What happened to Hernando de Soto when he died?
Hernando de Soto died May 21, 1542.10 His crew continued on without their fearless leader, eventually reaching a Spanish settlement in New Spain (present day Mexico).11 Hernando de Soto’s expedition was one of the most elaborate efforts made by the Spanish to explore the interior of North America.
What did Hernando de Soto discover about the United States?
Legacy Hernando de Soto’s expedition was one of the most elaborate efforts made by the Spanish to explore the interior of North America. De Soto’s and his men were the first to thoroughly explore most of the southern half of the modern United States. He is credited as being the first European to discover and cross the great Mississippi River.
Where did Hernando de Soto land in Florida?
In May 1539, de Soto landed nine ships with over 620 men and 220 horses in an area generally identified as south Tampa Bay. Historian Robert S. Weddle has suggested that he landed at either Charlotte Harbor or San Carlos Bay. He named the land as Espíritu Santo after the Holy Spirit.
Why did Hernando de Soto go to the West Indies?
His parents intended him to be a lawyer, but in 1514, while still in his teens, he told his father of his desire to go to the Indies, and he left for Sevilla (Seville). Despite his youth, de Soto’s zeal and his prowess as a horseman helped gain him a place on the 1514 expedition of Pedro Arias Dávila to the West Indies.

What was Hernando de Soto settlement?
De Soto's Expedition to North America De Soto set out from Spain in April 1538, set with 10 ships and 700 men. After a stop in Cuba, the expedition landed at Tampa Bay in May 1539. They moved inland and eventually set up camp for the winter at a small Indian village near present-day Tallahassee.
Who did Hernando de Soto claim land for?
SpainDe Soto was expected to colonize the North American continent for Spain within 4 years, for which his family would be given a sizable piece of land.
When did Hernando de Soto stop exploring?
On April 6, 1538, de Soto and his fleet departed Sanlúcar. On their way to the United States, de Soto and his fleet stopped in Cuba. While there, they were delayed by helping the city of Havana recover after the French sacked and burned it. By May 18, 1539, de Soto and his fleet at last set out for Florida.
What did Hernando de Soto accomplish?
Hernando de Soto is most famous for his exploration of North America. He led 600 men on a journey through what is now the southeastern United States. They were the first Europeans to explore most of this region. De Soto was sent by the King of Spain to explore and settle La Florida.
What lands did De Soto claim for Spain?
He covered territory from the Gulf of Mexico coast north to the Appalachian Mountains, from the Florida shores of the Atlantic to slightly west of the Mississippi River.
Did Desoto find gold?
Traveling through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, across the Appalachians, and back to Alabama, de Soto failed to find the gold and silver he desired, but he did seize a valuable collection of pearls at Cofitachequi, in present-day Georgia.
Who found Mississippi first?
explorer Hernando De SotoIt shows Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando De Soto (1500–1542), riding a white horse and dressed in Renaissance finery, arriving at the Mississippi River at a point below Natchez on May 8, 1541. De Soto was the first European documented to have seen the river.
Where is De Soto buried?
the Mississippi RiverHernando de Soto died after contracting a fever in May of 1542 in a Native American village located in modern-day Arkansas. His men buried him in the Mississippi River in the middle of the night after he passed.
What is a De Soto car?
DeSoto (sometimes De Soto) was an American automobile marque that was manufactured and marketed by the DeSoto division of Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to the 1961 model year. More than two million passenger cars and trucks bore the DeSoto brand in North American markets during its existence. DeSoto.
Who named the Mississippi River?
Accounts by La Salle and Marquette, late 1600s french explorers, mention that the Chippewa Indians called the river the “Missi Sippi,” or “large flowing water.”
What are some fun facts about Hernando de Soto?
Hernando de Soto | 10 Facts On The Spanish Explorer#1 His parents wanted him to be a lawyer.#4 He played a major role in defeating the Incas in the Battle of Cajamarca.#5 He made an enormous fortune during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.#6 Hernando de Soto was made governor of Cuba in 1537.More items...•
Why was de Soto's expedition considered a failure?
More than 300 soldiers, including De Soto himself, died during the expedition. Although the expedition was judged to be a failure because it discovered no new wealth, it was the first group of Europeans to explore southeastern United States.
Why did Hernando de Soto explore for kids?
The king wanted De Soto to conquer the land that is now Florida. He arrived in May 1539 and traveled through what is now the southeastern United States. He treated the Native Americans cruelly, trying to force them to lead him to gold. In response, the Native Americans frequently attacked the Spaniards.
What did Hernando de Soto find during exploration?
De Soto's Discovery of the Mississippi, 1541. (Johnson, Fry & Co., 1858). (Gilder Lehrman Collection) In 1539, Hernando de Soto led the first major European expedition into the interior of the southeastern North America, an area then known as La Florida.
Did Hernando de Soto discover the Mississippi River?
The Basics It shows Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando De Soto (1500–1542), riding a white horse and dressed in Renaissance finery, arriving at the Mississippi River at a point below Natchez on May 8, 1541. De Soto was the first European documented to have seen the river.
Where did De Soto get his fortune?
De Soto earned a fortune from Dávila’s conquest of Panama and Nicaragua, and by 1530 he was the leading slave trader and one of the richest men in Nicaragua. In 1531, he joined Francisco Pizarro on an expedition in pursuit of rumors of gold located in the region that is now northwestern Colombia, on the Pacific coast.
Where was Hernando de Soto born?
He was born in 1496 in Jerez de los Caballeros, Bajadoz province. De Soto’s family was of minor nobility and modest means, and at a very young age he developed dreams ...
What was the role of De Soto in the Spanish conquest of Peru?
De Soto’s Role in Conquest of Peru & Return to Spain. In 1532, De Soto acted as Pizarro’s chief lieutenant in the former’s conquest of Peru. Before Spanish forces defeated the Incas at Cajamarca that November, de Soto became the first European to make contact with the Inca emperor Atahualpa.
What was Hernando de Soto's role in the Conquest of Peru?
De Soto’s Role in Conquest of Peru & Return to Spain. De Soto’s Expedition to North America . The 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando de Soto (c. 1496-1542) arrived in the West Indies as a young man and went on to make a fortune in the Central American slave trade. He supplied ships for Francisco Pizarro’s southward expedition ...
What river did the Spaniards see in 1541?
In mid-1541, the Spaniards sighted the Mississippi River.
When did De Soto die?
Soon after, De Soto took ill with a fever. After his death on May 21, 1542 his comrades buried his body in the great river.
Where did De Soto camp in the winter?
They moved inland and eventually set up camp for the winter at a small Indian village near present-day Tallahassee. In the spring, De Soto led his men north, through Georgia, and west, through the Carolinas and Tennessee, guided by Indians whom they took captive along the way.
Early years
De Soto spent his youth in the family manor house at Jerez de los Caballeros. His parents intended him to be a lawyer, but in 1514, while still in his teens, he told his father of his desire to go to the Indies, and he left for Sevilla (Seville).
Exploration of southern North America
In April 1538 de Soto embarked from the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in command of 10 ships and 700 men. After a brief stop in Cuba, the expedition landed in May 1539 on the coast of Florida, at a point somewhere between present-day Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
When did Hernando de Soto land in Florida?
Illustration shows Hernando de Soto, soldiers, sailors and priests landing in Florida in 1539. (Credit: Library of Congress)
Where did De Soto land?
They stopped there to take control of the colony. The expedition sailed for La Florida May 18, 1539 and landed near modern day Tampa Bay on May 25.8 The began moving north, and then northwest.
What was Hernando de Soto known for?
Hernando de Soto is more known for being a conquistador. He helped conquer many lands in parts of Central and South America, including those of the Inca Empire. But he was also an explorer. De Soto explored and mapped parts of nine states in the southeastern part of the United States.
Why did Hernando need to learn a trade?
His parents hoped he would become a priest or lawyer, but de Soto had more interest in adventure.2 Hernando would need to learn a trade because his brother Juan, being the eldest son, would inherit their parent’s land and money when the died. Hernando would get nothing.
How many men did De Soto take?
De Soto departed Spain on his flagship San Cristóbal in April 1538. He took with him about 600 men, and numerous horses, dogs, and pigs. De Soto had been granted governorship of Havana, Cuba.
What diseases did the Spanish explorers encounter?
The indigenous peoples encountered by de Soto and his men were exposed to European diseases such as measles, smallpox and chickenpox, for which they had no immunity, causing massive loss of life amongst the Native Americans.
Who was the first European to conquer Cuzco?
De Soto received the third largest portion of wealth, after Francisco Pizarro and his brother Hernando.6 After this, de Soto marched onto and conquered the Inca capital city of Cuzco. He was the first European to enter this city.7 He captured the city, and claimed many of the riches for himself.
Who is Hernando de Soto?
The Peruvian economist, Hernando de Soto, best known for his work on the informal economy and its negative effect on poverty amelioration, was born in 1941 in Arequipa. After his father left Peru in 1948 following a military coup, de Soto was educated in Switzerland and did not return to Peru until 1979. He founded the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD) in Lima the next year and serves as it president.
Where did De Soto go on his expedition?
Followers. De Soto organized his expedition in the port city of Havana on the island of Cuba. His force consisted of 330 infantrymen equipped with swords, harquebuses, and crossbows, and 270 cavalrymen armed with swords and lances. Primarily veterans of earlier New World expeditions, his men opted for the lighter and more effective Aztec armor over the heavy and ineffective European variety. His force also included about 100 slaves, servants, camp followers, and pig herders. Finally, the expedition took with it mules to carry baggage, a herd of hogs — the ancestors of today ’ s southern razor-backs — to provide a source of food, and a pack of brutal Irish hounds to hunt and kill Indians in the swamps of the Deep South.
What books did De Soto write?
De Soto has written two major books expounding his ideas: The Other Path: The Economic Answer to Terrorism (1986) and The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else (2000). For both, the subtitles are as significant as the titles. Terrorism is a topic with which de Soto is familiar. He and the ILD have been attacked (physically, not just intellectually) by the Shining Path, a leftist revolutionary Peruvian movement.
What did De Soto point out about the mercantilist system?
De Soto points out the hidden costs of informality and the significance of the law as a determinant of development, and he critiques the redistributive tradition, which he associates with the early mercantilist system. He contrasts the relatively peaceful resolution of socioeconomic problems in England (and the United States) with the much more violent revolutions in France, Spain, and Russia. The unlearned lesson of U.S. history was its implementation of widespread property rights in the late nineteenth century.
Where did the Spanish take over the Battle of Mabila?
Battle of Mabila. De Soto ’ s only major pitched battle occurred later in 1540 in the large trading center of Mabila, located in present-day Alabama. As was their custom, the Spanish seized the Mabilan chief, Tazcaluza, upon meeting him on the outskirts of his chiefdom. Tazcaluza was ingratiating and compliant; he gladly escorted de Soto ’ s men to Mabila, where, he promised, they would find great stores of food and many women. Unbeknownst to de Soto, though, the Mabilan chief had laid an elaborate trap designed to destroy the unsuspecting Spaniards. Shortly after de Soto ’ s men entered the town, Tazcaluza sprang the trap by escaping from his Spanish guards. Suddenly, Indian warriors leapt from hiding, rained arrows on the invaders, and forced them out of the town with heavy casualties. Believing that they had routed de Soto, the Indians pursued the fleeing Spanish into the open fields outside Mabila ’ s fifteen-foot palisades. The Spanish, however, were preparing a trap of their own. After luring the Native Americans away from the protection of Mabila ’ s walls by feigning a disorderly retreat, de Soto ’ s elite, armored cavalry suddenly spun about and launched a devastating counterattack that crushed the Indians ’ charge. Soon thereafter, the Spanish infantry reentered the town and set it to the torch while de Soto ’ s powerful cavalry prevented any Indians from escaping the conflagration.
Which Spanish explorer was the first to cross the Mississippi River?
The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto participated in the conquests of Nicaragua (in Middle America) and Peru (in South America ). De Soto explored parts of nine states in the southeastern part of the United States, and he was the first white man to cross the Mississippi River.
What are the mysteries of capital?
De Soto discusses five mysteries of capital in The Mystery of Capital. The three most significant are missing capital, the lessons of U.S. history, and legal failure. The basic argument is that the problems of the poor — whether in Peru, Egypt, Haiti, the Philippines, or elsewhere — are not due to lack of possessions or assets but to lack of legally recognized property rights. His researchers have documented the problems that the poor face in major cities, where it takes too long for them to get a license for a legitimate business and their capital is dead capital, preventing them from benefiting from standardization, legal transferability of property, and the use of property as collateral. De Soto claims that over half the grievances of the poor in Peru concern difficulties of getting legal title to real estate: houses, offices, factories, and agricultural land. He claims that the changes in the developing world since the 1960s rival those of the Industrial Revolution since they have involved a massive migration of four billion people leaving their traditional way of life.
