Martín Cortés (son of Malinche) facts for kids
Martín Cortés el Mestizo (born around 1522 – died around 1595) was a very important person in the history of New Spain (which is now Mexico). He was the first son of Hernán Cortés, a famous Spanish explorer and conqueror, and La Malinche (also known as Doña Marina), who was an indigenous woman and Cortés's interpreter.
Martín is known as “El Mestizo” because he was one of the first people of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage in New Spain. His father, Hernán Cortés, recognized him as his son. In 1529, Pope Clement VII officially declared Martín legitimate, meaning he was considered a lawful son, even though his parents were not married.
Martín grew up in Spain and received a good education. He even became a Knight of the Order of Santiago, which was a very high honor. For a time, he worked as a page for Philip II of Spain, who was the king. He traveled with the king to different places like Flanders and England, and even fought in the Battle of San Quentin.
Later, Martín returned to the New World. He and his half-brother, also named Martín Cortés, were seen as a possible threat to the Spanish rulers in Mexico because they were the heirs of Hernán Cortés. They were accused of being part of a plan to overthrow the viceroy (the king's representative). Martín was arrested and sent back to Spain. In 1574, he and his brother were cleared of the charges. He lived the rest of his life in Spain.
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Early life in New Spain
Martín Cortés was born in 1522 in what is now Mexico City, inside a former Aztec palace. His father, Hernán Cortés, and his mother, Malintzin (Malinche), named him Martín after the Roman god of war.
When Martín was only two years old, his parents left him with his father's cousin, Juan Altamirano. They went on an expedition to Honduras. During this trip, his mother, Malinche, married another Spaniard and did not live with Martín again. Hernán Cortés thought it was best for Martín to stay with Altamirano, as that was the home he knew. When Martín was six years old, he moved to Spain with his father.
Growing up in Spain
In May 1528, Martín arrived in Spain. His father, Hernán Cortés, took him on a journey to meet the emperor, Charles V. This was an important meeting for Cortés.
In 1529, Hernán Cortés asked Pope Clement VII to make Martín his legitimate son, and the Pope agreed. Martín spent much of his teenage years at the royal court in Spain, where he studied. By 1537, Martín became a page for Philip II of Spain, helping the king and learning about court life.
His half-brother, Don Martín Cortés
In 1532, Hernán Cortés had another son with his second wife, Doña Juana de Zúñiga. This son was also named Martín, after his father. However, this new son had the special title of don, which showed he was from an aristocratic family.
In the same year his half-brother was born, Martín (son of Malinche) became ill. Letters from that time suggest he had a form of tuberculosis called "scrofula." In 1540, Hernán Cortés returned to Spain for the last time. This was when Martín Cortés, son of Malinche, and his half-brother, Don Martín, met for the first time.
Life after Hernán Cortés's death
Hernán Cortés died in Spain on December 2, 1547. Even though Martín Cortés, son of Malinche, was his first-born, his main heir was his legitimate son, Don Martín Cortés. Don Martín inherited the title of the Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca.
In 1550, when Martín was 28, he spent a year in Europe fighting in the armies of the Holy Roman Emperor. Later, in 1557, Martín Cortés tried to claim some mines and enslaved people that he believed his father had given him. This legal fight lasted for several years. During this time, Spain passed the New Laws, which said that all enslaved people in New Spain were free.
Return to Mexico and accusations
In September 1562, Martín Cortés returned to Mexico. He traveled with his two half-brothers, Don Martín Cortés and Luis Cortés, to Tenochtitlán, which was their father's former home and Martín's birthplace. As the main heir, Don Martín Cortés Zuñiga became the Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca.
In 1566, news arrived in Mexico about new encomienda laws. These laws meant that when a Spanish landowner died, their properties would go to the government, not their family. This made some powerful families in Mexico unhappy.
In March 1566, some brothers named Gil and Alonso de Ávila held a party. At this party, some people dressed up as Mexican chieftains and honored someone dressed as Hernán Cortés. To the Cortés brothers and their friends, it was just a game. However, the Spanish rulers in New Spain saw it as a serious attempt to overthrow them.
The government accused the people involved of planning to rebel against King Philip II. Martín Cortés and his two brothers were among those arrested. Some people involved in the alleged plot were put to death. A few days later, the Viceroy Gastón de Peralta stepped in and released Cortés's three sons.
However, on July 16, 1566, Martín Cortés was arrested again and taken to the royal houses. He learned that his brothers and other friends were also prisoners. They were accused of planning to make his brother, Don Martín, the king of New Spain. Martín was questioned and eventually charged with knowing about the plan to rebel against the king for many months.
Alfonso de Ávila and his brother were publicly executed. In September 1566, Luis Cortés, one of Martín's brothers, was sentenced to death.
Before this could happen, a new viceroy arrived in November 1567. He allowed both of Martín's brothers to leave New Spain. Luis was sent to serve time in a colony, and Don Martín was allowed to present his case to the king. Martín, son of Malinche, stayed in Mexico.
On January 7, 1568, Martín was sentenced to live in exile in Spain forever. After being sent away from his birthplace, he joined the forces of Don Juan, who was Charles V's son, and fought in the Rebellion of the Alpujarras between 1569 and 1570. In 1574, the king officially cleared Hernán Cortés's children of any wrongdoing.
Legacy
Martín Cortés married Doña Bernaldina de Porras. They had two children: a daughter named Ana Cortés and a son named Fernando Cortés. We don't know many details about Martín's family life or the exact date of his death. He died in Spain sometime before the year 1600, possibly around 1595.
See also
- Hernán Cortés
- Martín Cortés, 2nd Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca
