-day Peru....
. Illegitimate son of Captain

Captain (Land)

The army rank of Captain is an officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and Marine ....
Gonzalo Pizarro y Rodríguez de Aguilar (senior) (1446-1522) who as colonel

Colonel

Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures....
of infantry

Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
served in the Italian campaigns

Italian Wars

The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy in historical works, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the Italian city-states, the Papal States, all the major states of western Europe as well as the Ottoman Empire....
under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba

Gonzalo Fern?ndez de C?rdoba, Duke of Terranova and Santangelo, also known simply as Gonzalo de C?rdoba , was a Spain general who made Spain the preeminent world military power for almost a century and half....
, and in Navarre

Navarre

Navarre is a region in northern Spain, constituting one of its autonomous communities in Spain - the "Foral Community of Navarre" ....
, with some distinction, and María Alonso, from Trujillo

Trujillo, Spain

Trujillo is a town located in Extremadura, Spain....
.

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Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso (1502 – April 10, 1548) was a Spanish

Spain

Conquistador

Francisco Pizarro

Inca Empire

Captain (Land)

Colonel

Infantry

Italian Wars

Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba

Navarre

Navarre is a region in northern Spain, constituting one of its autonomous communities in Spain - the "Foral Community of Navarre" ....
, with some distinction, and María Alonso, from Trujillo

Trujillo, Spain

Trujillo is a town located in Extremadura, Spain....
. He was the half brother of Francisco

Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro Gonz?lez, 1st Marqu?s de los Atabillos was a Spain conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of Peru....
and Hernándo Pizarro

Hernándo Pizarro

Hernando Pizarro y de Vargas was a Spain conquistador and one of the Pizarro brothers who ruled over Peru. He ultimately died in Spain of severly extended age, contrary to his brothers who all suffered a violent fate....
and the full brother of Juan Pizarro

Juan Pizarro II

Juan Pizarro y Alonso was a Spain conquistador who accompanied his brothers Francisco Pizarro, Gonzalo Pizarro and Hern?ndo Pizarro for the conquest of Peru in 1532....
.

Early years in Peru

Born in Trujillo, Spain

Trujillo, Spain

Trujillo is a town located in Extremadura, Spain....
, Gonzalo Pizarro accompanied his eldest brother, Francisco Pizarro, in his third expedition for the conquest of Peru in 1532. Gonzalo was also the brother of Hernando Pizarro

Hernándo Pizarro

Juan Pizarro II

Juan Pizarro y Alonso was a Spain conquistador who accompanied his brothers Francisco Pizarro, Gonzalo Pizarro and Hern?ndo Pizarro for the conquest of Peru in 1532....
. A lieutenant of his brother Francisco during the conquest, Gonzalo Pizarro was one of the most corrupt, brutal and ruthless conquistadors of the New World

New World

The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth, specifically the Americas and Australasia. When the term originated in the late 15th century, the Americas were new to the Europeans, who previously thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia, and Africa ....
, being far less restrained towards the natives and the Inca than his older brothers.

After Inca emperor Atahualpa

Atahualpa

Atahualpa, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa, or Atawallpa , was the last sovereign emperor of the Tahuantinsuyu, or the Inca Empire. He became emperor upon defeating his older half-brother Hu?scar in a civil war sparked by the death of their father, Inca Huayna Capac, from an infectious disease thought to be smallpox....
was captured in the Battle of Cajamarca

Battle of Cajamarca

The Battle of Cajamarca was a surprise attack on the Inca Empire royal entourage orchestrated by Francisco Pizarro. Sprung on the evening of November 16, 1532 in the great plaza of Cajamarca, the ambush claimed the lives of thousands of Incas and achieved the goal of capturing Emperor Atahualpa....
and later executed on July 26, 1533, the Pizarro brothers

Pizarro brothers

The Pizarro brothers were Spain conquistadors who came to Peru in 1532.The four brothers were:* Francisco Pizarro * Gonzalo Pizarro * Juan Pizarro II ...
and their followers marched towards the Inca capital of Cuzco to complete the conquest, capturing the city on November 15 after a brief battle

Battle of Cuzco

The Battle of Cuzco was fought in 1533 between the forces of Spain and of the Incas. The Spanish forces were led by Francisco Pizarro. The battle took place at the Incan capital of Cuzco, which was captured by the conquistadors....
with the Inca forces under Quizquiz

Quizquiz

Quizquiz was, along with Chalkuchimac and Rumi?ahui, one of Atahualpa's two leading generals. In April 1532, along with his companions, Quizquiz led the armies of Atahualpa to victory in the battles of battle of Mullihambato, battle of Chimborazo and battle of Quipaipan, where he, along with Chalkuchimac defeated and captured Huascar and pr...
holding it after previously defeating the central government and massacring the nobility of Cuzco. Some sources suggest the Spaniards were well received after vanquishing the northern forces having occupied the capital for nineteen months, but that fact is highly uncertain.

Soon discords arose between Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro

Diego de Almagro

Diego de Almagro , also known as Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spain conquistador and a companion and later rival of Francisco Pizarro....
concerning their leadership in the newly conquered land of the Incas. As a result, Almagro left Cuzco in 1534 and was given the honor of Spanish King Charles I

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556....
to explore the southern part of Peru (modern-day Chile) and look for more treasures there. Upon his departure, Gonzalo and Juan were appointed by Francisco as garrison

Garrison

Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, of more than 50 men, but now often simply using it as a home base....
s of Cuzco without Almagro knowing it.

Gonzalo and Juan Pizarro

Juan Pizarro II

Juan Pizarro y Alonso was a Spain conquistador who accompanied his brothers Francisco Pizarro, Gonzalo Pizarro and Hern?ndo Pizarro for the conquest of Peru in 1532....
both looked after the settlements

Town

A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
in Cuzco, while their eldest brother Francisco explored the west coast of northern Peru and founded the city of Lima

Lima

Dictatorship

A dictatorship is usually defined as an Autocracy form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator, without hereditary ascension....
, greed

Greed

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, corruption

Political corruption

Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption....
, and brutality, torturing and executing those who refused to accept Spanish rule. Their corrupt rule also brought a rebellion by the Incas under Manco Capac

Manco Inca Yupanqui

Manco Inca Yupanqui was one of the Incas of Vilcabamba. He was also known as "Manco II" and "Manco Capac II" . Born in 1516, he was one of the sons of Huayna Capac and came from a lower class of the nobility....
, who began to fight for equal rights and demanded freedom from harsh Spanish rule. The Incas fought the Spaniards in a number of siege

Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by Battle of attrition and/or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit." A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender ....
s and battles for control of the land and temporarily captured Cuzco in May 6, 1536. The Incas were later defeated by the heavily armed Spanish soldiers led by Gonzalo and Juan. Smallpox

Smallpox

Smallpox is an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning spotted, or varus, meaning "pimple"....
was also spread among the natives and many perished.

When Almagro returned from Chile disappointed in not finding any gold, he captured and imprisoned Gonzalo and Hernándo in 1537. They eventually managed to escape and re-join Francisco Pizarro on their return to Lima. When Gonzalo and Hernándo noticed that Almagro also wanted to take control of Cuzco, they fought against him in the Battle of Las Salinas

Battle of Las Salinas

The Battle of Las Salinas was a military conflict and decisive confrontation between the forces of Hernando Pizarro and Gonzalo Pizarro against those of rival conquistador Diego de Almagro, on April 26, 1538, during the Spanish conquest of Peru....
in April 1538. In the course of these events, Almagro left for Lima

Lima

Lima is the Capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chill?n River, R?mac River and Lur?n River rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean....
for a negotiation with Francisco on who would control Cuzco. Gonzalo and Hernándo heard of Almagro's threatening intentions and led an army against him, defeating his forces and later condemning him for treason. Almagro was executed on July 8, 1538, under Hernándo's orders.

Expeditions with Francisco de Orellana

In 1541, Gonzalo was declared the governor of Quito

Quito

Francisco de Orellana

Francisco de Orellana was a Spain explorer and conquistador. He completed the first known navigation through the length of the Amazon River. He named this river and founded Guayaquil....
in search of the fabled city of El Dorado and of The country of cinnamon ("País de la Canela

La Canela

La Canela, the Valley of Cinnamon, is a legendary location in South America. As with El Dorado, its legend grew out of expectations aroused by the voyage of Columbus....
"). In Quito, Gonzalo was able to recruit 220 Spaniards and 4,000 Native Americans. The second-in-command, Orellana, was sent to Guayaquil

Guayaquil

Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil....
to recruit more troops and horses. Gonzalo Pizarro and his followers left Quito on February 1541, a month before Orellana, who was able to bring 23 men and several horses. By March both met at the valley of Zumaco and started their march towards crossing the Andes

Andes

The Andes form the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km long, 200-700 km wide , and of an average height of about 4,000 m ....
. After following the courses of the Coca

Coca River

The Coca River is a river in eastern Ecuador. It is a tributary of the Napo River. The two rivers join in Puerto Francisco de Orellana....
and Napo

Napo River

The Napo is a tributary to the Amazon River that rises in Ecuador on the flanks of the volcanoes of Antisana, Sincholagua and Cotopaxi.Before it reaches the plains it receives a great number of small streams from impenetrable, saturated and much broken mountainous districts, where the dense and varied vegetation seems to fight for every...
rivers, the expedition started running out of provisions. About 140 of the 220 Spaniards and 3,000 out of 4,000 natives had died. On February 1542, they decided Orellana would continue sailing down the Napo river in search of food along with 50 men.

After a brief time, Gonzalo thought the expedition was a whole failure and decided to take a route north back to Quito with 80 of the remaining men, unknowingly relinquishing the success to Orellana, who ended discovering and exploring the entire length of the Amazon River

Amazon River

The Amazon River of South America is the list of rivers by length in the world by volume, with a total river flow greater than the next top eight largest rivers combined....
.

Upon his return to Quito, Gonzalo learned that the Almagristas (as the followers of Almagro were called) had assassinated his brother Francisco Pizarro on June 26, 1541 in retaliation for Almagro's execution. By this time the Crown

Spanish monarchy

is the Constitutional Monarchy of Spain. The King or Queen regent of Spain is the Head of State List of heads of state of Spain and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Spanish Armed Forces....
's representative, Cristóbal Vaca de Castro

Cristóbal Vaca de Castro

Crist?bal Vaca de Castro was a Spanish people colonial administrator in Peru....
, had arrived in Peru amidst the confusion after Pizarro's death. Gonzalo Pizarro offered to help capture those responsible for his brother's death, but was refused. The Almagristas were finally defeated in the battle of Chupas

Battle of Chupas

After the assassination of Francisco Pizarro, in retaliation for Diego de Almagro execution in 1538, Diego de Almagro II, El Mozo, continued to press claims as the rightful ruler of Peru and as leader of his father's supporters....
on September 16, 1542, and their leader, Diego Almagro El Mozo, executed.

Gonzalo turns against the Spanish King

Emperor Charles V

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556....
then appointed Blasco Núñez Vela

Blasco Núñez Vela

Blasco N??ez Vela was the first Spanish viceroy of Peru, from May 15, 1544 to January 18, 1546. He was charged by King Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor with the enforcement of the controversial New Laws, which dealt with the failure of the encomienda system to protect the indigenous people of America from the rapacity of the conquistadors and t...
as Peru's first viceroy in 1544. Núñez introduced the New Laws

New Laws

The New Laws of 1542 , also known as the "New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Presevation of the Indians" were created to prevent the exploitation of the indigenous people by the Encomienda, or landowners, by strictly limiting their power, during the Spanish colonization of the Americas....
, which were framed by Bartolomé de Las Casas

Bartolomé de Las Casas

File:Bartolomedelascasas.jpgBartolom? de las Casas, Dominican Order , was a 16th-century Spanish Empire Dominican Order priest, and the first resident Bishop of Chiapas....
to protect the Indigenous

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples....
. Many of the conquistadors living in Peru were against these laws since they could no longer exploit the natives. This prompted Gonzalo Pizarro and Francisco de Carvajal

Francisco de Carvajal

Francisco de Carvajal was a Spain military officer, conquistador, and explorer remembered as "the demon of the Andes" due to his brutality and martial exploits in the Peruvian civil wars of the 16th century....
to organize an army of followers with the intent of suppressing the New Laws. Many conquistadors turned against the Viceroy and joined Gonzalo's side, as his surname provided an effective rallying point. The rebel army defeated Núñez in 1546 at Añaquito

Battle of Añaquito

After his unheard claims as governor of New Castile following the death of Francisco Pizarro, Gonzalo Pizarro?pressed claims to be recognized as the ruler of the land he and his brothers had conquered....
near Quito

Quito

San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the Capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha , an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains....
. Although some, such as Carvajal, advised Gonzalo to proclaim himself King of Peru and to disown any further claim by the King of Spain to the land, Gonzalo refused.

Over the following months, however, the support for Gonzalo diminished when the King's new representative, Pedro de La Gasca

Pedro de la Gasca

Pedro de la Gasca was a Spanish bishop, diplomat and the second viceroy of Peru, from April 10, 1547 to January 27, 1550.Pedro de la Gasca studied at the University of Salamanca and the University of Alcal?....
, arrived with the intention of offering pardon and repealing the New Laws. Most of Gonzalo's army deserted him just before the crucial battle at Sacsayhuamán

Sacsayhuamán

Sacsayhuam?n is an Inca walled complex near the old city of Cusco, at an altitude of 3,701 m.Some believe the walls were a form of fortification, while others believe it was only used to form the head of the Cougar that Sacsayhuam?n along with Cuzco form when seen from above....
(in Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
Jaquijajuana), near Cuzco, that would determine the fate of the conquest. No longer supported with an army against the King's new representative, Gonzalo Pizarro surrendered and was beheaded

Beheaded

Beheaded is a Brutal death metal/Grindcore band from Malta. They were formed in 1991, by singer Marcel Scalpello, guitarist David Bugeja, and drummer Chris Brincat....
by the royal forces at field of battle, being the last of the Pizarro brothers to die a violent death (with Hernando dying of high age in Spain some three or six decades later).

Ancestors

Bibliography

Andrew Dalby
Andrew Dalby

Andrew Dalby is an English linguist, translator and historian who most often writes about food history.Dalby studied at the Bristol Grammar School, where he learned some Latin, French and Greek; then at the University of Cambridge....
, "Christopher Columbus, Gonzalo Pizarro, and the search for cinnamon" in (Spring 2001).
F.A. Kirkpatrick, "The Spanish Conquistadores" Third Reprinting 1968.