Hernando De Soto Research Paper

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Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conqueror in the 1500s, one of the richest at the time. He was part of Francisco Pizarro’s expedition to Peru, during which he gained position and wealth. When he returned, de Soto was named governor of Cuba and married Isabel de Bobadilla. However, he was most noted for exploring the southeast United States to conquer and settle for Spain and for becoming the first European to discover and cross the mighty Mississippi River. He died soon after the expedition’s crossing in 1542. Hernando de Soto was born into poor nobility in 1496, in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain. He was funded by Pedro Arias Davilia for his education, and later was invited to join Davilia’s 1514 expedition to the West Indies. Francisco Pizarro invited him to be second-in-command in 1531 on an expedition to pursue rumors of gold on the Pacific Coast, which is present day Columbia. De Soto was the first to meet the Incan Emperor Atahuapla, but when Pizarro killed the emperor even after…show more content…
The expedition, comprised of 10 ships and 700 men, made a stop to rebuild the city of Havana in Cuba, where de Soto was governor. The expedition then continued on to land in present day Tampa Bay around May 1539. Over the course of the next three years, De Soto led the group through present-day Georgia, then the Carolinas, Tennessee, and down into Alabama. Along the way, they were continuously fighting with various bands of Native Americans; the largest battle, against the Tuscaloosa Indians, occurred in the area now known as Mobile. After the Spaniards ended up victorious, De Soto urged them to explore west instead of reuniting with their ships to the south. In the spring of 1542, the expedition came across the Mississippi River, but soon after they had crossed it, de Soto died of fever. Luis de Moscoso, whom de Soto had named successor, led the remaining group on rafts down the river toward
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