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Francisco Pizarro - Explorer & Conquistador
(c1471/6 – 1541) |
From an impoverished upbringing with scant education,
Francisco Pizarro went on to become an explorer,
conquistador, Captain General and Governor .
His travels in the new world would see him accompany
Vasco Nunez de Balboa on his expedition to the
Pacific Ocean, Conquer the Incas in Peru and
found the city of Lima.
This page details facts about Francisco Pizarro's
life and the events that shaped his history.
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Francisco Pizarro the Explorer
& Conquistador - Fun Facts for Kids ! |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
1: |
Francisco Pizarro was the illegitimate
son of Gonzalo Pizarro and Francisca Gonzalez and is believed
to have been born between 1471 and 1476 in Trujillo, Spain.
Little is known of his early life other than he had an impoverished
upbringing and had little or no education. |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
2: |
In 1509 Francisco Pizarro joined an expedition,
led by Alonso de Ojeda, which left Spain on 10 November
1509 and headed for the New World. Francisco Pizarro was
left in charge of San Sebastian, a doomed settlement that
had been founded by Ojeda. |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
3: |
In 1513 Francisco Pizarro took part in
the expedition of Vasco Nunez de Balboa, which would cross
the Isthmus of Panama and, on September 29 1513, discover
the Pacific Ocean. |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
4: |
Francisco Pizarro became a cattle farmer
in Panama after being granted slaves and cattle by Pedrarias
Davila, the Governor of the Castilla de Oro (Central American
Territories). In January 1519, he carried out the arrest
of Vasco Nunez
de Balboa on behalf of Davila. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 5: |
From 1519 to 1523
Francisco Pizarro served as Magistrate and Mayor in
Panama City.
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 6: |
In 1524 Francisco
Pizarro formed a verbal alliance with Hernando de Luque,
a priest, and Diego de Almagro, a soldier. Under this
alliance the three partners agreed they would head south
to explore, conquer and divide between them the empire
that they believed they would find. He was to lead the
expedition with Almagro provisioning food and military
supplies and Luque dealing with additional supplies
and finance.
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 7: |
In November 1524
Francisco Pizarro and the expedition left Panama heading
south. Suffering from a lack of food, bad weather and
conflicts with hostile natives, he only got as far as
modern day Colombia before returning to Panama.
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Picture
of Vasco Nunez de Balboa
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
8: |
Following the hesitant agreement of Davila,
preparations were made by Pizarro, Almagro and Luque for
a second expedition, and on 10 March 1526, they headed south
with two ships and 160 men. |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
9: |
When the expedition arrived at Colombia
they divided into three with Bartolome Ruiz, Pizarro’s main
pilot, continuing south across the equator, Almagro returning
to Panama for reinforcements and Pizarro remaining and exploring
the coastal area of Colombia. |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
10: |
On his journey, Ruiz captured a trading
vessel laden with precious metals and textiles. He returned
to Colombia where he re-joined Francisco Pizarro and Almagro,
who had returned from Panama with more men and supplies.
Following Ruiz’s good fortune, Francisco Pizarro and the
others decided to head south. |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
11: |
Once again Almagro returned to Panama
for more resources while Francisco Pizarro remained behind.
On this occasion the new Governor of Panama, Pedro de los
Rios refused further aid and sent instructions for
Pizarro and the others to return to Panama. |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
12: |
At this point Francisco Pizarro is reputed
to have drawn a line in the sand and asked those who wished
stay with to cross it. Thirteen men remained with him while
the rest returned to Panama. |
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Francisco Pizarro Fact
13: |
Francisco Pizarro made his way to La
Isla Gorgona where he stayed for several months until supplies
arrived. he then headed south once again and reached as
far south as 9˚ where he named the land Peru. By early 1528
they had reached the territory known as Tumbes. While in
the area Francisco Pizarro and his men learned of a great
empire and its riches which were to be found in the region. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 14: |
Francisco Pizarro returned to Panama
to prepare for another expedition, however the Governor
again refused to allow it. The alliance decided that
he should sail to Spain to appeal directly to the Spanish
King Charles I (Emperor Charles V). Setting sail in
the spring of 1528, he arrived in Seville in the summer
and met with the King. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 15: |
On hearing the stories of the expedition
and the riches that lay in Peru, King Charles I agreed
to give his support to the conquest. Francisco Pizarro
was made Governor and Captain General, giving him absolute
authority over the new lands he discovered. His associates
were given lesser positions with rights and privileges. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 16: |
In January 1530 he set sail for Panama
with 3 ships and around 180 men, four of whom where
his brothers. In January 1531 they, left Panama and
sailed for Peru. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 17: |
He landed near Ecuador where he was
joined by Hernando
de Soto who had arrived with horses and around 100
men. He intended to moved on to the Tumbes region where
they had previously stayed, however a recent attack
on the area by the Punian tribes had left it in ruins. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 18: |
In May 1532 Francisco Pizarro led
his expedition inland, and on 15 November 1532 he arrived
at the Incan city Cajamarca where the Incan Emperor,
Atahualpa, was resting after the Inca civil war. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 19: |
Atahualpa agreed to meet with Francisco
Pizarro in Cajamarca on the 16 November 1532. Atahualpa
and the 6000 men that accompanied him were initially
met by Vincente de Valverde, a Dominican Friar, who
explained that the Incan Emperor was required to pay
a tribute to the Spanish King Charles I. Atahualpa refused
so Pizarro attacked. |
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Francisco
Pizarro Fact 20: |
Francisco
Pizarro defeated the surprised Incans with a
force of less than 200 men, and took Atahualpa
hostage. Atahualpa offered a ransom of enough
gold to fill one room (believed to be approximately
22 feet by 17 feet) and enough silver to fill
two rooms of equal size. Francisco Pizarro accepted
the offer and the ransom was paid.
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Francisco
Pizarro Fact 21: |
Despite the
payment of the ransom, Atahualpa was tried and
strangled by garrote. Hernando de Soto was disappointed
by the execution and King Charles I of Spain
expressed his displeasure in a letter to Francisco
Pizarro.
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Francisco
Pizarro Fact 22: |
Francisco
Pizarro headed for the Incan capital Cuzco where
he had sent an advance party which included
Hernando de Soto. The advance party fought and
defeated the Incan soldiers at Cuzco before
Pizarro arrived leaving him free to enter the
city unopposed. He entered Cuzco on 15 November
1533.
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Picture
of Hernando de Soto
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 23: |
Francisco Pizarro decided that Cuzco
was unsuitable as a capital because of its location,
so he founded the city of Lima on the coast of Peru
on January 6 1535. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 24: |
The Incas attempted to recapture
Cuzco but were defeated by Francisco Pizarro’s ally
Diego de Almagro. After this event Pizarro and Almagro
both claimed Cuzco. The dispute that followed led to
a battle on 26 April 1538 which was won by Pizarro’s
forces and resulted in Almagro’s execution. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 25: |
On 26 June 1541, in Lima, Francisco
Pizarro was attacked in his palace and killed by a small
force that supported Almagro’s son. |
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Francisco Pizarro
Fact 26: |
Francisco Pizarro was buried
beneath the floor of the Lima Cathedral. |
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Francisco Pizarro the
Explorer & Conquistador (c1471/6 – 1541) Fun Facts
Info for Kids ! |
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