Editing Moctezuma II (section)

== Biography ==

===Ancestry and early life===
[[File:Familia de gobernantes mexicas en la genealogía de Pedro Dionisio (1566).png|thumb|Moctezuma's ancestry as depicted in a 1566 manuscript]]
Moctezuma II was the great-grandson of [[Moctezuma I]] through his daughter [[Atotoztli II]] and her husband [[Tezozomoc (son of Itzcoatl)|Huehue Tezozómoc]] (not to be confused with the [[Tezozomoc (Azcapotzalco)|Tepanec leader]]). According to some sources, Tezozómoc was the son of emperor [[Itzcóatl]], which would make Moctezuma his great-grandson, but other sources claim that Tezozómoc was [[Chimalpopoca]]'s son, thus nephew of Itzcóatl, and a lord in [[Ecatepec]].<ref>{{cite journal|first=Alfonso|last=Caso|author-link=Alfonso Caso|title=Fragmento de genealogía de los príncipes Mexicanos (Cat. Boban 72)|trans-title=Fragment of Genealogy of the Mexican Princes (Cat. Boban 72)|year=1958|journal=Journal de la Société des américanistes|volume=47|pages=21–31|doi=10.3406/jsa.1958.1148 |language=es|jstor=24603909|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24603909|access-date=2 March 2022}}</ref> Moctezuma was also [[Nezahualcoyotl (tlatoani)|Nezahualcóyotl]]'s grandson; he was a son of emperor [[Axayacatl|Axayácatl]] and one of Nezahualcóyotl's daughters, Izelcoatzin or Xochicueyetl.<ref name="Carrillo de Albornoz">{{Cite web|first=José Miguel|last=Carrillo de Albornoz|url=http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/12880/moctezuma-ii-xocoyotl|title=Moctezuma II Xocoyotl|website=Real Academia de la Historia|access-date=29 December 2020|language=es}}</ref>{{sfn|de Alva Ixtlilxóchitl|1892|p=290}} Two of his uncles were [[Tízoc]] and [[Ahuizotl]], the two previous emperors.{{sfn|Chimalpahin|1997|p=97}}

As was customary among Mexica nobles, Moctezuma was educated in the [[Calmecac]], the educational institution for the nobility. He would have been enrolled into the institution at a very early age, likely at the age of five years, as the sons of the kings were expected to receive their education at a much earlier age than the rest of the population.{{sfn|Hassig|1988|p=35}} According to some sources, Moctezuma stood out in his childhood for his discipline during his education, finishing his works correctly and being devout to the [[Aztec religion]].<ref name="Carrillo de Albornoz" />

Moctezuma was an already famous warrior by the time he became the ''[[tlatoani]]'' of Mexico, holding the high rank of ''tlacatecuhtli'' (lord of men) and/or ''[[tlacochcalcatl]]'' (person from the house of darts) in the [[Aztec warfare|Mexica military]], and thus his election was largely influenced by his military career and religious influence as a priest,<ref name="Aragón 1931">{{cite journal|first=Javier O.|last=Aragón|title=Expansión territorial del Imperio mexicano|trans-title=Territorial Expansion of the Mexican Empire|journal=Anales del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia|volume=4|issue=7|pages=42–64|year=1931|url=https://revistas.inah.gob.mx/index.php/anales/article/view/6933|language=es|access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref> as he was also the main priest of [[Huitzilopochtli]]'s temple.{{sfn|de Alva Ixtlilxóchitl|1892|pp=305–306}}

[[File:Príncipe Moctezuma el Joven llegando al rescate de los mercaderes sitiados en Ayotlan, en el folio 6r del libro IX.png|thumb|left|Then-prince Moctezuma the Younger is arriving to the rescue of the merchants who were put under siege during the conquest of Ayotlan, according to the [[Florentine Codex]]. The merchants are seen talking to Moctezuma, informing him about the end of the war.]]
One example of a celebrated campaign in which he participated before ascending to the throne was during the last stages of the conquest of Ayotlan, during Ahuizotl's reign in the late 15th century. During this campaign, which lasted 4 years, a group of Mexica ''[[pochteca]]'' merchants were put under [[siege]] by the enemy forces. This was important because the merchants were closely related to Ahuizotl and served as military commanders and soldiers themselves when needed. To rescue the merchants, Ahuizotl sent then-prince Moctezuma with many soldiers to fight against the enemies, though the fight was brief, as the people of Ayotlan surrendered to the Mexica shortly after he arrived.{{sfn|de Sahagún|1577|loc=book IX, fol. 4v – 6r}}

Approximately in the year 1490, Moctezuma obtained the rank of ''tequihua'', which was reached by capturing at least 4 enemy commanders.<ref name="Carrillo de Albornoz" />

===Coronation===
[[File:Stone of the Five Suns.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Stone of the Five Suns, a stone with inscriptions in [[Nahuatl writing]] depicting the date 15 July 1503 in the Aztec calendar. Some historians believe this to be the date on which Moctezuma was crowned.]]
[[File:Coronation Stone of Motecuhzoma II.png|thumb|Annotation of Moctezuma's coronation stone to allow for increased legibility. The primary function of this stone was to commemorate the reign of Emperor Moteuczoma II. This stone legitimizes Mocteczuma's rule and contextualizes his reign with the cosmological view of Aztec history. In the annotated image, the [[Five Suns|five suns]] of the Aztecs are indicated. They are significant in the timeline of Aztec civilization. Each sun represents the belief of the Aztec people that the world has gone through five distinct cycles of creation and destruction. One should read the stone starting with the first Sun in the bottom right and moving counterclockwise (following the blue arrows in the annotation). The fifth sun in the center of the stone represents the present era of the Aztecs.]]

The year in which Moctezuma was crowned is uncertain. Most historians suggest the year 1502 to be most likely, though some have argued in favor of the year 1503. A work currently held at the [[Art Institute of Chicago]] known as the Stone of the Five Suns is an inscription written in stone representing the [[Five Suns]] and a date le 11 reed,{{clarify|reason=should there be quotation marks here somewhere?|date=June 2024}} which is equivalent to 15 July 1503 in the [[Gregorian calendar]]. Some historians believe this to be the exact date on which the coronation took place, as it is also included in some primary sources.{{sfn|Durán|1867|p=422}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artic.edu/artworks/75644/coronation-stone-of-motecuhzoma-ii-stone-of-the-five-suns|title=Coronation Stone of Moteuczoma II|website=Art Institute of Chicago|access-date=29 December 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207085146/https://www.artic.edu/artworks/75644/coronation-stone-of-motecuhzoma-ii-stone-of-the-five-suns|archive-date=7 December 2020}}</ref> Other dates have been given from the same year; [[Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl]] states that the coronation took place on 24 May 1503.{{sfn|de Alva Ixtlilxóchitl|1892|p=306}} However, most documents say Moctezuma's coronation happened in the year 1502, and therefore most historians believe this to have been the actual date.<ref name="Carrillo de Albornoz" />