Hernando de Soto
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: Renaissance
- Categories: Military History, Land Acquisition and Expansion, Territory Redistribution, Discovery, Exploration, Geography
- Subcategories: Colonialism, Colonies, Settlements, Invasions, Raids, Conquests, Sieges, Ships, Naval History, Explorers
- Curriculum: Renaissance History, American Pre-Colonial History (to 1606), Spanish/Portuguese History
Article abstract: After playing a prominent role in the conquest of Nicaragua and Peru, de Soto led the 1539-1542 expedition which explored what became the southeastern United States and discovered the Mississippi River.
Early Life
Hernando de Soto was born around 1496, probably in Jérez de los Caballeros in southwestern Spain. He was the second son of Francisco Méndez de Soto and Leonor Arias Tinoco (the proper family name is Soto but the English-speaking world calls him de Soto). The family was lower nobility, and Hernando received some education,...
[The entire page is 2457 words long]
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