Editing Hernán Cortés (section)

==Early life==
{{multiple image
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| image1            = Weiditz_Trachtenbuch_077_Hernan_Cortés.jpg
| caption1          = Weiditz's depiction of Cortés in 1529
| image2            = Capitán general, Copia de un retrato de Hernán Cortés, ~1485 - 2-12-1547, retrato anónimo (1525).jpg
| caption2          = Copy of a portrait of Cortés dated to the year 1525
}}
Cortés was born in 1485 in the town of [[Medellín (Spain)|Medellín]], then a village in the [[Kingdom of Castile]], now a municipality of the modern-day [[provinces of Spain|province]] of [[Badajoz (province)|Badajoz]] in [[Extremadura]], [[Spain]]. His father, Martín Cortés de Monroy, born in 1449 to Rodrigo or Ruy Fernández de Monroy and his wife María Cortés, was an infantry captain of distinguished ancestry but slender means. Hernán's mother was Catalína Pizarro Altamirano.<ref name="Machado, J. T 1970">Machado, J. T. Montalvão, ''Dos Pizarros de Espanha aos de Portugal e Brasil'', Author's Edition, 1st Edition, Lisbon, 1970.</ref>

Through his mother, Hernán was second cousin once removed of [[Francisco Pizarro]], who later [[Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire|conquered]] the [[Inca Empire]] of modern-day Peru (and not to be confused with another Francisco Pizarro, who joined Cortés to conquer the [[Aztecs]]). Cortés' maternal grandmother, Leonor Sánchez Pizarro Altamirano, was first cousin of Pizarro's father Gonzalo Pizarro y Rodriguez.<ref name="Machado, J. T 1970" /> Through his father, Hernán was related to [[Nicolás de Ovando]], the third [[governor of Hispaniola]]. His paternal great-grandfather was [[Rodrigo de Monroy y Almaraz, 5th Lord of Monroy]].

According to his biographer and chaplain, [[Francisco López de Gómara]], Cortés was pale and sickly as a child. At the age of 14, he was sent to study Latin under an uncle in Salamanca. Later historians have misconstrued this personal tutoring as time enrolled at the University of Salamanca.<ref>David A. Boruchoff, "Hernán Cortés", ''International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences'', 2nd. ed. (2008), vol. 2, pp. 146–149 [http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Hernan_Cortes.aspx Hernán Cortés]</ref>

After two years, Cortés returned home to Medellín, much to the irritation of his parents, who had hoped to see him equipped for a profitable legal career. However, those two years in [[Salamanca]], plus his long period of training and experience as a notary, first in Valladolid and later in [[Hispaniola]], gave him knowledge of the legal codes of Castile that he applied to help justify his unauthorized conquest of Mexico.<ref>Boruchoff, "Hernán Cortés", [http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Hernan_Cortes.aspx Hernán Cortés], ''Encyclopedia''</ref>

At this point in his life, Cortés was described by Gómara as ruthless, haughty, and mischievous.<ref>[http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/notes/cortez.html Francisco López de Gómara, "Hernan Cortés"], The Latin Library</ref> The 16-year-old youth had returned home to feel constrained by life in his small provincial town. By this time, news of the exciting discoveries of [[Christopher Columbus]] in the New World was streaming back to Spain.