Hernando de Soto

Hernando de Soto
Born around 1500 in the Extermadura region of Spain. De Soto was the second born son to a minor country noble. Growing up learning horse riding, armed combat, reading and writing Hernando de Soto would have to look outside of his estate for wealth and glory due to his birth status. At the age of 14, Hernando de Soto would leave Extremadura for Seville and enlist in the expedition to conquer and colonize the New World. Like his childhood hero Balboa, De Soto would make his way to the colony of Darien located in Panama. De Soto's horsemanship skills would be put to use as a member of the cavalry. He would serve under Pedrarias Davila in his bloody conquest of Panama and Nicaragua.

  Named El Furor Domini (The Scourge of God) by his men Pedrarias would instill fear in his soldiers and wage a brutal 
campaign against the native peoples of Central America. Later De Soto would serve with Balboa during his South Sea campaign 
as he would attempt to establish a new colony on the ismus of Panama. due to 
mounting tension of rule and paranoia, Pedrarias would have Balboa (his now son-in-law) arrested and executed for treason.
De Soto would carefully navigate the political upheavals and executions carried out by 
Pedrarias and eventually rise to a position of prominence in the colony. 
De Soto would enter into a partnership or compania with two other men, Hernan Ponce de Leon and Francisco Companon. They would make a small fortune breeding horses and shipping and trading Indian slaves.

Atahualpa's capture at the battle of Cajamarca.

A Chance for Immortality
In 1530 on a failed expedition into South America, a down on his luck conquistador named Francisco Pizarro stumbled upon evidence of a rich and culturally advanced society in Peru called the Inca. Pizarro would fail in his petition to Pedrarias to lead expedition of conquest into Peru. Pizarro would call on Hernando de Soto and Hernan Ponce de Leon to lend horse cavalry and ships for the expedition as well as influence on Pedrarias to approve the expedition. In exchange for his services, De Soto would be named second-in-command of the expedition and receive a lions share of the spoils of conquest.
The largest obstacle would prove to be De Soto's old mentor Pedrarias who would stand firm on his decision to not allow the expedition. De Soto would attempt a coup to unseat Pedrarias's power and would be thrown in prison and possibly executed. Fortunately for De Soto Pedrarias would die in March of 1531, freeing De Soto and Ponce to outfit Pizarro's expedition.
1532 Pizarro and De Soto would lead 300 soldiers into Peru to conquer an empire of millions. Fortunately for the Spanish the Inca empire was experiencing a bloody civil war between two brothers Atahualpa and Huascar, in which Atahaulpa would win and become the Sapa Inca Emperor.
Showing contempt for the Spanish, Atahualpa would meet with Pizarro at the Inca town of Cajamarca.
Atahualpa would come un-armed and ultimately be captured by Pizarro in a bloody takeover. Atahaulpa and De Soto would become friends during the Inca Emperors 
captivity passing time playing chess and teaching him Spanish. Pizarro would offer Atahualpa a chance at freedom for a great ransom in which the
Inca Emperor would fill three rooms with gold, silver and precious gems totaling 90 million dollars in todays money. For his troubles Atahualpa would be tried and executed by Pizarro. De Soto in disagreeance
would be sent away to put down a false rebellion during the trial. 
     De Soto would bitterly leave the expedition in 1535 after being denied governorship of Cuzco by Pizarro. He would then travel to Spain and marry Donna Isabella de Bombadilla a
daughter of his old mentor Pedrarias. In 1537 Hernando de Soto would meet with the Emperor Charles V and impress him with his tales from the indies. Charles would later approve De Soto's request
to govern and conquer a portion of the New world, a place named La Florida. De Soto would depart Spain in September 1537 to travel to Cuba were he would claim his title of Governor and begin forming his expedition to La Florida.
May 1539 De Soto would depart Havana and sail for a selected bay on Florida's west coast too begin the expedition that would cost him his fortune and his life.