Editing Pedro de Valdivia (section)

==Early life as soldier in Europe and arrival in the Americas==
Pedro de Valdivia is believed to have been born in [[Villanueva de la Serena]]<ref name="Góngora">
{{cite book
 |title  = Historia de Todas las Cosas que han Acaecido en el Reino de Chile y de los que lo han gobernado (1536–1575)
 |last   = Góngora Marmolejo
 |first  = Alonso de
 |author-link=Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo
 |language=es |chapter=XIV 
 |year = 1960
 |quote  = Era Valdivia, cuando murió, de edad de cincuenta y seis años, natural de un lugar de Extremadura pequeño, llamado Castuera. 
 |url    = http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/FichaObra.html?Ref=1102&portal=157
}}</ref> 
(some say [[Castuera]]) in [[Extremadura]],<ref name="Góngora2">
{{cite book
 |title  = Historia de Todas las Cosas que han Acaecido en el Reino de Chile y de los que lo han gobernado (1536–1575)
 |last   = Góngora Marmolejo
 |first  = Alonso de
 |author-link=Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo
 |language=es |chapter=III 
 |year = 1960
 |quote    = ...por ser de su tierra de Extremadura como por tener práctica de guerra de cristianos, la cual había adquirido y seguido en tiempo del marqués de Pescara en la compañía del capitán Herrera, natural de Valladolid, sobre la diferencia y competencia que se tuvo con el rey Francisco de Francia sobre el Estado de Milán. 
 |url      = http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/FichaObra.html?Ref=1102&portal=157
}}</ref> [[Spain]] around 1500 (some sources put his date of birth as early as 1497 or as late as 1505) to an impoverished [[Hidalgo (Spanish nobility)|hidalgo]] family. In 1520 a civil war broke out in Castile, the [[Revolt of the Comuneros]], and Valdivia joined the army of Spanish king [[Charles I of Spain|Charles I]]. He later fought in [[Flanders]] in 1521 and Italy between 1522 and 1527, participating in the [[battle of Pavia]] as part of the troops of the [[Fernando d'Avalos|Marquis of Pescara]]. In May 1527, Valdivia was involved in the [[Sack of Rome (1527)|sack of Rome]] as a member of Charles I's mutinous mercenary army.

He traveled with Spanish forces to South America in 1535. He was assigned for a year to present-day [[Venezuela]]. He was moved to [[Peru]] in 1537.<ref name=Valdivia>
{{cite book
 |title  = Carta a sus apoderados en la corte
 |last   = Valdivia
 |first  = Pedro de 
 |date   =October 15, 1550
 |language=es 
 |quote  = ...Dar relación de cómo pasé a estas partes de Indias, año de quinientos e treinta e cinco, y me hallé en el descubrimiento e conquista de Venezuela un año. Dar relación cómo el año adelante de quinientos e treinta y seis pasé a las provincias del Perú...
 |url    = http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/12593842001258285209068/index.htm
}}</ref>

There he took part on the side of [[Hernando Pizarro]] in his struggle against [[Diego de Almagro]] and fought in the [[battle of Las Salinas]] in 1538; Almagro was defeated and captured.<ref name=Prescott>Prescott, W.H., 2011, The History of the Conquest of Peru, Digireads.com Publishing, {{ISBN|9781420941142}}</ref>{{rp|264}}  Afterwards Valdivia accompanied Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro to conquer both the province of Collao and las Charcas in High Peru (currently [[Bolivia]]). As compensation for his help in conquering these lands, he was awarded a silver mine and became a wealthy man.

Valdivia had married [[Marina Ortíz de Gaete]] in Spain.<ref name="Mariño">{{cite book |title=Crónica del Reino de Chile |last=Mariño de Lobera |first=Pedro |author-link=Pedro Mariño de Lobera |language=es |chapter=XLIV |year=1960 |quote=...fué casado con una señora llamada doña Marina Ortiz de Gaete, en Salamanca |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/13582842323460728544424/index.htm}}</ref> In Peru he became attached to [[Inés de Suárez]], a Spanish widow who accompanied him to Chile as his mistress.